Rule Book
Wiggle Mountain Mayhem 2013
Event Timetable
Friday 14th June
9am Campsite opens
4pm – 8pm Course open for inspection
12 noon – 8.30pm Signing-on open
Friday evening Time to relax before the big day and meet up with old pals and rivals. Catering will be open till late
Saturday 15th June
7am – 11am Signing-on open
8am – 10.30am Course open for inspection
11am Rider briefing
11.45 am Riders to be in place for Le Mans start.
Team helpers should be in position, with the first rider’s bike
12 noon The 2013 Wiggle Mountain Mayhem starts!
9.40pm Sun sets
10.00pm – 7am Quiet time on the campsite
Sunday 16thJune
4.45am Sun rises again – we’re over halfway now
12 noon Race finishes. All riders out on course must complete the lap they are on
2pm (approx.)Prize Presentation for all categories
Monday 17th June
9.30am Campsite to be clear please. Take the day off, you deserve it…
After 10 years at the same location we thought a change was due. This year the opportunity arose to bring the event to the prestigious Gatcombe Park , a location completely new to mountain biking. Our course designers have been working with the owners to maximise use of the natural features of the location and we hope you enjoy the special experience of riding here.
General Guidelines & Racing Tips
Racing
It is a race, but not as you’ve ever seen before. A good performance will come from good preparation, camaraderie and teamwork rather than all-out, high speed thrashing. Make sure you and your team have the same objectives for the race – are you going out to win? Are you just trying to finish? Are you just doing it for a laugh? You’ll find that if one person is keen on doing well and the others are just out to finish, then friction will occur.
Food
We suggest you bring plenty of your own choice of easily prepared foods/snacks and drinks. However, there will be a good selection available throughout the entire duration of the event.
Beer
There’s no bar on site.
Race Order
This is always the scene of much strategic planning from old hands, going into who races when from each team, with some drawing up of charts and times. Be prepared to improvise, as lap times will vary and there’s always the chance for a puncture or mechanical to mess things up.
Bike
Once out of the start/finish straight, you have to finish under your own steam, so having a bike fall apart a mile from the start will mean a long old walk round the course for you. Check your bike well before the race, don’t try any new equipment and pack plenty of tubes, a pump and tools. Bring a selection of tyres; from mud tyres to semi-slicks.
Technical Support
We have the assistance of race technicians from a number of big manufacturers. They’re not just there for the big teams, so if you’ve got a problem that needs fixing, give them a visit. (Race veterans will know that a small token of thanks – cakes, chocolate, coffee, beer… goes a long way.)
Clothes
Bring all your cycling clothes. Anyone who rode last year will tell you a fresh set of kit for each lap is ideal. Bring plenty of warm clothes too and even waterproofs just in case.
Bike
Once out of the start/finish straight, you have to finish under your own steam, so having a bike fall apart a mile from the start will mean a long old walk round the course for you. Check your bike well before the race, don’t try any new equipment and pack plenty of tubes, a pump and tools. Bring a selection of tyres; from mud tyres to semi-slicks.
Technical Support
We have the assistance of race technicians from a number of big manufacturers. They’re not just there for the big teams, so if you’ve got a problem that needs fixing, give them a visit. (Race veterans will know that a small token of thanks – cakes, chocolate, coffee, beer… goes a long way.)
Wiggle Mountain Mayhem Rules
1a. Teams: Teams are made up of four riders in the Open and Sport categories for male and female riders. The Open categories can include riders of all abilities including Expert riders. The Mixed category for five riders must contain at least one man and one woman and is for Sport class ability riders. 10 x 10 teams can be mixed in whatever ratio you like. Once racing begins, there can be no change to this line up. The order of racers can change, but team members cannot be substituted.
1b. Solo riders – You can leave the course to take a break/feed stop/pick up spares etc. at the start/finish arch or the solo tent. If you expect to be off course for more just a short while please tell the timing staff. Any time off course will be added to the time of your next lap once you set off again.
2. Swapping Spares: Once on course, normal mountain bike racing rules apply. This means no outside technical assistance and riders must be self-sufficient. Support from other racers is allowed, provided that the racer is ‘on course’ at the time. This includes swapping spares, tools and even bike parts. Food and drink can be given to riders by anyone at any time. Before racers get on course, they can swap bikes/bits whatever, as long as the correct number board is kept with the right rider.
2a. Bike Specification: Due to the rise in popularity of ‘29in’ wheeled mountain bikes, and also to the efforts of the unicyclists, we are relaxing the rule about bikes having to have 26in wheels. But it is still a mountain bike event and we ask that you enter in the spirit of the race and compete on a proper mountain bike. So no cyclo-cross bikes, OK?
