Race Rules

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1.- The Transportugal MTB Race is an adventure event, open to the participation of anyone over 18 years of age, of any gender or nationality, contested over 8 stages, with a total length of around 1100 km, on a route in a line that crosses Portugal from North to South.

2.- Entity responsible for the Organization:
Extreme Discovery Lda, headquartered at Rua dos Lameiros 50, 6320-692 Soito Portugal, Tax Number 515981052, hereinafter referred to as the Organization.

3 – The event consists of completing a route previously determined by the organization, without using any motorized means of transportation. The event lasts 9 days, the first (day zero) being dedicated to accreditation and the remaining 8 to completing the route.

4 – The Event is not a competitive event. It is a cycle tourism event in which Participants ride at their own pace. However, the Organization may define at each Stage, for safety reasons or for any other reason related to the dynamics of the Event, stopping, starting and crossing times at previously defined points on the route and communicated to the Participants. The Organization may also, in some sectors of each Stage previously defined and communicated by the Organization, time the passage times of each Participant for the sake of race control. The term “race”, sometimes used in this regulation, does not fit into the reality of competition, and is only associated with the challenge and overcoming of each Participant to complete the eight demanding Stages within the time limits required by the Organization for safety reasons.

5 – There are no distinct levels or classes between ages or genders.

Registrations for TRANSPORTUGAL race are limited to the number of vacancies available for each edition, which is established by the Organization.
Registrations open on September 15th of the year before the corresponding edition, and the registration form is available at the race’s site (www.trans-portugal.com) and end on April 15th of the year of the race.
The person interested in participating requests his/her registration by filling the form mentioned in the previous number.
Then, he/she shall be contacted by the Organization via an email in which he/she is informed if the registration request has been validated.
If the request for registration has been validated, the Person Interested must pay the amounts established by the Organization, namely in accordance to the rules foreseen in numbers 12, 13 and 14 infra.
Once the payments are made, the Organization approves the registration application and communicates its approval to the applicant.
A registration is considered complete and produces effects after the registration application has been validated and approved by the Organization.
Before any payments are made by the Applicant, the Organization is entitled to refuse a registration application without having to state the reasons for its decision.
The registration price is the one indicated in the race’s site and depends of the services pack(s) that the Applicant wishes to purchase.
Those who apply for registration after all available vacancies for that year have been filled will be contacted by the Organization, which shall inform that person that the race is fully booked and the conditions that he/she must meet to be included in the waiting list.
If there is a vacancy (no matter the reason), the first athlete in the waiting list is contacted via email to fill in the vacancy and he/she has 2 working days to confirm and accept to fill in vacant slot. If, within the time mentioned, he/she refuses the vacancy or if the period ends without his/her confirmation, the athlete who is next in the list is invited to accept the vacancy and so forth.
Without prejudice to numbers 13 and 14 of this article, the registration application is only approved after the payment of at least 50% of the total value of the packs acquisition is made. The mentioned payment must be received by the Organization up to the fifth working day of the registration application date.
All registrations requested before the year of the race have to be fully paid until January 31st of the year of the race.
Registrations requested between January and April of the year of the race must be fully paid until two working days after the registration validation.
Non-fulfilling the payment rules established in the previous numbers implies the refusal of the registration application in question or if it has already been approved, the revocation of that approval based on the non-fulfilment of the Regulation attributable to the Competitor.
If the approval is revoked, the person Interested shall be reimbursed of the amount paid minus 50% of the total value of the registration.
Participants are not entitled to any reimbursement of the amount paid if the event does not take place for reasons beyond organizer’s control, namely for reasons of force majeure, natural disaster, legal imposition, or order issued by a public authority or by a private body with powers of control in cycling.
At any moment, the Organization can revoke the approval of a registration application based on the Competitor’s breach of this Race Rules or the basic sports ethical principles.

