Team rules and info
We are very excited about the addition of Team competition to Calvin’s Challenge 12 hour race. We have created two basic categories, a 2 person and a 4 person. They can be all male, all female or mixed. Any mixture of the kinds of types of bicycles is permissible, such as the mix of traditional frame bikes and un-faired recumbents (no HPV’s) If you want to use a tandem, that would count as one member of the team, but those two riders must always work together on the tandem. We will create age groups as we go once we see how well the Team category develops. The rules are pretty simple and that invites each team to be creative about how they will manage their race.
The Team category is only for the 12 hour race.
The exchange of riders can only happen at one of the two check points. Each checkpoint will have a designated Team transition area. For timing and scoring purposes, the on coming rider must follow the off coming rider through the timing chute. On the 50 mile loop, this means a leg of about 25 miles. On the 7 mile loop, it means that the rider will ride the whole loop without an exchange.
If you decide to have a crew, they can only meet you at the check points and cannot follow riders on the route. There is a crew route between the checkpoints that will be signed (but one turn is easy to miss). No matter if you are doing a 2 or 4 person team, it is quite easy to do this without a crew.
Some recommendations:
You could send out each racer to do the 50 mile loop in it’s entirety, but that would be a slow way to score mileage.
You can have as many of the team on the route riding together as you want, but even if you have all 4 (or 2) members on the route riding together you’ll only be scored as one. So, if all 4 of your team rode the 50 mile loop together as a team TT, you would only be scored 50 miles and not 200 miles
Teams can draft any of the other racers. Only the TT racers are excluded from drafting or being drafted on. They will have special designation to single them out. No drafting of the "Fun" riders, They will the riders without a number.
Whether it is the 2 or 4 person team, send a rider to the mid loop checkpoint with a vehicle that is stocked with what the other teammates will need when they transition later in the race. Start the race with rider #1 with rider #2 staged at the mid loop checkpoint. Rider #1 races the first leg to the mid loop checkpoint. Rider #2 takes over at the mid loop checkpoint. Rider #1 stays at that checkpoint and refuels and rests. Rider #2 races the leg back to the main checkpoint, where rider #3 takes over and races to the mid loop checkpoint where rider #1 is staged. Rider #1 races back to the main checkpoint where rider #4 takes over and races to the mid checkpoint where rider #3 is waiting to finish the loop. When all the loops are completed the remaining rider drives back to the main checkpoint and rejoins their team, (which has most likely started on the 7 mile loops). If your team is planning to start on the 7 mile loop after the two required 50 mile laps, you should send two riders to the mid loop checkpoint. If not, rider #1 of the rotation will end up riding two legs and rider #4 none.
For the 2 person teams, you’ll have to drive between the checkpoints after exchanges if your plan is to ride only 25 mile segments. Again, this can be done without a crew.
By no means do you have to do it in this fashion, be creative (but stay within the rules). Rider communication (two way radios and cell phones) is permissible and recommended. You don’t want to roll into a checkpoint and have your relief rider off somewhere.
Both the 2 person and 4 person must complete two full laps of the 50 mile loop (100 miles) before starting into the 7 mile loop. But, the teams can continue on the 50 mile loop as much as the like.
Teams should think about setting up their pit area prior to the timing chute as the on coming rider MUST follow the off coming rider through the timing chute to be timed and scored.
The same last partial lap rules apply to the Teams. The Team rider that is last on the course will be stopped at the mile mark they reached at the end of race regulation time. Their number will be marked with that mileage. The remaining team members should remove their numbers and turn them as a group after race regulation time has been reached.
As well as the team category being new , so is the electronic timing and scoring, so please bear with us as we work through the inevitable issues.
In case of a complete failure of the Electronic Timing and Scoring system, we will revert back to the old way of scouring. You will be required to come to a stop so that we can mark/ punch your number at each checkpoint.