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25hz 
Visitor (occasional)
Joined: 02 November 2006
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 99
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 Topic: A question about BHPC race formats
Posted: 23 June 2009 at 2:48pm |
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In going back through the newsletters, I noticed that the majority of races that the BHPC holds are of the endurance format, as opposed to shorter sprints. I was wondering why the BHPC doesn't also hold shorter format races like 200m and 1km as maybe a prelude to the longer lap races? The riders aren't interested in the sprints? Time constraints? Just curious :)
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Andrew S
Admin Group
Joined: 14 March 2005
Location: Hornsea, UK
Status: Offline
Points: 2433
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Posted: 23 June 2009 at 3:29pm |
The reasons are mostly practical: - 200m sprints pretty much require electronic timing, which we don't have (at least not as yet in a totally reliable form). 1km sprints can just about be done with manual timing and were included in the programme at Reading this year.
- Until this year the software we use for results wasn't able to combine more than one race (eg a sprint and a criterium) per event. That is now possible and so this year several of the events have multiple 'rounds' as we call them.
So, while you won't have seen this in previous years you will probably see it more and more from now on.
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Adrian Setter
BHPC Member
Joined: 04 March 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 1606
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Posted: 23 June 2009 at 3:41pm |
 Andrew S wrote:
So, while you won't have seen this in previous years you will probably see it more and more from now on.
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Indeed. Already this season, POINTS races have included a 1k at Reading and, at Fowlmead (yet to be posted, but coming soon) a short (about 4km) time trial. Thanks again to Kevin for updating the race software to make this possible.
The longer races are likely to continue to be the core of most meetings: not many of us want to travel hundreds of miles just for a 13-second sprint.
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Challenge Hurricane - MicWic Delta (Front half) - Burrows Ratracer
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25hz
Visitor (occasional)
Joined: 02 November 2006
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 99
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Posted: 24 June 2009 at 12:40pm |
Cool, thanks. Multi-round events, I think, definitely make it more worthwhile to spend the time and money to attend. One of the things that makes the HPRA races worth the large distances travelled to get to them is the fact that there are at least 6 different races per day that I can particpate in. For the last event, my total mileage for the two days of racing was a little over 150km at race speeds. By the end of the 2nd day, there was nothing left in my legs. It was great. Add to that the bonus that there are small cash purses for each race, and so far, with the appropriate sacrifices to the racing gods, I've managed to decently subsidize the travel costs with winnings.
Do you guys also track course records for the various events and classes too?
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Paul Lowing
Visitor (regular)
Joined: 23 March 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1264
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Posted: 24 June 2009 at 1:08pm |
Don't start the cash prize discussion!  
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Adrian Setter
BHPC Member
Joined: 04 March 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 1606
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Posted: 24 June 2009 at 1:59pm |
Then again, if we had cash prizes, maybe that would supplement Mr Burrows' pension enough for him to retire properly, close his workshop and stop churning out the go-faster technology with which he can beat those of us who are merely middle-aged. 
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Challenge Hurricane - MicWic Delta (Front half) - Burrows Ratracer
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Paul Lowing
Visitor (regular)
Joined: 23 March 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1264
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Posted: 24 June 2009 at 2:10pm |
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He might retire properly and then spend ALL his time on churning out go-faster technology...
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JDub
BHPC Member
Joined: 01 November 2005
Location: Egham
Status: Offline
Points: 480
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Posted: 24 June 2009 at 5:24pm |
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In cycling terms, ours are not endurance events! The 4 hour race at the Worlds is closer to it. No prize money please! We have enough trouble working out who won what, without deciding who deserves what.
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jdub... Got the T-shirt
http://protobikes.org.uk/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/150386999@N02/
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legs_larry
BHPC Member
Joined: 09 March 2005
Location: London Town Devine
Status: Offline
Points: 1554
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Posted: 26 June 2009 at 11:42am |
Andrew S wrote:
- Until this year the software we use for results wasn't able to combine more than one race (eg a sprint and a criterium) per event. That is now possible and so this year several of the events have multiple 'rounds' as we call them.
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Objection, yeronner! See Darley Moor 2002, results calculated using SCIENCE I welded up myself, albeit based on characters created by the NVHPV some time in the last century..
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====================
a bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
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KevinJ
Committee
Joined: 04 March 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1079
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Posted: 26 June 2009 at 12:31pm |
Legs_Larry wrote:
Originally posted by Andrew S
- Until this year the software we use for results wasn't able to combine more than one race (eg a sprint and a criterium) per event. That is now possible and so this year several of the events have multiple 'rounds' as we call them.
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Objection, yeronner! See Darley Moor 2002, results calculated using SCIENCE I welded up myself, albeit based on characters created by the NVHPV some time in the last century.. |
Ok .... My software was useless enough to be able to merge multiple rounds... until this year. Is that more correct?  It is difficult makeing this softeare easy enough to use for general use, when in fact they are doing something which is quite complex.
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Kevin Jenkins
Windcheetah
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A question about BHPC race formats