Race Protocol

EMCC TIME TRIALS 2022: RACE PROTOCOL

• All riders must sign-on the prepared sign-on sheet. Those who have paid the full racing membership are listed as PAID on the sign-on sheet. Those who have not paid the full racing membership are charged $5. Please remember to bring some change with you, and to put all cash collected into the ziplock bag which is in the side pocket of the race bag.

• All time trial courses are marked – start, turn(s) , finish – on the pavement, and the locations described in the Event Guide. Use the small cones to indicate the start, turn, and finish. The cones should be placed at the edge of pavement, not on the shoulder line, and never on the centreline of the road at a turn.

• See the Event Guide (copy on the clipboard): Ensure the marshal(s) know exactly where they are going, and issue them with a reflective vest. If possible obtain cellphone numbers for the marshal(s). They should be advised of the total number of riders signed-on, and told to stay at their marshalling position for a few minutes after the final rider on the road has passed through, in case of very late entries on the line that they are not aware of. Marshals have neither the authority nor the responsibility to stop traffic, their only responsibility is to indicate the correct route to the riders. It is entirely up to the riders to know the course and to negotiate all turns safely.

• Start/timing sheet: Try to give the slow riders an early start time, and the fast riders a later start time. Try to separate the faster riders from each other, to minimise the temptation of pacing. You do not need to enter the riders’ age or category – these are shown on the start/timing sheet to facilitate calculating +/-‘s by the Events Director. FYI, it is the rider’s age on the day of the race that is used. Once a rider is listed on the start/timing sheet, do not change their start time. Make a second copy of the start/timing sheet for the assistant timekeeper (see below).

• Once the Race Chief/chief timekeeper is in place at the start, the course is closed – no riders should be allowed to go up the course for warm-up or any other reason. Anyone who does so should be given an official warning for unsportsmanlike conduct – see your responsibilities below.

• Riders must not be allowed to impede or occupy the through traffic lane at the start.

• On the start line, remind each rider to call out their start number as they cross the finish line, to facilitate identifying each rider and ensuring that they are credited with the correct finish time.

• Timing: With the EMCC stopwatches in “SPLIT” mode, start two watches simultaneously one minute before the scheduled “First Rider Off” time. The first rider off, #1, starts at 1:00 (one minute) on the stopwatch, subsequent riders at one-minute intervals. The normal count-down is “30 seconds/15 seconds/10 seconds/5-4-3-2-1-GO”. Record the split time as each rider crosses the finish line, rounding the displayed time UP to the next whole second, i.e.: mm:ss only, no tenths or hundredths of a second. Do not “RESET” the watches after the event – in the unlikely event of a tie affecting the +/-‘s the Events Director can retrieve the times from the watches’ memory to break the tie. If there are so many riders that riders may be finishing before everyone has started, then the Race Chief (chief timekeeper) goes to the finish to record finish times, while the assistant timekeeper stays at the start to start the remaining riders.

• It is not your responsibility to ensure that the riders start at their allotted start-time. If someone misses their start by a few seconds, let them start but do not give them any allowance for starting late. If someone is 20-30 seconds late, then use your judgement; someone reporting more than 30 seconds late should be given a new start time at the end of the field. Similarly if a rider has a mechanical problem and misses their start, then start them at the end of the field. NEVER move riders’ start times up to fill in a gap created by a no-show rider.

• Do not let riders bother the timekeeper at the finish for any reason – send them away if necessary.

• It is your responsibility to act on any incidences of unsafe riding or unsportsmanlike conduct – see the EMCC Code of Conduct.

• Give the start/timing sheet showing the recorded FINISH TIMES and Actual Times (if you’ve had time to work them out) to the Events Director, who will work out the +/-‘s for the final result.


EMCC CRITERIUM OMNIUM 2022, EDMONTON RESEARCH PARK:
RACE PROTOCOL

Copies of the Event Guide, the Agreement giving us permission to use the ERP circuit are in the race bag.

All riders must sign-on. Those who have paid the full racing membership are listed as PAID on the sign-on sheets. Those who have not paid the full racing membership must pay $5. Please put received cash into the envelope in race bag.

See the Event Guide: Marshals #M1 and #M4 are to partially block the access to the circuit with their vehicle and be issued a large cone (two are in the race bag) to stop and direct vehicles before entering the circuit (ERP workers are allowed to proceed to parking lots when clear in a clockwise direction, anyone else is to leave their vehicle outside the circuit and walk in). Marshal #M3 is the only marshal who cannot see the start/finish, and therefore should have a cellphone, and be instructed to not leave the marshalling position until advised that the final event is over. If at all possible have a helper video the finishes of the Scratch race and the Handicap, to help sort out the final placings.

Draw the finish line across the road (chalk is in the race bag). Lap cards are also in the race bag.

Place a small cone in the gutter at start of one-lap TT, i.e.: the first street light post after the finish.

All riders must have one foot unclipped and on the ground when the start signal is given. No track stands allowed.

1. One-Lap TT – riders start at 30 second intervals without holder. TT start sheets are on the clipboards. Omnium points: n to 1, where n is the number of riders starting the TT.

– Sort out Ability Groups for the Scratch and Win-and-Out races based largely on the TT times. Sort the participants into 2 groups or more depending on turnout. Preferably, no more than 8 per group.