3. Race in One Direction: Once on course and out of the start/finish area, racers must follow the course in the racing direction, so a mechanical problem 100 yards from the start must be fixed on course. In the case of a major mechanical, the rider must still complete his or her lap, so a well maintained bike and a comprehensive toolkit are vital. If you’re not racing, then you can’t ride on the course while the race is on.
4. Cheating: Substituting unregistered riders, racing outside your normal category, cutting through the tapes, having outside assistance, short-cuts and any other cheating will result in instant disqualification for the whole team – so don’t even think about it. Riders must race within the course tape. Where it has not been possible or practical to erect course tape then they must stick to the obvious trail.
5. The Baton: The baton (in whatever shape it comes) must be carried by the ‘on course’ rider at all times. Losing the baton will incur a time penalty, with the incoming rider forced to wait five minutes before being given a new baton to hand over.
5a. Timing System: FR Systems are once again doing our timing. The system revolves around transponder chips that everyone has to wear. Pick them up at sign on, and please return them to the registration tent after the race. As you pass through the timing tent, there is something that works like an airport metal detector. By simply riding through, the system will detect your racing chip and credit you with that lap and time. The clock then starts on the next lap, whoever might be doing it. If you are doing another lap, just carry on. If another rider is doing the next lap, hand the baton over to them. Their lap time will stop when they pass through the timing tent.
6. Minimum Laps: Each team member must complete a minimum of two laps during the course of the event. 10 x 10 team riders must complete one lap each. There is no maximum number of laps. If each team member does not race the minimum, then the team’s score will not count. If you have a rider who is uncomfortable racing at night, then they needn’t race in the dark as long as someone else from the team does and as long as everyone on the team does their two laps. There must be a racer from your team on course at all times.
7. Lights: Being a 24 hour race, it’s going to get dark and all racers who are on course between sunset and sunrise must have two working lights. The main light must be at least 10 Watts and have enough power to last the lap. A backup light is needed for on-trail repairs or in case the main light fails. This can be a head torch or a second light (though it needs to run on separate batteries to the main light). Unless your battery or lights fail catastrophically you must race with at least one light on. Please check up on your lights before the event and make sure they’re fully charged. There will be a charging station staffed by the nice people from Nite Rider on site, but remember that many batteries take a day to charge fully from flat.
8. Quiet Time/Noise at Night: After 10.00pm, please keep the noise down in the campsite. Believe it or not, some riders will be trying to get some sleep. And if you’re going to be staying up late on the Friday before the race, please do so quietly and as far from anyone else as you can.
9. Registration: All riders must sign on with registration before 11am on the day of the race. You will get your number, timing chip and baton at this time. Any last minute team member changes must be done before 10am on Saturday. ID may be required to verify team members. All riders must be 18 years of age or over. If you are allergic to medication or are on medication while taking part in the event details must be written on the reverse of your race number.
10. Camping: Camping is free for competitors and supporters on site. There will be flush loos and showers on site. The campsite will be open from 9 a.m. Friday onwards and competitors are invited to rest up and stay over on Sunday after the race, but must be off site by 9.30am Monday. Note that the course will not be fully marked until Friday and that First Aid cover is not available until Friday. Barbecues are welcome, but there’s no digging of fire pits or open fires please. Equally, be careful with glass and bottles. Strictly NO fireworks on site. We’d like to thank you in advance for keeping the park tidy and encourage you to take your rubbish home or use the rubbish collection area and bins on site. This year we are again operating a recycling collection. Please see the instructions on the bins and use accordingly. Leaving the campsite clean will enhance the image of mountain bike endurance racing and give you a tingly glow inside.
10a. Camping and Cars: The event site SPEED LIMIT is 3 mph (walking pace). Remember lots of pedestrians and fast bikes don’t mix. No ‘monkey bikes’ or mini motorbikes are allowed on site.
11. Security: Be aware that at Mountain Mayhem there will be a large number of non-cyclists spectating and wandering around. The sight of an unattended bike might be too much temptation for some. Therefore – do not leave your bike unlocked or unattended at any time. There will be security guards patrolling the grounds at all hours of the event. It’s for your own (and your bike’s) safety, so please co-operate if you are asked questions regarding your bike. Despite security precautions occasional thefts from the campsite do occur. Keep an eye on your campsite, don’t leave valuables lying around. All common sense really.
