What are the rules on outside assistance and technical help during a race?

From the 2026 AusCycling Mountain Bike Technical Regulations, 3.12, 3.13 and Section 5:

Cross-country and related events

• Riders may receive technical assistance only in the designated technical zone(s) (3.13.01).
• Riders may not receive technical assistance of any kind while on the race course (3.13.02). Breaching this leads to disqualification or relegation (3.13.03).
• A rider may only change bikes between races (3.12.07).
• Riders must finish with their bicycle at hand (3.12.02).
• The responsibility for following the official course lies with the rider. Shortcuts or omitting a circuit are not permitted. A rider who leaves the course must return at the same point they left, and the PCP decides whether any advantage was gained if they did not (3.12.04 and 3.12.05).
• Riders must act in a sporting manner and not wilfully obstruct a fellow competitor. Anyone walking or running the course must give way to riders still riding (3.12.06).

Enduro

• Outside technical assistance is only allowed in the technical assistance zone, where riders may also collect and drop equipment or food (5.15.01).
• Illegal outside assistance is disqualification (Section 9).
• Each rider must be self-sufficient for the whole race, and food stashes are not permitted (5.13.01).
• Any rider who comes across an injured rider must stop to render assistance, unless the injured rider indicates they do not need it, and should ask the next rider to pass to notify the next marshal point of the incident, its location and perceived severity (5.15.02). The regulations state that no person should ever feel penalised or discouraged from stopping to assist another injured rider.