Special rules

The 2013 TOUR OF QATAR, 12th edition, is organised by the Qatar Cycling Federation with technical and sports-related assistance from Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.) under the regulations of the International Cycling Union (UCI). It will take place from Sunday 3rd to Friday 8th February 2013 and will comprise 5 straight stages and a team-time trial.

This event is reserved for riders in the Elite Men’s category. It is an Hors-Class event registered on the Asia Tour calendar, and awards points as follows, according to article 2.11.014 of the UCI regulations:

• the general individual classification: 100 – 70 – 40 – 30 – 25 – 20 – 15 – 10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 and 3 points to the first 15 riders;
• stage winners: 20 – 14 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 and 2 points to the first 8 riders;
• to the wearer of the leader’s jersey for each stage: 10 points.

In accordance with article 2.1.005 of the UCI regulations, the event is open to:

• UCI Pro Teams
• UCI Professional Continental teams
• UCI Continental teams
• national teams.

In accordance with article 2.2.003 of the UCI regulations, the number of cyclists per team is restricted to a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 8.

The race headquarters will be open on Saturday 2nd February 2013 from 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Doha.

Licence-holding team managers will be able to collect race numbers from 2.30 pm to 4.45 pm.

The team managers’ meeting, held pursuant to article 1.2.087 of the UCI regulations, in the presence of members of the Stewards’ Committee, will be held on Saturday 2nd February at 5.00 pm at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Doha.

Information on the race will be broadcast on “Radio-Tour”, using the frequency of 162.150 MHZ.

Neutral technical support is provided by Mavic, with 3 vehicles.

In each straight stage, there is a finishing deadline that will be increased by 10% in relation to the winner’s time.
For the team time-trial, a finishing deadline will be established based on the best team’s time increased by 30%.

Any exceptional situations may be settled by the Stewards’ Committee after consultation with the race management.

The stage will take place according to Chapter V of the UCI regulations, “Team time trials”.

Only equipment that complies with the rules of a mass-start road race will be authorized.

Team will start in reverse order of the general team classification established at the end of the 1st stage apart from the leader of the general individual classification whose team will set off last (Article 2.6.024).

Classification for the stage will be established for each team based on the time achieved by the rider who crosses the finish line in 5th position. An identical time will be allotted to all team members who finish in this time, or before.

The actual time of each rider will be carried over in the general individual classification in the following way:

• the time of the 5^th team member to finish from each team for competitors awarded this time in accordance with the rule above;
• the actual time for the riders who finish after the 5th team member.

However, riders who finish after the cut-off times stipulated in the regulations will be eliminated (Article 7).

The time achieved by the 5th member of each team will be taken into account for the general team classification.

In the event that a team no longer has at least 5 riders, those who remain in the race will be obliged to finish the stage within the cut-off time set out in Article 7.
The time taken into account for the general team classification is therefore that of the last rider of the team to finish the stage.

Riders, even of the same team, may not push one another.

Once the 1st team has set off, training is forbidden on the route.

Time bonuses, applied only to the general individual classification, are awarded for all the straight stages according to article 2.6.019 of the UCI regulations.

They concern intermediate sprints and stage finishes, and are awarded as follows:

• 3’’, 2’’ and 1’’ will be awarded to the first 3 riders in intermediate sprints;
• 10’’, 6’’ and 4’’ will be awarded to the first 3 riders at stage finishes.

The general individual time classification is established by adding together the times recorded for each stage, taking bonuses and penalties into consideration, in accordance with article 2.6.014. of the UCI regulations.

In the event of a tie, the places achieved for each stage are added up and, as a last resort, the place obtained in the final stage is counted.

The leader of the general individual time classification will wear a gold jersey.

TOTAL AMOUNT OF PRIZE MONEY FOR THE GENERAL INDIVIDUAL TIME CLASSIFICATION: €37, 450

A points classification is established by adding together the points obtained in each of the straight stages as well as the intermediate sprints according to article 2.6.017 of the UCI regulations.

Points for the 2 intermediate sprints in each straight stage will be awarded as follows: 3 – 2 and 1 point (s) to the first 3 riders.

At the finish of the stages:
15 – 12 – 9 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 and 1 point (s) to the first 10 riders.

The leader of the points classification will wear a silver jersey.

In the event of a tie in the general individual points classification, the following criteria shall be applied in order until the riders are separated:

• the number of stage wins;
• the number of wins in intermediate sprints;
• the general individual time classification.

To be entitled to final general classification prize money, competitors have to complete the entire race within the official time limit.

Prize money awarded for the points classification is as follows:

final general classification:

Total: €5, 100

TOTAL AMOUNT OF PRIZE MONEY FOR THE POINTS CLASSIFICATION: €5, 100

Only riders born on or after 1^st January 1988 may take part in the young rider classification.

The leader of the young rider classification is the first young rider in the general individual classification. He will wear a white jersey.

Prize money awarded for the young rider classification is as follows:

Total: €5, 100

TOTAL AMOUNT OF PRIZE MONEY FOR THE YOUNG RIDER CLASSIFICATION: €5, 100

In accordance with article 2.6.016 of the UCI regulations, the team classification for each straight stage is established by adding together the three best individual times from each team. In the event of a tie, the teams shall be separated by adding together the number of places obtained by their three best placed riders on the stage. If the teams are still tied, they shall be separated by the place obtained by their best rider in the stage classification.

The team general classification is established by adding together the three best individual times from each team in the straight stages and the time of the team in the team time-trial. In the event of a tie, the following criteria shall be applied in order until the teams are separated:

• the number of first places in the daily team classification;
• the number of second places in the daily team classification etc.

If the teams are still tied, they shall be separated by the place obtained by their best rider in the general individual classification.

Any team reduced to fewer than three riders is eliminated from the general team classification.

Prize money awarded for the general team classification is as follows:

Total: €5, 100

TOTAL AMOUNT OF PRIZE MONEY FOR THE GENERAL TEAM CLASSIFICATION: €5, 100

The total amount of prize money for the 2013 TOUR OF QATAR is as follows:

• Classification for the stages €50, 625
• General individual time classification €37, 450
• Points classification €5, 100
• Young rider classification €5, 100
• Team classification €5, 100

TOTAL AMOUNT OF PRIZE MONEY: €103, 375

Doping control is carried out under the authority of the UCI, by the officials appointed, at the finish of each stage in the mobile home of the Qatar Cycling Federation.

After the first four straight stages and the team time-trial, the following riders must present themselves at the protocol ceremony:

• the stage winner or the winning team of the team time-trial on the day of team time-trial;
• the leader of the general individual classification;
• the leader of the points classification;
• the leader of the young rider classification.

After the last stage, the following riders must present themselves at the protocol ceremony:

• the stage winner;
• the 3 best riders of the general individual classification;
• the leader of the points classification;
• the leader of the young rider classification;
• the 8 riders and the team manager of the winning team in the general team classification.

The leader in each classification must wear the corresponding leader jersey.

If a rider is first in several classifications, the order of priority for the wearing of jerseys is as follows:

• the general time classification;
• the general points classification;
• the young rider classification.

Penalties are in accordance with the UCI regulations.