Calvin’s Challenge

We have learned that there may have been a violation of the partial lap rule. It will affect the overall winner. Stay tuned.

Thank you all that survived our “Perfect” day of weather.

This is your page to post comments and offer up suggestions on how we can improve the race for YOU.

Yes, we had a problem with scorecards. We had a new supplier and we didn’t think to do a “Soak” and “Wind” test.

 We got some racers score wrong. That is inexcusable. We really want electronic timing and scoring and will do everything we can to find a way to do it.

Next year the race date is May 2nd, make your plans now, we have!

Calvin’s Shout Box. Odds and ends. 

Central Ohio Ultra Cycling welcomes you to the 17^th Calvin’s Challenge.  While the ownership of the race has change, not much else has. The same great route, the same great weather and most importantly the same great racing that makes Calvin’s Challenge the premier 12 hour race on the UMCA calendar.

  The following list is things that you may or not need to know depending on the event you are signed up for. We seemed to keep finding things that we feel you need to know to make your race the best possible.

 While the 12 & 6 hour races are drafting legal, we praise the accomplishments of the individual racer. We encourage you to set a goal, train for it and do the best you can come race day. You will face many challenges, from weather( always perfect) mechanical, intestinal issues, and plain old fatigue. But no matter your final score, know that we are proud that you came and put forth your beast effort. Learn from your mistakes and come back next year stronger and better prepared. 

Change of Start time for the 6 hour race, from 08:00 to 08:30. We determined that we needed more time to set up after the 12 hour race goes off.

   The timing clock operation has been changed. Instead of counting down to 00:00:00 at 7:30 pm, it will now read the real time in 12 hour format. (Eastern time). The 6 hour and 100TT necessitated this change.

  NEW!  Pace vehicle to lead the 12 hour group to the first checkpoint at South Solon. We know that a good amount of the “What were you thinking” racing happens during that first leg to S. Solon. Hopefully with “Big Brother” watching the goings on we’ll have a safer race.

We really don’t want to disqualify anyone, but at the same time we don’t want anyone killed or injured either. Guess which path we are going to take.

  At the call for the 100TT (08:35) we need for those racers to move toward the starting line. We will get you out on the course as you line up. No pre determined start roster to worry about. We will send you out at 30 second intervals.  100TT racers must stop at the checkpoints to have their scorecards punched just as the other classes do. Remember, No drafting in the 100TT. If you find another racer drafting you, please tell them that you are in the TT and not to draft you. You will not ride any of the 7 mile loops as part of the 100TT. Since we don’t a history with the 100TT, the awards will be handed out as best we can determine who the winners are. Bear with us as we fumble our way through this first year.

The Fun ride will start after all the races are out on the route. We hope this will be at about 9:00. That doesn’t mean that you have to start your Fun Ride at that time, but we ask that you don’t start before then. Feel free to ride any of the loops as much as you want. While the racers are restricted as to when they can be on the 7 mile loop, you are not. Please do not jump into the race group (s) as they pass you out on the route. The rules forbid them from drafting you, thus you could cause them to be penalized by you being in their group.

 The Fun Ride riders must obey all the same safety rules as the racers. The Fun Riders will not be scored. At the checkpoints, tell the marshals that you are a Fun Rider. We want you to have a safe ride and hopefully come back next year and enter one of the race events.

 12, 6 hour and 100TT racers, please be courteous when passing the Fun Riders. Giving them a heads up that you are passing will go a long way in preventing an accident. Remember that they look up to you with admiration and awe of your abilities. Show them that you can be fast and nice at the same time.

 To all: The route goes through farm country. You may encounter equipment out on the route. Be careful when passing, much of the equipment has sharp and pointy things on them.

 There is at least one turn on the route that is always vandalized, it’s become kind of a tradition.

We will put road markings way before the turn ( more like the left of a “Y”) and markings on the wrong way.

 There are some deep pot holes on the 7 mile loop. Hopefully they will be filled by race day, but maybe not. We marked them with paint, but if you ride into one of these holes, you’ll go down.

