Commissaire's Guide to Cycling South Africa Road Racing Ages 18 to 70 2026

Under section 23 of the Cycling SA Road Cycling Handbook 2026 (with sections 17.10, 18.11 and 19.6):

National Championships

• President Commissaire and Chief Judges: appointed by the Cycling SA Technical Manager.
• Other technical delegates: appointed by the Cycling SA Technical Manager, Road Commissioner and Technical Director, considering qualified officials from the host province first.

National Classics (Category A)

• President Commissaire: assigned by the Cycling SA Technical Manager, Road Commissioner and Technical Director (section 23.2). Section 17.10 names the Technical Manager and Technical Commissioner.
• Other technical delegates: appointed by the same Cycling SA officials, considering the host province first, then neighbouring provinces.

Regional mass participation events (Categories B to D)

• President Commissaire: appointed by the Cycling SA Technical Manager and Technical Director, in consultation with the Provincial Technical Commissioner (section 18.11).

Provincial and regional events

• President Commissaire: assigned by the Provincial Road Technical Committee Chairperson.
• The President Commissaire, with the Technical Commissioner, appoints National and Regional commissaires and other technical officials from the province or neighbouring provinces.
• At all regional events, the Provincial Technical Commissioner of the host province appoints all commissaires, according to each event's safety needs.

Local club and community events (E category)

• At least one line official, appointed by the Provincial Technical Commissioner. This may be an advanced probationer gaining experience.

For all appointments, the Technical Commissions try to appoint commissaires living closest to the event, while weighing the qualifications, experience and skills the event needs.

Both, in this order. Under section 1 of the Cycling SA Road Cycling Handbook 2026:

• UCI Part 2 (Road Races) takes precedence except where the handbook explicitly provides otherwise (section 1.5).
• UCI Part 2 covers Junior, U23 and Elite men and women. The handbook adds the rules for youth categories and defines the rules for Masters (section 1.6).
• For Veteran and Masters racing, Cycling SA recognises the UCI Part 15 Cycling for All regulations (including the UCI Gran Fondo World Series). Chapter 15.5 governs all Masters events, categories and distances in South Africa, with some exceptions set out in the handbook (section 1.6.1).
• Race incident penalties use the table in UCI Part 2 (section 30.1).
• Criteriums (on a circuit closed to traffic, 800 to 10,000 m long) follow the general provisions of UCI Part 2, and the race's programme or technical guide must set out its specific rules, intermediate sprints and points (section 21).
• Stage races closely follow the regulations, including prize money, for UCI 2.2 Africa Tour events, except that international team participation isn't compulsory (section 20.1).
• The handbook binds everyone who rides, organises or officiates in road events in South Africa (section 1.2).

Under the Cycling SA Road Cycling Handbook 2026:

Registration (section 10)

• The President Commissaire must make sure a National Commissaire is present at registration to check all competitive racing group licences and seeding.
• The organiser must give the Commissaires' Panel (and the racing clubs and teams) a start list for each age category, and give the province and Cycling SA a full participation list.
• Membership: sanctioned events must check entrants' membership and let non-members buy a day membership. Day members may not race championships, win prize money, or race the specified age categories at A, B or C category events (section 9.7).
• Championships: Junior and older riders need a Full Racing Licence; youth riders need full membership and a club or academy; no day licences are accepted (section 14.1).
• Category on the licence: riders ride the category on their licence at all events (section 11.8).

Numbers, timing and finish (sections 17.7 and 18.7)

• One frame number and two body numbers to UCI standard for each Full Racing age category.
• Electronic timing is compulsory for all competitors and categories.
• Adequate photo-finish equipment must be used.
• Prize giving takes place within 30 minutes, or as soon as practical, after the finish of the Elite and U23 men's race.

Under section 12 of the Cycling SA Road Cycling Handbook 2026, maximum distances are strictly enforced, apart from the exceptions below.

Exceptions

• Junior women: the limit applies at Provincial and National Championships and in road races where they race in their category alone. When categories are seeded or batched together, they may race up to 110 km. The handbook's examples are Junior women with Elite women, Junior women with U17 boys, and U17 boys with Masters 45-49.
• Juniors in Elite/U23 races: at National Classics and regional events, a race that includes juniors may not exceed 140 km.
• Endurance events: road, time trial or team time trial events longer than these limits are endurance events with no maximum. Riders U19 and younger may enter them only in the Open category, with no age-category podiums.

Second-year junior women riding Elite/U23: a junior woman approved to race as Elite or U23 must show the commissaire written approval from Cycling SA at registration, or she can't compete in that category. No U19 rider may ever race the Elite or U23 categories of the National or Provincial Road and Time Trial Championships.

Under sections 17.5, 17.6, 18.5 and 18.6 of the Cycling SA Road Cycling Handbook 2026, at National Classics and regional road events:

Who gets a following vehicle

• A team needs at least 4 registered and paid-up starters to qualify for a following vehicle.
• Team managers wanting route access must attend a compulsory meeting before the event.
• Every vehicle must be driven by a licensed team manager (Cat C minimum). A manager without a valid Cycling SA licence can't be part of the convoy, with no exceptions.

Convoy draw order (subject to event-specific rulings)

1. World Tour teams, then World Tour riders
2. Continental teams, then Continental riders
3. Registered domestic teams and visiting international national teams
4. Clubs and other mixed teams

Individual World Tour or Continental riders may have their own car, but it may service only that rider, not other club teams or riders. Registered domestic teams go into the draw before club or regional teams (section 37.2).

Vehicle height and radios

• At National Championships and A and B category events, all race vehicles are limited to a maximum height of 1.66 m.
• At C and D category events, the President Commissaire may allow non-conforming vehicles, for example at the rear of the convoy or for travelling teams.
• Suitable radio communication is compulsory at National Classics and not compulsory at regional events.

