International Intergalactic Global Open Mountain Bike Team Relay Championship of the Universe Including the Anti-Matter One. (There, That Should About Cover It): Info
Welcome to the coolest most awesome first event of the 2009 season in the best mountain bike race series in the country, the visitPA.com International Intergalactic Global Open Mountain Bike Relay Championship of the Universe Including the Anti-Matter One. (There That Should About Cover It). Don't want to spend a month saying the name of the race then you can just call it THE Open Relay in the Toyota Mid-Atlantic Super Series presented by Cadence Cycling and Multisport Centers. With super special thanks to Cannondale.
Start Time: 10:30am
Cost: $120/team (pre reg)/$160 day-ofThis thing isn't like any other team relay you've ever done - well unless you were here last year, or maybe took part in the mountain bike world championships. It's semi-styled after the World Championship Relay and the ubiquitous 12/24 hour team relay format. It also takes a cue from the Rockville Bridge Cyclocross Relay from the PA state championship in 2005 where we started this way too fun event. We took the tasty bits of these other races, added some new ingredients, tossed 'em in a blender, and came up with something awfully yummy.
It works
like this:
All riders are given a handicap based on a logical though by no means
scientific analysis of who is faster than whom (who?). By complete happenstance
the whole thing worked pretty well in 2008 with the fastest team taking
home the win, but slots 2nd through 5th filled with teams made up of riders
that ran the gamut of ages, categories, classes, and abilities while the
second fastest team (which had four of the fastest riders in the region)
was displaced to 6th. Now, I can't say they were that happy about it,
but you really don't know who will end up with the win until we add up
the points!
The fastest groups get lower handicapping points all the way down to 0
points for Elite men and the slower groups get higher numbers of points
with 10-12 year old beginner Jrs in our youngest bracket getting a +9.
As promoter I get +10 (see #10 in the rules section). You can see this
handicapping schedule here.
Teams will consist of four riders. Teams may consist of any combination
of riders from the various categories and age groups. All teams will compete
against each other. Each lap of the course will take me approximately
15 min to circumnavigate. Some of you are faster than me, some are slower.
As much as I loathe admitting it, each year more of you fall on the former
side and less on the latter… Each lap will be worth 4 points. Partial
laps are worth bupkus. So, as your team completes laps you earn points
to add to your start total.
Chip Timing!
Much like last year's Stage Race and Festival Weekend, we'll use ChampionChip
timing for the scoring of this year's relay. This lets us do some cool
bonus stuff like lap times for every rider and that leads to Prize
for Fastest Lap!
We don't know
what it will be so it could be really great or it could be a hunk of crap,
but you'll get something for going fastest but that's not the only way
to get something this year because you can also win with
Award for Best Pit and Team Costumes!
Brides and grooms? Facebook friends? Another team from To Catch a Predator?
King Kong, Donkey Kong, DK Jr, and Curious George? Dress up nice and win
something else I get from the Dollar Store that you can split amongst
the four of you.
PS. Bribery
is perfectly acceptable and is, in fact, encouraged!
PPS. I like beer
PPPS. Belgian in particular.
PPPPS. See
PS.
