2023 Piney Hills Classic Race will take place on April 29-30, 2023. We are looking forward to hosting another great race weekend. Please take the time to review the below details for the weekend.

A few notes & reminders:

1. We have a packed week of racing, kicking off with UCI Elite men/women, and JR men/women C2 on Saturday, April 29th and amateur cross-country categories event on Sunday.  
2. Note, there is NO ONSITE day of race registration.  If you show up to register day of your event, you will be out of luck.  
3. Racing License: UCI categories require a valid UCI license.  One day USAC licenses available online for CAT 2/3 categories for $15.
4. Online Registration:
   • Online registration for all UCI categories and all amateur categories (Sunday Races) we will close online registrations at 6am CST on Friday, April 28th.
     Categories: 
   • CAT 1*-Expert level of fitness/skill with several seasons of racing experience , race target time of 1hr 15 min-1hr 30 min for the winners.
   • CAT 2-Intermediate/Novice level of fitness/skill, a race season or two of experience, race target time 1hr-1hr 15 min for the winners.
   • CAT 3-Beginner level of fitness/skill, first time or a handful of race experience, race target time 30min-45 min for the winners.  If you are looking for more time or more laps, race CAT 2.  We want CAT 3 to be a true first timer or beginner race experience.  There is nothing we are giving away worth sandbagging this class for.
     *Category 1 Race Purse: C1 Classes (age groups) include C1 Women 15-49, C1 Men 15-59, Masters Men Open, Master Women Open and Single Speed Open.50% of entry fee (based on pre-registration price) X number of racers from the C1 classes divided by the total number of C1 classes with athletes competing and finishing that race. That dollar amount is paid out 5 places deep for each Class. Each Class with have equal payout.  (see payout depth chart below for percentage per place)  Purse Bolster Fund: 25% of entry fee (based on pre-registration price) X number of racers in C1 Classes.
     
     Pro/C1 Women and Pro/C1 Men Groups 
     75% of entry fee (based on pre-registration price) X number of racers from the Pro/C1 Women and Pro/C1 Men PLUS Purse Bolster Fund. This is paid out to the top 4 Women and top 6 Men. There will be equal payout for the top 4 Women and Men. (see payout depth chart below for percentage per place). CLICK HERE for the Payout Depth Chart.
5. Awards:
   1. UCI C2 Races: Will be based on UCI C2 payout structure. 
   2. Amateur categories: We will be awarding custom medals to the top 5 athletes within all amateur categories.
6. Online event waiver signature: USA Cycling moved to an electronic waiver signature format in BikeReg. There is no longer a need for the participant to touch a pen & paper. This new process speeds up the racer check-in process.
7. Kids/Junior Races: All U10 & U12 Category race entries are FREE* and U14 & U18 Category entries are $15! *All racers must have a 2023 USA Cycling Annual License or Day License to participate. 
8. Number plate/race number pickup: All racers must pick up a Piney Hills Classic Race Plate. We will not be using TMBRA race plates. Number plate/race number pickup is scheduled on Friday, April 28th from 5-7pm and on race day, Saturday, April 29th from 7-10am and again from 4-7pm. Sunday, April 30th from 7-10am. We will schedule this so that only one participant picks up their number plate at a time. Race plate pickup will take place at the Pavilion closes to the start line.
9. Saturday, UCI Events Start & Mandatory UCI Meeting: All details and start time available in our UCI Technical Guide at http://pineyhillsclassic.com/uci-event-technical-guide.
10. Sunday, Amateur Race Event Start: In the past we have had a wave start where all participants in each category start at once under the grid start line (8 riders per line). We are moving to a motocross style start in which all riders in the same age/category will start in a 100 feet-long line, they will ride along a straight open field and will have ~800 meters before the first turn. Reference your start time block on our registration page. Exact start time list will be available at race plate pickup.
11. Neutral Feed Zones: For the Cat 1 race, we will have tables for racers to place their personal water bottles and we will provide disposable, unopened water bottles and a water cooler that has been retrofitted with a touch-less spout and pedal so racers can refill their water.
12. Live Music & Food Truck: On Saturday, April 29th starting at 6pm will will have live music, food truck during our awards for all category race including the juniors. 
13. Bike Games for all! We are super excited to announce as part of our weekend mountain bike festival we will host a longest wheelie, and foot down competition. These event will take place on Saturday, April 29th after our award ceremony, ~5:00pm. Come join us and show off your skills. The winner for Each event where we see some cool prizes. No registration required for any of these three events.
14. Where to Stay (Camp or Hotel) & What do do: http://pineyhillsclassic.com/what-to-do-where-to-stay/

Come by, check it out and Experience Ruston.

See you at the Lincoln Parish Park to celebrate our 31st Piney Hills Classic!
 
Healthy Regards,
 
The Piney Hills Classic Team