PROLOGUE FAQs

Why did the league decide to do a prologue this year?
Our event weekends are about much more than just racing, and a prologue is a great way to to kick of the season in a way that brings our community together for riding, camping and fun. A prologue will offer students an opportunity to race in a low-stress environment, and each student-athlete will get their own personal start. If anybody has been on the fence about racing, this will be a great way to try it out without the mass start, all with the same high energy and enthusiasm we have at league events.

We’re excited about the possibility of doing something new and look forward to welcoming student-athletes, teams and families to Prineville for this season opener!

What does the schedule look like?
The current plan is to have the North Conference racing from 8-12 and the South Conference racing from 12:30-4:30. Each team will arrive at a certain time to the staging area, and then we’ll send students out one-by-one. After the last student from one team leaves for their lap, the next team will start making their way to the staging area. A detailed list with team start times will be published by August 17.

Aside from the prologue event on Saturday, there are numerous opportunities around Barnes Butte for riding. 66 Trails is just a few miles away and has a compact network of trails great for an hour or so of riding. Further east is Lookout Mountain with trails ranging from green to black, so those more technically inclined may want to peep those.

We’ll be hosting a GRiT ride on Sunday to ride trails at Barnes Butte and session some areas. Girls and women who are looking for a ~3 mile ride with a focus on fun and skill building are welcome to join!

Will middle schoolers and high schoolers be on the course at the same time?
We’ll separate the schedule to allow middle schoolers to race just with middle schoolers and high schoolers to race just with high schoolers. This means each team will have two time slots to show up to the start line.

What will the staging and start area look like?
Unlike other events where we have fields staging and racing together, our prologue gives us the opportunity to do things differently. Teams will have a set time to arrive at the start area and a window of time to get all students out on the course. Any music or props the team would like to bring to make it their own personal start party is encouraged!

Will teams have the whole course to themselves?
No, but there will be a time buffer between when the last rider of a team goes out and the next team starts. That means some of the riders who started last with one team may get lapped by the next team going out. Courteous passing happens and is expected at all our events, and this one is no different. If anything, students will be more spread out than at our other events.

What will the course be like?
We’re working on a course similar to the one we had last year in Prineville and are aiming for ~3.5 miles.

What about scoring?
Students will be scored like other events; it’ll just be based on one lap. Points will be awarded and will be used for staging and overall placement in the series. North and South Conference students will be scored in their respective conference. There will be no team points awarded for the prologue.

Will both conferences be competing against one another?
No. One conference will race for the first portion of the day and the other conference will race after that. There will technically be two events to keep North and South Conference results separate, but both conferences will race on the same day.

Will there be podiums?
Yes. Each conference will have a podium award ceremony for individual placement. Team points will not be awarded.

Will results from the prologue determine which category students will be in for the rest of the season?
No. The CPT is what we’ll continue to use for category placement. If a student would like to upgrade after the prologue, they are welcome to do that, but there won’t be automatic upgrades or category changes.

How will the prologue differ from the rest of the series events?
The main difference between this event and the rest of our series is that student-athletes will only be timed for one lap. All of the cheering, camping, stoke and smiles will be in full swing, just like any other event weekend!