2. Scratch Race: 5 laps, by ability groups. Start the fast group first, the next group after the first has become out of sight after the first set of corners. Place all riders as they cross the finish line within their ability group. Omnium points: 5/4/3/2/1 for the first five finishers in each ability group.

3. Win-and-Out: 5 laps (No neutral lap). Start the fast group first, the next group after the first is out of sight after the first set of corners. The first rider across the line within each group on every lap “wins” and pulls out of the race CAREFULLY. Omnium points: 5/4/3/2/1 for the five riders who “win-and-out” in each ability group.

4. Handicap: Set up the Handicap groups based EXCLUSIVELY on the one-lap TT times. For 10 or less riders in total use three groups of, for example, 4, 3 and 3. For 11 or more riders in total use four groups of, for example, 4, 4 and 3. Adjust the size of groups as necessary to accommodate all the riders, BUT always keep the size of the faster groups smaller than the size of the slower groups.

– 5 laps – all riders finish as one race (groups can mix during the race). Start the groups at 20-SECOND INTERVALS with the slowest group off first. Everyone is in the same race, so simply record the finishing order of the riders as they across the finish line. Omnium points: n to 1, where n is the number of riders starting the Handicap.

Give the final race results to the Events Director. Note that you do not have to work out the Omnium result.

Thanks for volunteering and feel free to cheer the racers on!


EMCC HANDICAP CRITERIUM 2022, EDMONTON RESEARCH PARK:
RACE PROTOCOL

• Copies of the Event Guide, the Agreement giving us permission to use the ERP circuit, and a copy of the Certificate of Insurance are on the clipboard.

• All riders must sign-on. Those who have paid the full racing membership are listed as PAID on the sign-on sheets. Those who have not paid the full racing membership are charged $5. Please remember to place all cash collected into the ziplock bag located inside the race bag after the event.

• See the Event Guide: Marshals #M1 and #M4 should be instructed to partially block the access to the circuit with their vehicle (assuming they have one!), and should be issued with a large cone (two are in the race bag) to provide additional control at their corner. Marshal #M3 is the only marshal who cannot see the start/finish, and therefore should have a cellphone, and should be instructed to not leave the marshalling position until advised that the final event is over.

• If at all possible have a helper video the finish, to help sort out the final placings.

• Draw the finish line across road (chalk is in the race bag). Lap cards are also in the race bag.

• Set up the Handicap groups based on ability – judgement is required. As much as possible, each group should be made up of riders of similar ability. Maximum group size should be 10 -12, minimum group size should be 5 or 6. Anything up to and including four groups should be manageable. Try to keep the size of the faster groups smaller than the size of the slower groups.

• Race distance is 25 minutes plus 3 laps, all riders are in the one race, everyone finishes on the same lap. The slowest group starts first. With four (4) groups, the groups start at 30-SECONDS intervals; with three (3) groups, the groups start at 45 SECOND intervals; with two (2) groups, the groups start at a 1:30 MINUTES interval. It’s a handicap race, groups can mix, everyone is in the same race, so simply record the order of all the riders as they cross the finish line. Everyone finishes on the same lap as the winner.

• Give the final race result to the Events Director.


EMCC ROAD RACE 2022: RACE PROTOCOL 

• All riders must sign-on. Those who have paid the full racing membership are listed as PAID on the sign-on sheets. Those who have not paid the full racing membership are charged $5. Please remember to place all cash into the ziplock bag located in the race bag.

• See the Event Guide for marshal locations. Ensure that all marshals know that they have no authority to stop or direct traffic, and that their only responsibility is to indicate the correct route to the riders. Exchange cellphone numbers with all marshals and with the paramedic.

• Draw the finish line across road (chalk is in the race bag). Lap cards are also in the race bag.

• Set up the groups based on ability – judgement is required. As much as possible, each group should be made up of riders of similar ability, subject to a maximum group size of 10 riders. If the groups cannot be of equal size, then the number of riders in the faster group(s) should be less than the number of riders in the slower group(s).

• Each ability group is a separate race, and no mixing of the groups is allowed. Any rider dropped from their group and picked up by a slower group may sit behind that group, but must not participate in any way, especially at the finish.

• The fast group starts first, followed at two-minute intervals by the slower group(s). • Record the finishing order of riders within each ability group as they cross the finish line. If at all possible have a helper video the finish, to help sort out the final placings.

• Give the final race result to the Event Director.

Important Safety Message for Road Races:

All participants are responsible for their own safety. DO NOT rely on course Marshalls when making turns. Course Marshalls simply indicate the direction of the course and DO NOT stop traffic for the riders.

Corners with stop signs are considered neutral. When approaching a corner with a stop sign, all participants must reduce their speed and be prepared to stop and only proceed through the corner if it is clear. The corner will remain neutral until all participants (within a contiguous peloton) have completed the turn. This means no attacking directly before or after a corner with a stop sign.

DO NOT blindly follow other participants through corners. DO NOT cross the center line of the road at any time (even while cornering). Stay as close to the right side of the road as possible. In the case of cross winds from the right, DO NOT take the strategic position of riding along the center line. Stay to the right of the road and wait for a left cross wind to string out your group.

Watch out for fellow participants by calling out traffic: “Car up/ Car back”.

DO NOT block traffic – move right as soon as possible to allow vehicles to pass.