Withdrawals undertaken before the beginning of the race must be communicated to the Organization by email.
Withdrawals must be communicated to the Organization up to 60 days before the beginning of the race. In this case, the Competitor can choose one of the two following possibilities:
1. Partial reimbursement of the amount already paid, considering that:
  1. If the opened vacancy was allocated to another athlete, the Competitor is entitled to the amount already paid minus 15% of the total value of the packs acquired.
  2. If the opened vacancy was not allocated to anyone, the Competitor is entitled to the amount paid minus an amount equal to 50% of the total value of the packs acquired.
  3. The moment when it is established if the vacancy was, or was not, filled is the one in which the Competitor requires the reimbursement.
2. Request registration in the following year’s edition of the race and require partial allocation of the amount already paid as prepayment of that registration, considering that:
  1. The competitor is the holder of the entry booked for the following year.
  2. The Organization allocates 85% of the amount already paid to the registration payment to the following year. The remaining 15% is retained for the payment of administrative and logistic expenses already undertaken for the participation of the Competitor in the current year.
  3. The Competitor must confirm the registration up to ten days after the registrations open date for the following year’s race. If he/she does not do this, he/she loses the right to any reimbursement or to the right to request the allocation of that amount to the pre-payment of registrations in editions of subsequent years.
When communicating the withdrawal, the Competitor must state his/her option with regard to one of the two possibilities given and mentioned in the previous number. If this statement is not received by the Organization, the second possibility is the one considered as chosen [indicated in b)].
If the withdrawal is requested after the time limit mentioned in no. 2 of this Article, the person who withdraws is not entitled to a reimbursement nor can he/she request his/her registration to be transferred to the following year’s edition of the race, no matter if the vacancy opened is, or is not, filled.

The TRANSPORTUGAL track is composed of unpaved pathways, trails and forest roads in about 62% of its extension.
The racetrack is not marked on the ground. It uses public trails on and off road, crossing villages and towns and uses service roads that go through private properties.
The track is not closed for the race. Therefore, the participants must consider the possibility of encountering vehicles, people and/or animals circulating in both directions in the race track.
In the track, whenever there are gates or gateways, participants must open and close them to pass, and leave them as they were found. Non-fulfilment of this rule may be punished with the exclusion from the race.
It is mandatory to follow the race’s track. Sanctions are foreseen for those who do not comply with this rule.
The applicable penalty consists of adding 10 minutes to the time done by the participant in the stage, for each missing kilometre of part of kilometer.
Before the start of the race, the Organization provides to all participants the gpx files (GPS tracks).
The GPS is the only navigation means that the participants have to follow the race track.
Participants are solely responsible for the operation of their GPS devices, for making sure that their GPS device is in their possession during the race and recording their progression on the ground.
Except when otherwise indicated by the Organization, participants must always take existing roads, trails or tracks.
The GPS race track may present continuity failures. In this case all routes taken to connect the interrupted line will be considered valid.
The GPS track may present deviations from the existing trails and thus Competitors must follow the existing trails even if that does not match precisely the GPS track provided that the deviations do not exceed the 100 meters corridor mentioned in previous no. 6.
The race track crosses many roads some of which perpendicularly, which may be dangerous for the participants due to lack of visibility and the speed of vehicles. Thus the participants must stop and guarantee that it’s completely safe to cross the road (we recommend at least 6 seconds) at all crossroads identified by the Organization and included in the data installed into the participants’ GPS and which shall be marked with a symbol and/or the word ‘STOP’.
A 15 minutes penalty is applied for each breach of the STOP obligation, which will be verified by analysing the participants GPS recorded track at the end of each stage.
A participant that does not respect the safety rule mentioned in the previous numbers more than 3 times during the race may be excluded from it.
A participant can leave the race track whenever he/she wishes to do so without penalty provided that he/she resumes it at the same point where he left it or at one before it.

