2026 Grand Championship Points Series
The Chase for the Buckle has Started!
This season, the path to winning the GCPS is open to everyone, whether you’re a beginner or expert, a road specialist, a mountain goat, or a dirt-shredding junior.
What Makes This Series Unique
First, the Grand Championship creates a unique level playing field. Points are tracked in separate divisions for Female and Male racers. Within those divisions, you are grouped and ranked strictly by your USA Cycling Racing Age – racing Category is irrelevant.
In this series, age groups are the ultimate equalizer. Points accumulate within your age group regardless of your USA Cycling Category (1-5, Beginner-Expert, etc.). This means that a Cat 5 beginner can out-hustle a Cat 1 semi-pro by racing more consistently and placing higher in bigger fields. If you’re the highest scoring 35-39-year-old, regardless of race Categories, the buckle is yours. You are never competing for points against someone of a different sex or a different age group.
Second, Bigger Fields = Bigger Rewards
Beating a packed field is a huge achievement. The more racers who finish in your field, the higher the points go. Fifth place in a field of 16 pays significantly more than a win in a field of 4.
Third, there are Versatility Bonuses
You earn extra points for trying different types of racing:
- Discipline Bonus: Earn +20 points for every additional discipline you compete in (e.g., Criterium + Time Trial).
- The “Dirt ↔ Asphalt” Divide Bonus: Earn a massive once per season +50 point bonus if you cross over between On-Road and Off-Road disciplines. (This bonus doesn’t stack with the Discipline Bonus.)
- Championship Bonus: All UCA Championship races award 2x points on your race finish (any other point bonuses are applied after doubling).
The Rules of the Road (and Dirt)
Eligibility
- Licensed to Race: You must hold a current USA Cycling Annual License on the date of the final race of the season. Age 18 or under? Your annual race license is free! Over 18 and it’s your first time getting an annual race license? It’s free! See: Member | USA Cycling .
- Competitive Events Only: Points are earned in USAC “competitive” events. USAC “non-competitive” events (e.g., Gran Fondos, fun rides, some gravel events, clinics, camps) don’t count toward your total, with the exception of up to two NICA races described below. Event directors choose either the USA Cycling “competitive” or “non-competitive” designation for their events; if you’re not sure about an event’s status, the quickest way to check is to ask the event director.
- Finish Strong: Only completed races (no DNS or DNF) are scored. And if you race multiple times in one day, only your highest-scoring finish counts toward the series.
- Minimum Participation: To be eligible for the Grand Championship, you must be scored in a minimum of 4 races during the season.
The Age Groups
- Juniors: 9–10, 11–12, 13–14, 15–16, 17–18
- Under 23: 19–22
- Open: 23–29
- Masters: 30–34, 35–39, 40–44, 45–49, 50–54, 55–59, 60–64, 65–69, 70–74, 75–79, 80–84, 85–89, 90+
The Disciplines
· On-Road: Road Race (includes Circuit Race), Criterium, Time Trial, and Hill Climb.
· Off-Road: XC MTB, Gravity MTB (DH), Short Track MTB, Gravel*, Cyclocross, BMX (Freestyle), NICA (high school MTB)**, and IMCCC Collegiate.
*Gravel events must be designated USA Cycling “Competitive Events” by the event director to qualify.
**Up to two NICA races may be substituted, at a total of 10 points each, regardless of placement, for meeting the requirement of participation in 4 UCA events. These are excluded from tie-breaking calculations.
How You Score
Points are awarded based on your finish position and the total number of racers in your race field (race field is the group your race organizer reports to USA Cycling).
| Place | 16+ Racers | 10–15 Racers | 5–9 Racers | <5 Racers |
| 1 | 50 | 40 | 30 | 20 |
| 2 | 45 | 30 | 20 | 10 |
| 3 | 40 | 20 | 10 | 5 |
| 4 | 35 | 15 | 5 | 4 |
| 5 | 30 | 10 | 4 | – |
| 6 | 25 | 5 | 3 | – |
| 7 | 20 | 4 | 2 | – |
| 8 | 15 | 3 | 1 | – |
| 9 | 10 | 2 | 1 | – |
| 10 | 5 | 1 | – | – |
| 11 | 4 | 1 | – | – |
| 12 | 3 | 1 | – | – |
| 13 | 2 | 1 | – | – |
| 14+ | 1 | 1 | – | – |
Gravel Scoring: Gravel is scored by course length regardless of field size (2026 Gravel events scheduled within the UCA are currently classified by USA Cycling as “non-competitive” events and do not qualify for points. If “competitive” Gravel events are on the calendar, the following rules apply):
- Long course participants → scored as 16+ racers
- Medium course participants → scored as 10–15 racers
- Short course participants → scored as 5–9 racers, with every racer past 9th place earning 1 point
Breaking a Tie
If the season ends in a dead heat
- Whoever was scored for the most total events wins.
- If still tied, the highest placing-to-field-size ratio in the very last event of the series wins.
- If still tied, the winner is the racer who finished ahead of the highest number of competitors in the final series event.
Good luck in your chase for the Grand Championship buckle!