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Qualifying for Juniors ages 15-16 & 17-18
Qualifying for Juniors ages 15-16 & 17-18
In 2024, USA Cycling introduced a qualification process for Juniors (15-16 & 17-18) to automatically qualify directly to the finals at the USA Cycling Cross-Country National Championships. For 2025, the process has been modified but the structure remains to streamline the process for all involved.
*** Junior Men and Women ages 11-14 are OPEN and do not require a qualification process***
• Automatic Qualification: Riders can qualify directly for the National Championship finals (XCO only) by meeting specific criteria (details below).
• Last-Chance Qualifier (LCQ): An on-site LCQ race will be available for those who do not qualify automatically, giving remaining riders a chance to compete for a spot in the finals.
The qualification system applies to both Junior Men and Women, where needed. Qualifier races are required only if the number of registered riders in the respective age/gender group reaches 120+ for XCO. If registration is below these thresholds, all riders in that event automatically qualify for the finals without the need for qualifier races.
Qualification Information
Cross-Country (XCO) For Junior 15-16 and 17-18 age categories, there are 120 spots available for the Cross-Country (XCO) National Championship final in each respective category. Call-up procedures for the on-site qualifier and championship final will be posted by May 31st, 2025.
The first 100 spots are earned through podium placings at the 2024 USA Cycling Cross-Country National Championship, performance in the Cross-Country National Series, as well as UCI rankings* (for the 17-18 category only) and USA Cycling XC rankings.
The allocation of these spots works as follows:
1. The defending & aged-up 2024 National Champions for XCO.
2. The 2024 remaining podium places in the specific age group:
a. Junior 17-18 (2nd – 3rd places)
b. Junior 15-16 (2nd – 5th places)
3. In each age group, the top 10 junior riders for every Cat 1 Cross- Country event in the National Series secure an automatic spot in the Nationals finals. (see above)
a. For events with over 100 participants, this extends to the top 20 riders.
4. If spots remain, the remaining positions are filled based on UCI rankings* (for the 17-18 category), followed by USA Cycling XC
rankings* points.
a. Lastly, the final 20 spots are determined through an on-site qualifier.
Short Track (XCC) Qualification
• The Short Track Cross-Country (XCC) National Championship final is limited to a
maximum of 50 spots per race due to venue constraints. To determine the final
lineup, all athletes will participate in on-site qualifiers (only if the registered rider
count is 50+). Details regarding call-up procedures for both the on-site qualifiers and
the championship final will be published by May 31, 2025.
Discipline Notes
• XCO: Only UCI events will count for automatic qualification in the 17-18 category. For the 15-16 category, only events with Category 1 riders will count. If multiple Cat 1 15-16 events are held on the same weekend, each will count towards automatic qualification. If no stand-alone Cat 1 15-16 event exists, a combined category including 15-16 Cat 1 riders will be used. The top 5 eligible 15-16s (regardless of category) will automatically qualify.
• XCC: No automatic qualifications for 2025.
NOTE: Automatic qualification does not have an implication on the actual call-up positions for the finals.
DATES BELOW ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON FINAL SCHEDULES AND REGISTRATION WINDOWS. FINAL DATES WILL BE UPDATED BY MAY 31, 2025.
*UCI rankings are based on the last published rankings as of July 15th, 2025, and USA Cycling rankings are pulled
as of July 15th, 2024, at 8:00 am ET.
**All riders who qualified for an automatic spot and plan to race nationals MUST pre-register for the event on
BikeReg no later than July 9th, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET. Any rider who registers after this point, including on-site
registration, will be automatically entered into the LCQ, regardless of any results/ranking previously earned.
Last Updated: 2/04/25
***The final qualified rider list (100 riders/field) will be released on Tuesday, July 15th, by 12:00 pm ET. All other
registered riders will be automatically entered into the LCQ.
Current rankings can be found using the following links:
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