The Organization provides transportation of Participants (please check Service Packs on the website) as well as of their luggage from Lisbon to the location where the race starts and from the location where the race ends to Lisbon. The Participants’ luggage must be composed of a maximum of two suitcases: one for the bike and the other for the remaining personal items.
The Participant can carry a bag with capacity up to 80L, in which he/she must place all his/her personal items that he/she shall need for the race.
The Organization transports the mentioned bag from one stage to the next.
During the race, the Participant only has access to the bag given by the Organization.
Personal items that have not been placed inside the mentioned bag shall remain in the Participant’s original luggage which is stored inside a sealed truck. This suitcase is handed out to the Participant immediately after the last stage.
The Participant only has access to his/her personal items kept inside the truck in case of withdrawal.

The race is done in full self-sufficiency, thus the Participant cannot have external assistance during the stages under penalty of being excluded from the race.
For purposes of the previous number, external assistance is any pre-programmed action of supplying assistance in any physical way to a Participant, whether he/she requests it or not.
The exception to the rule mentioned in the previous numbers is the assistance given by the Organization when Participants request it and in this case there is an applied penalty of 30 minutes. Medical emergency situations are not penalized.
The assistance given to the athletes by decision of the Organization, whether or not pre-programmed is lawful.
Also lawful is the assistance, required, or not, by the Participants during the race with regard to the navigation and use of their GPS devices. A 15 minutes penalty will be applied each time a Participant requests and is supplied with batteries for his/her GPS device.
Assistance among Participants is allowed while they are racing.
Getting supplies in an autonomous and unplanned manner from private or public establishments is not a breach to the number one of this article.

Participants are required to carry a mobile phone from the beginning to the end of the stage.
The lack or non-operationality of the mobile phone results in a penalty of 1 hour, for each time the fault is detected.

The use of a helmet compatible with the chosen mean of locomotion is mandatory whenever the Participant is not moving on foot, under penalty of being excluded from the race.
The use of graphics or any other ways of visual expression of obscene character on the Participant’s equipment is punished in the same terms as those mentioned in the previous number.

Participants must use a plate with their race number, which must be placed in the front of the chosen mean of locomotion in a visible way under penalty of a 30 minutes sanction for every time the infringement takes place.
The Participant that goes through a Check Point (CP) without the plate or with the data on the plate not duly visible receives a sanction corresponding to not having gone through that Check Point as foreseen in article 13.2.
Besides allowing the athlete’s identification, plates have advertising related to the race’s main sponsors and they cannot be used for any other purposes. All changes to the plates’ dimensions have to be previously authorized by the Organization under penalty of exclusion from the race.

The natural inequalities of physical capability among Participants (arising from age and gender) are corrected by the chronological anticipation of the start time of some Participants in each stage.
The anticipation quantum is a percentage of the time allocated by the Organization to the stage in question, in accordance to the Race Pack.
The percentages are as follow:
1. Female participants – 14%;
2. Participants over 40 years of age:
  1. =>41 =<45 – 2%
  2. =>46 =<50 – 5%
  3. =>51 =<55 – 9%
  4. =>56 =<60 – 14%
  5. =>61 =<65 – 19%
  6. =>66 =<69 – 24%
  7. =>70 – 30%
Any handicap will only be applied whenever there are at least 5 competitors with the same percentage value.
In the event that a Participant, or up to four Participants, given their characteristics, have an anticipation percentage that do not meet the requirement of the previous number, they will automatically move on to the next handicap group, and so on, until is reached the minimum number of 5 athletes per group.
In the event that a Participant, or up to four Participants, given their characteristics, with no handicap, thus no anticipation percentage, that do not meet the requirement of the previous number, they will automatically move on to the previous handicap group, and so on, until is reached the minimum number of 5 athletes per group. In this situations, the correspondent percentage will be added to the Participants’ stage time.

The Official Start Time is the time when Participants who do not benefit from a handicap start the stage.
The Official Start Time is documented in the Race Pack and corresponds to the GPS time for the Western European time zone (London, Lisbon).
The Start Control Point (identified as ‘CHP’) closes 15 minutes after the Official Start Time.
All Participants beneficiating or not from a handicap can leave up to 15 minutes after the Official Start Time.
A Participant who leaves after the closing of the CHP will not have the stage validated. For all purposes, the Organization considers that in this case the Participant is not participating in this stage declining all responsibilities in occurrences in which he/she might be involved.

