Shimano Singletrack Classic Weekender: Sunday’s XC

After the previous day’s Downhill event and Trials ordeals, Sunday brings the XC race.

Competitors’ scores from the Downhill and Trials are factored together to work out a staggered start grid.

If a competitor did well on the Saturday, with the fastest Downhill time and all the Trials obstacles cleared successfully, they they’ll start the XC race at the front of the grid and will set off in the first wave.

If a competitor didn’t do so well on the Saturday, eg. they finished mid-pack on the DH and messed up a couple of Trials obstacles, then they’ll have incurred a few minutes of time penalties. They’ll have to wait a number of minutes after the first competitors have set off before they’re then allowed to set off themselves.

In the video below, Jon and Benji illustrate the staggered start nature of the XC race. They also illustrate the awesome amount of yoyo-ing that goes on during the XC. They also illustrate how not to dress on a mountain bike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eKHwr-bObc

The maximum number of minutes you can be penalised for your Downhill time is 10 minutes. The maximum number of minutes you can be penalised for your Trials performance is 5 minutes.

So if you’ve absolutely faffed up your Downhill run, and all the Trials obstacles, the total time penalty that you’ll incur is 15 minutes. In other words, you’ll be setting off on your XC attempt 15 minutes after the first riders have set off.

But wait a minute. This year is the year of the Time Bonus. We’ll be awarding a time bonus in both the Downhill event and the Trials event. A ‘Bonus Minute’ means that you’ll have a minute removed from your time penalty total ie. you’ll start the XC race a minute earlier.

A bonus minute can be earned during the Downhill by the rider who takes the ‘most creative’ line down the course into the arena*. And as usual, the fastest Downhill time in each age/gender category will also be awarded a bonus minute. (*the judging panel’s decision is final)

A bonus minute in the Trials event can be earned by any rider who successfully completes an optional sixth obstacle. This sixth obstacle will be a ‘proper tricky’ obstacle, possibly with entertaining-for-the-vultures consequences if it goes wrong.

So for the XC race there will be 18 ‘start pools’, each setting off at minute intervals. Each pool will be populated by competitors who are on the same time penalty.

The 1st pool will be populated by riders who posted the fastest time in their age/gender category, and also took the ‘Most Creative Line’ during the Downhill, and also managed to clear the optional sixth Trials obstacle. There won’t be many riders in the 1st pool.

And so it goes until the 18th pool which will be populated by the happily hapless riders who totally fouled up the Saturday events.

Lee Quarry, Lancashire, July 14-15, 2012