Official Rules & Regulations

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Jump to Section: 1. Definitions | 2. General Provisions | 3. Competition Structure | 4. Registration | 5. Technical Regulations | 6. Competition Rules | 7. Scoring | 8. Teams | 9. Disciplinary Code | 10. Admin Procedures

Common Lookups:

• Definitions & Terms
• ECRO Account & License
• Weight & Privacy Requirements
• Category Thresholds
• Phase Lock Rules
• Transfer Windows
• DQ Codes
• Verification Process
• Wrong Category Penalties
• Appeals

1. Definitions & Terminology

For the purposes of these regulations, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

Category: One of five performance-based rider classifications (A, B, C, D, E) determined by vELO rating. Categories establish competitive divisions within races.

Dual Recording: The simultaneous recording of a single activity on multiple devices for verification purposes, providing redundant data sources.

General Classification (GC): Overall standings in multi-stage competitions (stage races) or multi-race competitions (seasonal series), determined by cumulative time gaps or point totals.

Phase (Racing Phase): One of four active competition periods within a season, separated by transfer windows. During racing phases, categories lock and team rosters are stable.

Phase Locking: The system by which a rider's category becomes fixed for the duration of a racing phase after completing their first race in that phase.

Race: A competition event (e.g., "Chasing Sanremo", "Chasing Yellow Stage 5"). A race may consist of multiple race events.

Race Event: A specific time slot within a race, scheduled to accommodate different time zones. Each race typically consists of up to 5 race events.

Season: The annual ECRO World Tour competition period, consisting of four racing phases separated by three transfer windows.

Transfer Window: The period between racing phases when no racing occurs. During transfer windows, riders may change teams and all category locks are cleared.

vELO Rating: A performance rating calculated by ZwiftRacing.app based on 90 days of racing performance. vELO is the basis for category assignments.

Verification: The process by which riders provide equipment documentation, dual recording files, or other evidence to confirm the legitimacy of their race results.

Virtual Currency (ECRO$): Gamified monetary values used within the team management system. Virtual currency has no real-world monetary value and cannot be withdrawn or converted to real money.

2. General Provisions

2.1 Scope & Application

Applicability: These regulations apply to:

• All ECRO World Tour competitions and events
• All licensed riders and registered teams
• All race organizers utilizing the ECRO platform

Supremacy: In case of conflict between documents:

• These Official Rules & Regulations supersede all other ECRO documentation
• The English language version is authoritative
• ECRO Race Administration has final interpretation authority

2.2 ECRO World Tour Overview

The ECRO World Tour is a year-long racing competition for riders and teams. Throughout the season, riders and teams accumulate points based on their performance in races and General Classification (GC) competitions.

2.3 Season Structure

The season is divided into 4 racing phases with transfer windows between them:

• Racing Phases: Active competition periods where races occur and riders compete for their teams
• Transfer Windows: Brief periods between phases when no racing occurs, riders may change teams, and categories become unlocked

Category Locking Cycle:

• During transfer windows: All categories are unlocked
• When new phase begins: Categories remain unlocked (dynamic)
• After first race in new phase: Category locks for remainder of that phase
• At next transfer window: Categories unlock again

3. Competition Structure

3.1 Race Types

Single-Day Races

• Standalone events awarding points based on finishing position
• Points determined by race tier and category placement
• All finishers receive minimum completion points

Stage Races

• Multi-day competitions using time gap calculations
• Stage points plus overall GC points available
• Requires minimum stage completion for GC qualification

Seasonal Series

• Multi-race competitions using point accumulation
• Separate points for races and overall series standing
• Requires 75% race completion for series GC qualification

3.2 General Classification (GC) Competitions

• GC competitions measure performance across multiple related races
• Two types: Stage Races and Seasonal Series
• Separate point awards available for both races and overall GC standings
• GC standings determined by either lowest cumulative time gap (stage races) or highest point total (seasonal series)

3.3 Transfer Windows

What Happens During Transfer Windows:

• Racing: No races scheduled
• Team Changes: Riders may change teams — team owners/managers can offer new contracts, riders can accept offers from new teams
• Category Status: All category locks are cleared — categories return to dynamic (rating-based) assignment
• Planning: Teams strategize roster composition for upcoming phase

What Happens When New Phase Begins:

