Category petitions for 2026: the deadline is Monday, August 17.
The League lets riders petition to race a different category than their default placement. The bar is high and the deadline is real. Here's how it works and why the head coach is involved from the start.
The League assigns every rider a category at the start of the season based on prior-year results and the category placement rules. If you think your rider belongs somewhere different, there’s a formal petition process. The bar is high, and the deadline matters.
For the 2026 season, petitions are due one week before Race #1 registration, which puts the practical deadline at Monday, August 17. If you miss that, there’s one more shot before Race #2 (around August 31). After Race #2, petitions are rarely accepted.
Why categories exist in the first place
The placement rules are there to keep racing fair, competitive, and safe. Most riders should race where the League puts them. The petition process is a real exception, not a routine adjustment, and the League looks at every case through that lens.
What gets approved
Petitioning up is approved in many cases, but only with real evidence. The case is built on deep pre-season race results, League and non-League, against quality competition. If your rider is consistently finishing at the top of their assigned category against strong fields, that’s the kind of data the coach needs to build the petition.
Petitioning down is rare and reserved for compelling medical, physical, or emotional accommodations. It is not approved to improve a rider’s chance of finishing well, and the League is clear on this.
The head coach is involved from the start
A petition is not a self-serve form a family fills out on their own. It requires a thorough coach recommendation, the head coach’s signature alongside the rider’s, and a clear case backed by data. So the process always starts with a conversation.
The flow:
- Rider and head coach talk it through, look at the data, decide together whether to petition.
- Both complete the form: results, recommendation, both signatures.
- The League’s Petition Committee reviews.
- The team hears back before the race call-up list publishes.
If you think your rider has a case, email coach@boulderhighmtb.org to start the conversation. The earlier the better, ideally by mid-July, so there’s time to look at the numbers together and put a strong petition in front of the committee.