No parking behind the school. There is a school activity going on the same time as the race and we have been asked to share. The school has been very kind to the race, so please, let’s do everything we can in return.

  Bicycle One and Bacchetta Bikes are giving test rides of their recumbent bikes throughout the day. Most people have seldom seen a recumbent, now is a great chance to test ride one. Maybe a recumbent is just the bike to get your spouse riding.

Think recumbents are slow? Not anymore. The 2007 UMCA 24 hour champion and 2006 series 24 hour champion rode a recumbent, the 2007 UMCA 12 hour race series (best of 3) champion rode a recumbent. The 2008 Heart of the South 500 mile race (with over 30,000 feet of climbing) was won by a recumbent rider. The modern recumbent may just be the perfect ultra distant cycling tool. www.bacchettabikes.com

  Hammer Nutrition Endurance Fuels and Supplements has been very kind to Calvin’s Challenge this year by supplying the race with a gerious amount of product for you to sample. Hammer Nutrition is the leading fuel supplier for the UMCA. I encourage you to ask one of the Race Directors if you have any questions about any of the product line. We have been Hammer Nutrition customers for years and they have successfully fueled all of us through many races and events. www.hammernutrition.com

 If you are new to ultra racing, we encourage you to check out www.ultracycling.com It is the definitive source for long distance racing information. Learn about RAAM, RAAM qualifiers, 12/24 hour races, double centuries and how you can participate in a national points championship. The UMCA is the sanctioning body for cross state records.

 If you found that you like this kind of event, we can recoment a few others.

 Most importantly, we could not do this without the many volunteers that do everything from helping you park to punching scorecards and keeping you safe on the route. Keep in mind that many of them were racers at one time, and are now are giving back to those that helped them to reach their goals by helping you reach yours. When you have reached your goals, please consider volunteering at a race or event so that the success that you have enjoyed can be passed on to the next generation of ultra racers.

 We want your feedback. We will have a page on the Calvin’s website blog that will allow you to make comments about the race. While we hope you will have some good things to say, we also need to hear about any problems you may have encountered so that we can make improvements for next year.

 On behalf of  the Race Directors Jeff & Julie Stephens, Christine & Larry Graham we want to thank you for supporting Calvin’s Challenge and hope the rest of your season is safe and you  reach your goals.

 See you next year.

John & Ann had some pretty simple rules. “No whining” and “No Cheating”.

We feel the need to elaborate and spell out what may constitute cheating and whining. Race officials reserve the right to enact any rule at any time as it becomes necessary to do so without prior notification. We don’t foresee doing this, but you never know what might come up.

1) Race officials reserve the right to stop the race due to weather, serious accident, or rider death. For purposes of those participating in the Cup Points we will score you based on distance traveled at the time of race termination.

2) No short cutting the race route. No deviating from the race route. The South Solon checkpoint is there to make finding a shorter way around the 50 mile loop impossible. If we find you off route we will direct back onto the route. You will not be credited with your off route mileage.

3) No punching your own score card. We will at different times punch the card with a different size or shape of punch. If during results tabulation we see that your score card does not correspond to the scheduled pattern of holes and shapes you could be disqualified. Believe it or not we get to learn who is in what place in the race. If at the end you seem to come out of nowhere, we will be suspect.

4) The mirror rule is in effect all race long. If we see you without a mirror we will stop scoring you until you are in compliance.

5) Blatant disregard of the Ohio bicycling laws is cause for disqualification. The race in held on roads open to vehicle traffic. Some of the roads on the route are narrow and most are lightly traveled. It is easy to become complacent and let your guard down. Echelons are prohibited. (Unless they are no more than two riders wide, as permitted by Ohio law). Any riders seen riding left of center will be instantly disqualified. All of the Calvin’s Challenge Race Directors are racers ourselves. All of have extensive experience at Calvin’s. Racing safely is paramount to success. “You can’t win if you can’t finish, and you can’t finish if you are dead”. The race has experienced one tragic death; we don’t want you to be next.

6) Disqualification will result for failure to obey course marshals or law enforcement officers. They are out there to protect you from harm and get you through intersections as fast as possible.