• Category Remains Unlocked: Until rider completes their first race of the new phase
• First Race Locks Category: Upon completion of first race, category is locked based on rating at that moment
• First Race Locks Team: Upon completion of first race, rider is team-locked for the phase

Transfer Window Schedule:

• Typically 3 transfer windows per season (between the 4 racing phases)
• Transfer window dates announced at season start
• Duration varies but typically 1-2 weeks

4. Registration & Eligibility

4.1 ECRO Account Registration

• All participants must create an ECRO account at ecro.app before participating
• One account per person (multiple accounts prohibited)
• Riders must maintain accurate profile information

4.2 ECRO Rider License

• Riders must purchase a valid ECRO Rider License for the current season
• Licenses must be active before participating in any race event for results to count
• Unlicensed riders entering events will be disqualified from official results
• Retroactive licensing does not validate previous unlicensed results

4.3 Platform Requirements

• Riders must be registered on zwiftpower.com
• Public ZwiftPower activity details must be enabled

4.4 Equipment Requirements

Mandatory Equipment

• Heart Rate Monitor: Required for all race events
• Power Source: Smart trainer or power meter required; ZPower riders are not permitted

Power Source Requirements (Category-Specific)

• Categories A & B: Smart trainers are required as the primary power source
• Categories C, D & E: Power meters are acceptable as primary power source

Bike Frame Restrictions

• Non-ITT Races: TT (time trial) bike frames are prohibited
• ITT Races: TT bike frames are permitted

Dual Recording

• Dual recording is strongly encouraged for top-tier Category A riders
• Provides additional data for verification and improves result accuracy

4.5 Profile Data Requirements

Weight Updates

• Riders must update their Zwift weight at least weekly
• Significant weight fluctuations outside normal parameters will trigger verification

ZwiftPower Privacy Settings

• ZwiftPower data settings must be set to PUBLIC (blue bolt icon)
• Results that remain private at the 24-hour mark will be marked as Rule 1.2 DQ (FINAL)
• No manual reprocessing will be performed after the 24-hour window

5. Technical Regulations

5.1 Category Assignments

Riders are assigned to one of five categories based on their 90-day vELO rating:

• Category A: 2000+ vELO
• Category B: 1700-1999 vELO
• Category C: 1400-1699 vELO
• Category D: 1100-1399 vELO
• Category E: 0-1099 vELO

5.3 Phase Locking System

The ECRO World Tour uses a Phase Locking system to maintain competitive fairness throughout each racing phase.

• During transfer windows: All categories are unlocked and dynamic
• When a new racing phase begins: Categories remain dynamic until rider completes their first race
• Locking Moment: Upon finishing their first race in a phase, their category is locked based on their vELO rating at that moment
• Persistence: Even if their rating changes significantly after locking, they remain in their locked category for that phase

Calibration Upgrades

• If a rider's rating increases between phases, causing a higher category at lock time, this is recognized as a Calibration Upgrade — a forced upgrade, not a violation
• No penalty is applied for calibration upgrades

5.4 Category Violation Handling

Wrong Category Penalties (Cumulative)

• If a rider races in a category lower than their assigned/locked category, they receive a time penalty
• 1st Offense: +60 seconds
• 2nd Offense: +120 seconds
• 3rd Offense: +180 seconds
• Calibration Upgrades are not penalized

Results from riders racing in wrong category are automatically recategorized to their proper category.

6. Competition Rules

6.1 Race Event Format

• Riders must obtain a race pass for each race before participating (available at ecro.app/rider/schedule)
• Each race consists of up to 5 race events (time slots)
• All categories start together in a single starting pen

6.2 Result Qualification

• First Attempt Only: Only the first race event completed by a rider for each race counts
• Heart rate monitor and power meter data required
• Must race in correct assigned category
• Valid ECRO Rider License required

7. Scoring System

7.1 Point Distribution

• Points are awarded based on race type, race class, and finishing position within each category
• Points are the same for all categories — a 1st place finish earns the same points whether you are Category A or Category E
• All finishers receive minimum completion points (positions beyond 15th earn the minimum)
• Higher class races award proportionally more base points

7.2 Race Points Tables

Points awarded for each race based on finishing position within your category.

Day Race Points

Stage Race Points (awarded per stage)

Race class is displayed on each race in the calendar at ecro.app/calendar.

7.3 GC/Series Standing Points

Riders who qualify for GC standings earn additional points based on their final GC position. These are awarded on top of the race points earned during the competition.