The location of the Finish Control Point (CHC) is given to the Participants, namely through the indication of their geographical coordinates or indication in the race map installed by the Organization and visible in the GPS device display.
The Participant ends the stage when he/she crosses the corresponding Finish Line and this is the relevant moment for purposes of determining the stage time.
The Finish Line is physically identified with a mark on the ground, info board or banner with the words ‘META’.
The Finish Control Point (CHC) closes at the time indicated in the Race Pack and is calculated by multiplying by 1.75 the best stage record of previous editions of the race or the time allocated by the Organization for that same stage, without prejudice of number 6 below.
If the first Participant crossing the Finish Line exceeds the record time or the allocated time for the stage, then the CHC closing time is proportionally extended, in accordance with the same 1.75 factor, without prejudice of number 6 below.
For safety reasons, if the indicated finish time or the calculated finish time in accordance with numbers 4 and 5 above is after sunset, then the closing of CHC will be cut short to the sunset time.
If the Participant finishes the stage after the CHC closing time, as determined in accordance with the previous numbers, the corresponding stage is not validated.
At each stage arrival, all Participants are required to hand out their GPS to the Organization, so that the latter can remove the track recorded and check if the race track has been respected for that corresponding stage.
The competitor who does not hand out his/her GPS is allocated the maximum time foreseen in the Race Pack for that stage plus all eventual penalties.
If the GPS is broken or does not hold the race track undertaken by the athlete the consequence foreseen in the previous number is applied to the Participant.
Next to the Finish Line of each stage, the Organization sets up a support structure to supply free drinks, fruit and snacks to the athletes.

The Organization installs Check Points (CP) throughout the track that might, or not, be identified.
A penalty of 60 minutes will be given for each skipped CP.
CP are monitored by members of the Organization. In this case, the person in charge of the CP registers the time of passage of the Participants by taking note of the athletes race numbers, as well as the hour, minute and second of their passages.
The location of the identified CP is previously informed to the participants, namely though the indication of geographical coordinates or indication in the race map installed by the Organization and visible in the GPS device display.
Some CP have a closing time, which is communicated to all Participant the day before each stage. Closing time is updated in accordance to number 5 of the previous article.
All Participants that arrive at a CP after its updated closing time must stop that stage and they are transported to the finish line by the Organization or they receive instructions on how to get there safely. Consequently, the stage in question is not validated.
Except where stated otherwise by the Organization or if signalled by a ‘STOP’ mark, Participants are not obliged to stop or slow down when they go through the CP.

Timed intermediate sections can be established, specially timed and object of a Sponsored Prize.
Participants are informed of such sections at the start of the stage. The sections are chosen taking into account the type of pavement, gradient and relief in order to match the different abilities of the competing athletes.
These sections grant the first 10 athletes who finish the timed section bonuses in the form of time to be deducted to the Final Time achieved on the race in accordance to number 5 and to the following table:
1. 1st place – 5’
2. 2nd place – 3’
3. 3rd place – 2’
4. 4th place – 90’’
5. 5th place – 1’
6. 6th place – 50’’
7. 7th place – 40’’
8. 8th place – 30’’
9. 9th place – 20’’
10. 10th place – 10’’
Intermediate Classifications are calculated considering the existence of handicaps.
The Stage Classification does not consider these bonuses but they will be reflected in the General Classification.

For the Participants’ safety, the Organization shall lend each Participant a geographical positioning monitoring device (a tracker).
The devices mentioned in the previous number are small and are carried by the Participants in a place to be indicated by the Organization in order to safeguard their correct operation.
Any damage the tracker has when it is returned to the Organization or its disappearance is the sole responsibility of the Competitor that carried it.
Failure to return the tracker intact at the end of the stage obligates the Participant who carried it to pay for its repair or replacement, up to 180.00€ (one hundred and eighty euros).
The Participant who refuses to carry the tracker or who carries it in a location different from the one indicated by the Organization, shall have the stage annulled.