7) Verbally or physically attacking a fellow racer, course marshal, race official, spectator or persons along the route will result in disqualification.

8) No drafting anyone but race participants. No drafting in the 100TT or drafting the 100TT racers by the 12 or 6 hour racers. No drafting of the Fun riders. So, no signing up of your friends in the fun ride and have them pull for you later in the race.

9) No altering or destroying of the course markings.

10) No crew vehicles on the race route. Crews can meet their rider at the main checkpoint and at the South Solon check point. There is a route for crews to follow to get between the two check points. If your rider has a mechanical or physical problem and must be picked up out on the route, please contact a race official before hand.

11) Protests must be made verbally first to one of the race officials. It then must be submitted in writing within 30 minutes of the end of the race that you are participating in. (12, 6 hour or 100 mile TT). The ruling on the protest by race officials is final.

12) Any racer that assists an accident on the route will be compensated for miles lost. Let race officials know of the situation ASAP so that we can make the proper adjustment to scoring.

13) We are making every effort to have as many people punching score cards at the check points as we can get. Whining about it will not get you through any faster. Every racer will face the same problem, so it is just one of the challenges you’ll need to overcome.

We are absolutely positive that the weather will be perfect, as it has been every year for the past hundreds of years. If by chance the weather is not your idea of perfect, whining about it will fall on deaf ears. This is a race, make adjustments and be prepared, get on with it. This is no social century ride, it’s a race!

Scoring.      The traditional scoring way of the race was “Full Laps Only”. Many times racers would finish their last lap with some time left on the clock. There would not be enough time to complete another full lap before time expired. The “full Lap” way of scoring often resulted in a good number of class Ties.       We explored a number of options, such as developing a third even shorter loop (maybe 2 miles or less). Calculating your last partial lap mileage based on your average. John & Ann tried declaring winners by who finished the last full lap first. Each solution seemed ripe for confusion and difficult to manage at the end of a long race day. But, if we are going to call this a 12 hour race (or a 6 hour) then we want to be able to let you race the full time allowed.       We borrowed a page from the Saratoga 12/24 hour race and will mark each mile on the 7 mile loop. With 15 minutes left to race we will dispatch a course marshal to each mile mark location. At the end of race time (either 6 or 12 hours) the marshals will flag down each racer and punch his or her score card with the corresponding mileage. The racer will then complete the loop back to the school where they will turn in their score card for results tabulation.      For this to work we need each racer’s cooperation. We can only do this if we can do it safely and in a timely manner. So, here are the rules:     Once you reach your finial mile mark and have your scorecard punched, you must finish the remainder of the loop back to the school in the same direction that the race was routed. No U-turns on the route and returning to the school in the reverse direction. Even if you just make it to mile one, you are required to continue to ride the 7 mile loop in its entirety back to the school. This is a standard RAAM safety rule where there is no riding the course in the reverse direction. If we see you returning back to the school in the reverse direction, (we will be watching) we will not score the partial lap and we will penalize you 10 miles. When stopped on the route to get your card punched, please do not block the roadway. Remember, the race route is open to vehicle traffic. If we can’t do this without blocking traffic and endangering racers, marshals and other users of the road we will revert back to the “full lap only” way of scoring.      All scorecards must be turned in 15 minutes after your respective race time is up. For the 6 hour class that means 14:45 (2:45 pm). For the 12 hour class it is 19:45 (7:45pm). If your are in the 100TT and are still out on the course, you too, will need to turn you scorecard in by 19:45. Failure to turn your scorecard in by the time deadline will result in you receiving no score. We need time to tabulate everyone’s score so that we can hand out awards in a timely fashion. It will have been a long day for everyone; no need for the awards to be dragged out any longer than necessary.     As the time winds down, you’ll have to ask yourself “Is riding back out on the route to pick up one more mile worth it?” and, “Can I get back in time to turn in my scorecard before the deadline?” It will be interesting to watch how racers decide what to do. If you decide that your race is done before race regulation time is up, please turn in your scorecard.     We feel that this partial lap scoring will generate a great deal of hard racing and excitement right up to the final minute. Not only for the racers but for us that are trying to manage it.     With that in mind we reserve the right to revert back to the “Full Laps only” scoring without notification should we have concern for the safety of the racers and course marshals. At this point we have serious concerns that we will not have enough volunteers to implement the plan to score partial laps. Other solutions might be that we score at the 2, 4, & 6 mile mark, or score only at the half lap point (3.5 miles). So, if you can talk someone from your crew to assist us score the racers out on the last loop, we can make this happen.

