What is the 80% rule, and what happens to lapped riders and withdrawals?

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From the 2026 AusCycling Mountain Bike Technical Regulations, 3.15 and 3.16: 80% rule: applied at the discretion of the Technical Delegate or PCP, who must tell riders at the rider briefing before the start whether it applies. When it is enforced at National Level XCO events, any rider falling outside 80% of the leading time is removed from the course. Lapped riders (XCO): must remove themselves from the course when a commissaire instructs them to. Withdrawing: riders who pull out due to injury, mechanical failure or otherwise must tell the race officials. A rider who withdraws before being verified by the commissaires as a lapped rider or an official finisher is classed as Did Not Finish and loses all benefits, such as placing, competition points and ranking points. A rider who presents to the finish commissaire on withdrawal does not lose these benefits. Short course (XCC) times: Open Men race 20 minutes + 3 laps (maximum 25 minutes total); Open Women and Junior Men/Women race 15 minutes + 3 laps (maximum 20 minutes total). The PCP can alter these. XCC removals: lapped riders, and riders who will in high likelihood soon be lapped, must be removed from the course, at the PCP's decision (or their delegate's). XCC finish: the timers blow a whistle and display "3" laps to go at the end of the timed part, then "2" and "1", ringing a bell for the last lap. All riders still racing when the winner finishes are recorded in the order they cross the line, and lapped or pulled-out riders have their lap count recorded. Rest: there should be at least 4 hours of rest between an XCO and an XCC event.