Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 21, 2008)—USA Cycling and the United States Olympic Committee today released a detailed description of the event format that will be utilized at next month’s 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the sport of BMX.
Scheduled for Saturday, June 14 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., the U.S. Olympic Team Trials will feature eight competitors with the overall winner earning an automatic nomination to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.
Following the completion of the 2008 UCI BMX World Championships in Taiyuan, China on June 1, USA Cycling will announce the eight-man roster of invitees for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
At the Trials, participants will compete in a series of five races and accumulate points throughout the day in order to determine an overall winner. The following guidelines illustrate the format that will be used at the Olympic Trials to determine one men’s automatic nomination to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team:
1. The Field: Eight (8) riders selected to the U.S. Olympic Long Team for BMX will be competing for an automatic position to the final U.S. Olympic Team. These riders will be announced on June 8.
2. Basics: The riders will compete in a total of five races – one Time Trial, three Motos and a Final. Points will be awarded to the top 3 finishers in the Time Trial, the top 4 finishers in each Moto and the top 5 finishers in the Final. The rider with the greatest number of points at the end of the event will be declared the winner and will be named to the U.S. Olympic Team.
3. Time Trial (Seeding): Riders will be seeded in the Time Trial event based upon the final standings of the 2008 USA Cycling BMX Rankings. The rider with the lowest ranking among the starters will ride first, followed by the next highest and so on. The top-ranked rider among the starters will ride last in the Time Trial.
4. Time Trial (Placing): The top 3 riders in the Time Trial will be awarded 5, 3, and 1 point (s) respectively. In the case of a tie in the top 3 riders, the riders tied will both be awarded points for that placing, although it may preclude other riders from scoring. (Example: if two riders tie for second place, they will both receive 3 points, but the next rider would be fourth and receive no points.) If there is a tie for riders outside of the top 3, the riders who tie will draw lots (or flip a coin) to determine placing.
5. Motos (Lane Choice): There will be 3 Motos. Lane choice for start positions for the first Moto will be determined by the time trial, with the rider finishing first getting lane choice, followed by the second rider in the time trial and so on. In the case of a tie in the time trial, the riders who tie will draw lots (or flip a coin) to determine position for lane choice. Choice for start position in the subsequent Motos will be determined by the current points standings. In the case of a tie in the points standings, the placing in the previous Moto will be used as a tiebreaker.
6. Motos (Placing): There will be two photo-finish cameras to determine order of finish. The top 4 riders in each Moto will be awarded 10, 7, 5 and 3 points respectively. In the case of a dead heat (tie) for a position among the top 4 riders, the riders tied will both be awarded points for that placing, although it may preclude other riders from scoring. (Example: if two riders tie for third place, they will both receive 5 points, but the next rider would be fifth and receive no points.) If there is a tie for riders outside the top 4, the riders who tie will draw lots (or flip a coin) to determine placing.
7. Final (Lane Choice): Lane choice for start position in the Final will be determined by current points standings. In the case of a tie, the placing of the previous Moto will be used as a tiebreaker. Only riders who are in contention for the win will be allowed to start the final.
8. Final (Placing): The top 5 riders in the Final will be awarded points: 15, 12, 10, 7, and 5 respectively. In the case of a dead heat (tie) for a position among the top 5 riders, the riders tied will both be awarded points for that placing.
9. Final Points Standings: The rider who finishes the event with the greatest number of points will be determined the winner. If there is a tie for first place overall, the tiebreakers will be utilized in the following order:
a. Most Victories. If still tied:
b. Most Top 3 Finishes. If still tied:
c. Order of Finish in Final. If still tied:
d. 2007-08 order of USA Cycling BMX Rankings
10. Final Team Announcement: The final 2008 U.S. Olympic BMX Team will be announced with all USA Cycling Olympic Teams on July 1, 2008.
11. Complete Selection Information: Complete information on the selection procedures for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team for BMX can be found on the USA Cycling website at the following link: http://www.usacycling.org/forms/selection/08-SOGBMX.pdf
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