11a. Problems during the Race: If you encounter any problems while actually racing e.g. people messing with course markings, or lurking around, simply tell the next course marshal and they’ll send a race official or security to investigate. If you have an accident involving a member of the public, you MUST tell a marshal. And you must stop racing and wait until the Course Doctor has had a chance to check out both parties for injury. If you see a rider in trouble, please stop to see if they’re OK – after all, it might be you in trouble next time.
12. Start: Race Start is Midday Before the start, the starting rider (the one doing the run and riding the first lap) must have the baton with them and be wearing their helmet in readiness to ride. The start will be similar to a Le Mans start, once the starting horn goes off racers will run a short loop and then back into the start straight to mount their bike and set off . Details will be explained at riders briefing on Sat morning- please attend. Subsequent laps the changeover will be as below.
3. Handover: While rider A is out on course, rider B needs to go to the changeover area place his bike in the bike corral and wait for his team mate to arrive. When rider A finishes his lap he will hand the relay baton to rider B so he can set off for his lap(s). If the rider on course is riding another lap himself he simply continues. The finer details will be explained at the rider briefing at 11am
14. Retiring: If a rider drops out of your team please tell the start/finish marshals so they can be struck off the register. Remember that your team can’t get a result unless everyone has raced a minimum of two laps. This excludes serious injury.
15.Finishing: Mountain Mayhem officially finishes at 12 noon on Sunday. Riders out on course at that time will have to finish their lap before the team’s lap total can be counted. The winning team will be the one that completes the most laps in the shortest time. Results will be as number of laps plus time taken to finish after noon. If a racer comes in before 12noon then the next rider must leave for another lap. If you’ve had enough by then you must wait for the final 12noon horn/bell before finishing. Lurking before the finish is allowed provided you don’t get in the way. Again, this will be explained before the start of the race.
16. Medical and Massage: There will be a doctor, equipped to deal with most medical emergencies on hand for the whole event. In addition there will be a team of First Aid staff stationed in the main arena. All marshals will be able to summon help for you. There will be a number of sports masseurs available free for all competitors. (A donation would be appreciated by them though.) No massages will be given unless you have clean legs and bring your own towel.
17. Day Off: We recommend that you take Monday off, sleep in, rest up and eat lots of nice food. Don’t travel too far on Sunday night if you can help it or get a fresh driver to take you home.
18. We hope that you’ll leave the event with a good feeling inside that you/your team were part of Wiggle Mountain Mayhem 2013 experience. Please tell others about it, they might want to try it too.
Prizes will be awarded to all main categories.
There will also be a podium call for:
a) The first team home whose combined age exceeds 160 years for four man team or 200 years for a team of five.
b) The first team with all riders being serving military or emergency service personnel.
c) The first team with all riders using singlespeed bikes.
d) The Nick Wallis Memorial Trophy will be awarded to the first soloist riding a singlespeed bike.
The 2013 Wiggle Mountain Mayhem would not be possible without the efforts of a great many people. Our thanks to – everyone at Wiggle, the owners of Gatcombe Park , all our supporting sponsors, the marshals, the masseurs, the First Aid team and many others whose dedication to our fantastic sport has made the event possible.
Thank you all.
Terms and Conditions
for Wiggle Mountain Mayhem 2013
On entering the Wiggle Mountain Mayhem 24hr event:
a) All participants must be aged 18yrs or over on the event date and must wear a safety approved cycling helmet.
b) Participants agree to take part on the understanding that it is a strenuous 24hr race that involves riding at night and when tired. They must understand the risks and be confident that their skills and their bikes are up to such a test of endurance.
c) They shall also agree to compete in a cheerful and sportsmanlike manner.
d) Participants agree not to hold Wiggle, Pacific Edge Events Ltd., it’s employees or organisers, or those of Gatcombe Park and it’s associates liable for mishap or injury caused during the duration of the Wiggle Mountain Mayhem.
e) Pacific Edge Events Ltd will collect participants’ personal data to process their entry application and would like to contact you by e mail, telephone and/or post. Pacific Edge Events Ltd may also on occasionally pass your information to carefully selected organisations or brands promoting and researching their products. Please indicate on your ticket application or entry form if you prefer not to be contacted.
f) By entering the event location you agree to be filmed/photographed and to the use of your image in any footage used by Pacific Edge Events Ltd or Wiggle.co.uk for their own publicity in any media worldwide.
g) Refund policy – any refund of Mountain Mayhem entry fee made before May 31st will be subject to an administration fee of £10.No refunds will be made after May 31st.