Youth and U17 races: the President Commissaire may allow support vehicles, depending on the course, rider numbers and safety.

Under sections 30 to 33 of the Cycling SA Road Cycling Handbook 2026:

• Penalty scale: race-incident infringements by riders, teams and other licence holders are sanctioned using the table of race incidents in UCI Part 2 (Road Races).
• Warnings: any individual commissaire may issue a warning on seeing an irregularity. The licence holder is told directly at the time, verbally, by gesture or by Radio-Tour. If the irregularity turns out to be a race-incident infringement, the Commissaires' Panel decides whether to impose a sanction.
• Immediate disqualification: without limiting the UCI table, a commissaire may immediately disqualify any licence holder involved in a serious race incident.
• Disciplinary referral: behaviour that can be referred for disciplinary action may lead to the licence holder being summoned before a Disciplinary Panel appointed by the Compliance and Advisory Board.
• Queries: a coach, rider or manager may respectfully query an official about the rules during the event. This is separate from the formal appeal process.
• Accountability: officials, especially the President Commissaire, may be held accountable for decisions made at events, and supporting documents can be requested to prove those decisions beyond reasonable doubt.

Under the Cycling SA Road Cycling Handbook 2026, the main Cycling SA-specific checks are:

• Time trial bikes and equipment: not allowed in road races, nor in time trials for U15 and younger (section 5.2).
• Wheels: must be on the UCI List of Approved Wheels; maximum rim depth 65 mm in mass-start road races under UCI rules from 1 January 2026; 50 mm for youth riders (sections 5.4, 5.6 and 5.7).
• Handlebar ends must be plugged, not just taped (section 5.5).
• Gears: gear checks have been removed for all age groups (section 6.1).
• Helmet without a visor, accessories securely fastened, and no glass or non-shatterproof containers (section 8).
• Clothing: riders whose clothing doesn't comply with UCI regulations may be refused a start and/or penalised by the Commissaires' Panel. Continued breaches go to the Compliance and Advisory Board for disciplinary review (section 34.2). Clubs and domestic teams racing licensed Junior, U23 and Elite categories must register their kit with Cycling SA (section 34.1).
• E-bikes: outside an e-bike category, a rider using an e-bike anywhere on the course, including during the warm-up, is disqualified, fined and sanctioned. E-road bike riders may not compete for position in standard road events (section 41).

Under sections 17.7, 18.7 and 29 of the Cycling SA Road Cycling Handbook 2026:

Every technical official

• Straight after each day, and within 24 hours of the event, submit a written report to the President Commissaire covering at least:
  • any injuries or fatalities to riders, officials, the public or anyone else;
  • any breach of Cycling SA or UCI rules, and any sanctions imposed;
  • anything helpful for future events;
  • anything else that will help the President Commissaire's report.

The President Commissaire

• Within 5 days of each National or Provincial event, submit a written report to the Cycling SA Technical Manager and the Provincial Technical Commissioner.
• The Provincial Technical Commissioner then sends it, if the President Commissaire hasn't, to the event organiser, the Provincial Road Commissioner and anyone else entitled to a copy.

Results

• At National Classics and regional events, the timing provider issues provisional results and updates them once the President Commissaire releases the official results. A full set of results must reach Cycling SA within 48 hours.

Reports must follow Cycling SA or UCI requirements, and officials are not paid until the written race report has been submitted (section 28.7).

Under section 27 of the Cycling SA Road Cycling Handbook 2026, the event organiser pays commissaires and technical officials according to the structure Cycling SA approves:

• National events: a daily fee, including registration days, set at R750 per day from 1 January 2024, plus R5.50 per km.
• Annual increase: the daily fee is increased on 1 January each year by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), so the 2026 daily fee is the R750 base adjusted for CPI.
• Provincial and regional events: fees are set by each provincial affiliate, but a trainee commissaire's daily fee is 50% of a regional or national commissaire's.

When you get paid

• You are paid in full only once all race reports and results have reached the Cycling SA Technical Manager (sections 27.2 and 28.7).
• Payments and invoices are accepted only from the provincial body, not from separate entities.

Under section 28 of the Cycling SA Road Cycling Handbook 2026, the event organiser must compensate or reimburse technical officials for:

• accommodation;
• transport to and from the venue, and during the event;
• meals;
• any other legitimate out-of-pocket expenses.

Specific rules

• Living more than 150 km away: officials who normally live more than 150 km from the start or finish of a one-day or multi-day event must get accommodation and meals for the night before the first day and the night of the last day.
• Meals not provided: the organiser pays R150 per meal.
• Arranging your own accommodation: it must be equivalent to the rack rate of a three-star hotel.

Budget and settlement

• The provincial body or President Commissaire gives the organiser a budget of estimated day fees and expenses. The organiser deposits those funds with the provincial body before registration or the first day of competition.
• After the event, an accurate account is prepared and any difference from the budget is refunded to the provincial body or the organiser, as the case may be.
• The organiser must also provide adequate timing and photo-finish equipment.

Under section 26 of the Cycling SA Road Cycling Handbook 2026:

• All commissaires must wear the official Cycling SA clothing at all cycling events.
• Men: khaki chino long trousers and a navy-blue shirt. In extreme weather, and at the President Commissaire's discretion, short khaki trousers may be worn.
• Women: khaki slacks or a khaki skirt and a navy-blue blouse.
• Optional: Cycling SA-approved golf shirts, jackets, caps, hats or other approved clothing.
• Official clothing must be bought through Cycling SA's contracted supplier, so the dress code stays uniform.
• No changes, including sponsor branding, for a particular event without prior written authorisation from the Cycling SA Executive Board, which approves any sponsors, emblems or wording on officials' clothing.