Day Race Series GC Points

Stage Race Series GC Points

7.4 GC Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for GC standings and earn GC points, riders must meet both conditions:

1. Complete all mandatory stages — ITT (Individual Time Trial) stages are mandatory. Missing or being disqualified from a mandatory stage removes you from GC contention.
2. Stay within the miss limit — Each series defines a maximum number of stages you can miss. Missing more than the allowed limit makes you GC-ineligible. (Miss limit is specified per series.)

Riders who are GC-ineligible still earn race points for stages they complete — they simply do not appear in GC standings or earn GC points.

Missed Stage Penalty: Riders who miss a non-mandatory stage receive the maximum time gap for that stage (slowest finisher time minus fastest finisher time), putting them at a significant disadvantage but not automatically eliminating them.

7.5 ECRO$ Virtual Prize Money

ECRO$ is a virtual currency used within the team economics system. It has no real-world monetary value.

Formula: ECRO$ = Points x $100 x Category Multiplier

Category Multipliers:

ECRO$ feeds into the team economics system — contract prize splits divide earnings between rider and team based on contract terms.

7.6 Stage Race Scoring

Stage races use a time gap system. First place receives 0:00:00; each following rider's gap is the difference from first. Riders are globally ranked by lowest combined time gap.

7.7 Seasonal Series

Cumulative points across predetermined races. 75% race completion required for GC qualification.

8. Team Competition

8.1 Team Composition

• Maximum 12 riders per team
• Riders may represent any of the 5 categories
• Riders may only be members of one team at a time

8.2 Team Scoring

In each race, a team's top 6 finishers from each category earn team points. All category points are combined for the overall team race result.

8.3 Category Density Strategy

• Density Advantage: Teams with 6+ riders in a single category can score with all 6 riders (hitting the maximum)
• Spread Limitation: Teams spread thinly across categories can only score with as many riders as they have in each category

8.4 Team Ownership & Management

• Teams are owned by a single user with full control
• Owners may appoint one Team Manager
• Ownership may be transferred to a current team member

8.5 Contracts & Roster

• Riders join teams through contract offers
• Contracts can be offered, accepted, or terminated at any time
• Once a rider races for a team in a phase, they are team-locked for that phase
• Maximum 12 active contracts per team
• A team can have up to 12 unique riders race per phase

9. Disciplinary Code

9.1 Disqualification Rules

Rule 1.1: Invalid License

Rider does not hold a valid ECRO license for the current season. Results in complete exclusion from official standings.

Rule 1.2: Private Profile

ZwiftPower profile not made public within 24-hour grace period after race start. DQ is FINAL — cannot be reversed as it would cascade across positions, points, GC, and eGap for all riders.

Rule 2.1: Duplicate Entry

Rider completed more than one race event per race. First completed event counts; subsequent events are disqualified.

Rule 2.2: Wrong Category

Racing in a lower category than assigned. Cumulative time penalty: +60s per offense per season. Fourth+ offense results in DQ.

Rule 3.1: Smart Trainer Required

zPower (dumb trainer) not permitted. Smart trainer required for Category A and B.

Rule 3.3: Dual Recording Required

Dual recording verification required for Category A podium finishers. Missing dual recording within grace period results in DQ.

Rule 4.1: Admin Disqualification

Disqualified by administrator for misconduct, suspicious power data, or failure to respond to verification requests within 48 hours.

9.4 Verification Process

Verification may be triggered by: weight fluctuations, unusual power outputs, inconsistent data, top GC positions, or suspicious performance.

When flagged, riders must provide within 48 hours:

• Equipment photos
• Zwift pairing screenshots
• Dual recording files (if available)
• Recent race power files

Non-compliance results in immediate license suspension and retroactive disqualification of all results.

10. Administrative Procedures

10.1 Appeals Process

• Appeals must be submitted within 7 days of the contested decision
• Submit via email to admin@ecro.app with "APPEAL" in the subject line
• Decision communicated within 14 days
• Appeal decisions are final and binding

10.2 Rule Modifications

• Rules may be updated during transfer windows
• All participants will be notified in advance
• Mid-phase changes require extraordinary circumstances and governing body approval

10.3 Result Disputes

• Result disputes must be submitted within 48 hours of race event completion
• Decisions will be communicated within 7 days and are final