The Participant who wishes to withdraw from a stage must immediately inform the organization at any control point or call the Coordinator’s Office using the emergency contacts’ card handed out to the Participants before the beginning of the race.
If there is no information on the whereabouts of a Participant’s, the Organization may trigger a search and rescue operation. Existing costs shall be charged to the Participant who recklessly or through serious negligence did not communicate his/her withdrawal.
If a Participant withdraws or is unable to validate three stages, the Organization prevents him/her from undertaking the following stages. In this case, if the athlete wishes to accompany the Organization until the end of the race, he might have to pay extra transport costs with regard to the remaining stages, if existing, being this decision made on a case-by-case basis by the Organization.

The Participant can withdraw from the Race at any given moment.
The Participant shall not be reimbursed of the price paid for any good or service which he has not used due to withdrawing from the race.
Without prejudice of the content of the previous number, if the athlete wishes to accompany the Organization until the end of the race, he might have to pay extra transport costs with regard to the remaining stages, if existing, being this decision made on a case-by-case basis by the Organization.

When registering for the race, Participants can choose to acquire one of two additional bike services:
- “BIKE D’LUX PACK”, which includes the daily washing, drying and lubricating of his/her bike, and any maintenance work that may be required during the race;
- “WASH D’LUX PACK”, which only includes the daily washing, drying and lubricating of his/her bike;
Technical assistance requested to the Organization by Participants who did not acquire the “BIKE D’LUX PACK”, are subject to the availability of technical services and will be charged according to an hourly labour rate set out by the Organization.
The “BIKE D’LUX PACK” and “WASH D’LUX PACK” values are established in the Registration Fees page.
In all cases, Participants must pay for all spare parts and/or accessories that might be needed in the repairs.

The Organization has a team of professional masseurs available at the end of each stage.
At the moment of registration, the Participant can acquire a “MASSAGE PACK”, which includes a daily massage on the first 7 days of the race.
The MASSAGES PACK, values are established in PRICES page.
Pending on the availability of masseurs, Participants can purchase massages locally during the event.
Each massage session has a duration of 25 minutes.

The registration price includes the Participant’s accommodation during the race in a shared room.
Allocation of roommates is undertaken by the Organization taking in account as much as possible the requests made by the Participants at the moment of registration.
At the moment of registration, Participants can acquire single room accommodation (SINGLE PACK), which means they will be lodged alone throughout the entire race. The number of these SINGLE PACKS is limited.

The Race Director is entitled to exclude from the race, Participant who are in the following situations:
1. Voluntary or non-voluntary state of physical or mental incapacity;
2. Unsportsmanlike conduct;
3. Breach of the Race Rules;
4. Illegal conduct;
5. Disrespect for the environment;
6. Gross disrespect for the Organization and/or other Participants.

In the race results or classifications all accountable times are measured in hours, minutes and seconds.
The Organization daily produces two classifications: one ranking the Competitors’ performance on the day’s stage (Stage Classification) and another showing their accumulated results in all stages up to that moment of the race (General Classification).
In both cases, a classification is ranked from the best to the worst accountable time – adding the existing due penalties, and deducting due bonuses. It will also show average speeds and time differences between competitors.
The General Classification is primarily sorted by Participants who have all stages validated and ranked by the least total accountable time in the sum of those stages, also taking in account the eventual results obtained in the intermediate Classifications.
For Participants who haven’t all stages validated, their position in the General Classification is ranked firstly by the number of stages validated, then by the number of total kilometres done and finally by the time accounted for in the race.
At the end of the 8 stages, the Final Times of each Participant are computed and the General Classification is done in accordance to the same rules stated in the previous numbers.
All claims must be presented in a written form up to 60 minutes after the results are published.

All participants are given several souvenirs.
Participants who have not been excluded from the race are given a diploma stating his/her classification.
Participants who have all stages validated in the race, are also given a cycling jersey with the wording “Transportugal Finisher”.

Any issue not foreseen in this instrument as well as interpretation doubts that may arise are integrated and solved by the Organization, respecting equality and impartiality principles.