🦊 2026 RedFox Trail Trot: Official Rules & Guidelines

1. Overview: Year Two

Welcome to the 2026 season! The RedFox Trail Trot is a community-driven challenge designed for exploration and bragging rights. This isn't a race; it’s a way to discover new trails, build fitness, and connect with fellow Foxes. With 46 unique routes, there is something for every rider. 

2. Eligibility & Manual Entry

• Club Membership: Open to all current RedFox Cycling Club members.

• The Manual Rule: To ensure your points count, you must manually submit every ride via the Route Entry Form. Points are no longer pulled automatically from Strava.

• Strava Visibility: Rides must be set to "Everyone" (Public) so the board can verify your GPS data.

3. Route Types & Freedom of Choice

• Categories: Gravel, MTB, and Path.

• Difficulty Tiers: Cruiser, Challenge, and Crusher.

• The MTB "Freedom" Rule: For MTB routes, follow the suggested line, but feel free to ride your own way. As long as your recorded ride stays within ~5% of the listed distance and elevation, it counts!

• Combo Routes: Routes like DogHouse → Addy Loop count as one completion. Individual trails can still be ridden separately for extra points.

4. The 2026 Difficulty Score (1–10)

New for 2026, we’ve introduced a formula-based Difficulty Score (calculated using total mileage and feet of elevation per mile).

• Current Use: For this season, the 1–10 score is a reference tool only to help you gauge how "hard" a route is before you head out.

• Scoring Note: The Difficulty Score is not currently factored into your total points for the trail.

• Future Planning: We are using 2026 to gather club feedback and fine-tune these numbers. If the system proves accurate, it may be officially implemented into the scoring math for 2027. Please share your thoughts with the board!

5. Privacy & Verification (Crucial)

To keep the leaderboard fair, please follow these technical requirements:

• No Privacy Buffers: Do not use "Hide Start/End" privacy zones or crop your rides. Because we allow a ~5% margin, hiding your start or end points may cause you to fall below the required mileage/elevation threshold, resulting in disqualification.

• Name Consistency: Keep your Strava profile name the same throughout the 2026 season to avoid tracking errors.

6. Enhanced Standings & Verification

The Standings Page is now live and interactive!

• Pending Status: Points appear immediately upon submission but are "Pending Verification."

• Audits: A board member will review submissions. If there are questions about your route or GPS data, they will reach out.

• Point Removal: Points will be removed if verification shows the route was not completed correctly or if privacy settings blocked the audit.

• Find a Partner: Check the standings to see which routes other Foxes haven't finished yet—it’s a great way to find a riding buddy!

7. Safety & Conduct

• Helmets: Mandatory (CPSC, ANSI, and/or Snell standards).

• Trail Etiquette: You represent RedFox. Be courteous to all trail users and follow all park-specific rules.

8. Prizes & Feedback

The top riders with the most points at the end of the season will earn prizes and exclusive RedFox gear. This event grows through your feedback—if you have ideas for the future, let a board member know!