Timing a hillclimb event with Strava

The idea is a “fun” turn-up-and-ride hillclimb to raise funds for the local youth team. For whatever reason, the federation won’t let us use timing mats or chips, leaving us with rather more analogue options…

I was also thinking about creating a Strava segment, and requiring entrants to join a group so we could filter results for the event.

The course is a 1km flat approach, then 2.5km at 9%. Plenty of hairpin turns and tree cover to screw up the GPS data, maybe. Here if you’re interested (where Van Avermaet got flattened by a camera bike in the ’15 Clasica San Sebastián). Pretty much exactly this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLYdXFDWCaw. (last km from 3m55)

How would you do it?

http://www.matesrace.co.uk/

This works well with strava:

http://www.matesrace.co.uk/%5B/url%5D

The other way:

traditional approach is two synchronized stop watches and you start each rider at 1 minute intervals, then write down the times they cross the line start and finish then work out the difference. It’s probably more accurate than Strava and doesn’t rely on everyone carrying a phone/gps. Needs more organisation on the day though,

For accuracy just go with syncronised stopwatches and set off at pre-determined intervals, easy, low tech and also fun as riders can chase people
Strava and matesrace could be good, the latter could mean that people could do it in their own time but that’s not what you want

As someone who races hill climbs I wouldn’t use strava. I’d go as far to say I would not enter a hill climb race that used strava as its mechanism for timings. I’ve seen some very different results on Strava/Garmin compared to official times during races. Variability in GPS accuracy, cover, recording mode etc. can make things go wrong.

If you do decide to do it I would suggest you set the strava segment to be shorter than the course. Most errors I’ve seen have been when you are waiting very close to the start line or don’t ride very far past the finish line and it still thinks you are on the segment.

Also make your course long. A couple of seconds on a 2 minute climb will drop you right down the placings where as on a 15minute effort it makes less difference.

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is just a fun friendly event either. If it is a competition people will care about there position.

Didn’t know about matesrace, thanks for the suggestion.

We haven’t yet spoken to the police about closing the road. Depending on the length of time we are allowed, running it with 2 stopwatches might be the easiest way. Strava/Matesrace would work better if they give us, say, all morning and people can just roll up and go.

walkie talkies at both ends. stopwatch at the top.

Starting them at 30s intervals will speed things up too.

For accuracy just go with syncronised stopwatches and set off at pre-determined intervals, easy, low tech and also fun as riders can chase people

This, just like in a time trial. One or two minute intervals. Everyone gets a number. Record start and finish times then work it all out from there.

Starting them at 30s intervals will speed things up too.

Can make it a bit frantic for the timekeeper and starter!

We did a hillclimb for about 30 clubmates with two stopwatches, a clipboard and some goodwill. Took me about 10 minutes to knock up a timing sheet on excel, including walking to the printer.

Last man off (someone who wasn’t going to figure in the results) set everyone off at 1 minute intervals, i drove to the top and timed the finish.

Then we went for a clubride.

I wouldn’t use Strava or GPS for this. Too many variables and inconsistent results due to varying hardware and errors.

You only actually need one stopwatch at the top and ideally one of the organisers or a competitor you trust at the bottom.

Agree the start times (eg 9:00, 9:01, 9:02, etc), the person at the bottom does calls the ‘Go’s out and then you just need to record the finish times.

Strava has got better for accuracy IME but it’s not good enough for a competition as I’d say it’s comfortably out by a couple of seconds and also if you’re timing from a standing start, the result can be affected by Strava recording the person as having started the segment since they’re actually on the start point. You’d really need to start the segment 5-10 seconds after where the person actually start and similar for the finish.

^^^ this (wot bigyinn said). Too many variables outside of your control. Crap phones/GPS units being used, users forgetting to turn on GPS, Strava not recognising segment start/end points for some users., blah blah.

Stopwatch and clipboard.

Do not use Strava – even the best GPS is nowhere near accurate enough, never mind most people’s phones.

You don’t even need stop watches. Just have two syncronized watches, one at the bottom setting people off at 1 min intervals and one at the top marking each riders finish time.

Have a time sheet at each end with all riders on and there start time, a space for end time and a space for ride time. As long as the bloke at the bottom sets people off on time then the one at the top just has to write finish times on.

For accuracy just go with syncronised stopwatches and set off at pre-determined intervals, easy, low tech and also fun as riders can chase people

This, or a mass start, or heats.

This, or a mass start, or heats.

aren’t you getting into the realms of “proper” racing whereas the stopwatch thing is a time trial, for which – afaik – the rules are different (less hassle).

mass start road races also need all sorts of licencing…

It’s a mates race – only needs to be legit if you get caught.

Sound like it’s being organised for kids to raise money for a youth team? It’s not an under the radar group of blokes turning up at 7am on a Sunday morning.

Sounds like it’s in Spain, so UK laws don’t apply. I would not let it bother me in the slightest and certainly wouldnt let it stop me.

Next you’ll be telling me that it’s not right to have a mass start race round the red at GT on a saturday or sunday morning.

As above, it’s got to be organised through the local federation. Actually, the kids could use timing chips, but it has to be open to punters without licenses. The federation are positively stone age, getting anything like this past them is a nightmare.

Cross country running races are often timed by hand with c. 300 runners crossing the finish line within about 5-10 minutes of each other. Hand timing and hand writing the results shouldn’t be too challenging for 30 or so riders, with a synchronised timer at the bottom and the top.

I the Wellington CC hillclimb a couple of weeks ago, riders are given their start number, which is also the number of minutes past the hour (I was rider No 41, so I started at 10:41).
The person with the stopwatch at the top records your number and finish time. Then they do a bit of maths to work out the results.
Nice little event and free to enter.
West-Buckland-hill-climb

Do not use Strava – even the best GPS is nowhere near accurate enough, never mind most people’s phones.

I’m pretty sure that a dedicated differential GPS setup would be accurate enough….

Strava will only be reliable if you use the same devices and have a good signal. What if a rider looses signal half way up? I recorded my last hill climb with my Edge 200 and it lost signal half way up and couldn’t recognise the segment.

I’m pretty sure that a dedicated differential GPS setup would be accurate enough….

http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=105209&page=53

I’m pretty sure that a dedicated differential GPS setup would be accurate enough….

might slow you down a bit though…