Schedule of events.

Friday: Registration opens at 4:00. Closes at 9:00.

Saturday: Day of registration opens at 06:30. Closes for the 12 hour race at 07:00. 08:00 for the 6 hour and 100TT.
07:15 Call for 12 hour races to start to line up.
07:25 Announcements and last minute instructions.
07:30 12 hour race begins.
08:15 Call for 6 hour racers to line up.
08:25 Last minute announcements and instructions.
08:30 6 hour race begins.
08:35 Call for 100TT to line up.
08:40 Last minute announcements and instructions.
08:45 First TT ride on course Riders sent off at 30 second intervals until all 100TT racers are on course.
09: 00 Fun riders line up and given instructions, announcements and are permitted on course.
11:15 7 mile loop opens for 6 hour race only. No 12 hour racers at this time.
2:10 Mile marks staffed on 7 mile loop
2:30 6 hour race ends
2:45 all 6 hour race scorecards must be turned in.
3:00 Awards for 6 hour and 100TT finishers.
3:00-? Award 100TT as they finish.
3:30 7 mile loop opens for 12 hour racers
6:15 South Solon check point closes
7:10 Mile marks staffed on 7 mile loop
7:30 12 hour race finishes. All 100TT racers need to be finished at this time as well.
7:45 all scorecards must be turned in.
8:00 Or as close to as possible. Awards ceremony starts. The 7 mile loop opens for the 6 hour race at 11:15. Loops ridden before that time will not be scored. There will be a sign at the turn to the short loop telling you that the loop in open. The 7 mile loop opens for the 12 hour race at 3:30. Loops ridden before that time will not be score. There will be a sign at the turn to the short loop telling you that the loop in open. 100 TT will not be riding any 7 mile loops. Fun riders can ride any loops at any time.

Rules for Calvin’s Challenge 12 hour, 6 hour and 100TT.

The First rule that must be addressed is the mirror rule. Yes, mirrors are required. They can be Bike, Helmet, Eye glasses or Hand mounted. (it is a recumbent way of doing it). The reasons are many, but the number one reason is to prevent your injury or death.

We take the mirror rule seriously. Each one of the Directors uses a mirror every time we ride. Disregard for the rule will get you DQ’d. Don’t test us on it.

We race on roads open to traffic. It is often windy, which limits your ability to hear vehicles coming up from behind. There are a number of left hand turns on the route. Most of them are on quite country roads with little or no traffic. There is one left hand turn off the State Route 42 that one of our racers was killed while making the turn. There is a slight bend and hill right before the turn. From the time you turn around and look to see if it clear, the situation can change by the time make your turn. This limits your sight line to vehicles coming up from behind and their ability to see you until it is too late.UMCA racing is much different than other forms of racing that you may come from. First, we don’t have categorized levels of skill, such as Cat 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1. You may be lined up to a RAAM winner or next to someone that this is their first mass start. Add to the mix tandems and recumbents of all shapes and sizes and you’ll have a busy time keeping track of who is where. It is just good to be able to watch the wheel ahead of you and be able to see what is on your wheel without having to turn around. In that split second of you looking back could have you in a crash.I think it is just a great racing tool. I can easily see if I’ve got a gap or that the group in closing in. Do I go or sit up and wait? All without tipping my hand with the “Look Back”.The same arguments we hear about mirrors are the same we heard about helmets (other than they are hot). The mirror is the cheapest and simplest way to improve your safety on the road.

Stay tuned for more information once we get this thing up and running