Time Trial League
Our time trial (TT) league is intended to encourage participation across the whole of the time trial season for any of our members, and is not to be taken too seriously (although trophies are awarded for the top three males and females). Only first claim NC&TC members are eligible to score league points, but anyone over 12 years of age can enter and take part in the NC&TC time trial league events.
We run three separate classes. An "open" class, a road bike or "Merckx" class, and one for newcomers.
Open Class
The Open Class is our traditional time trial league, with points awarded based on finishing position, and a rider’s best 10 results counting towards the final league position.
Road Bike Class
The Road Bike Class is open to any rider on a standard road bike in line with Cycling Time Trials (CTT) classification. This means that no disc wheels, tri bars, clip-on bars or Spinacci bars are allowed. Both the front & rear wheels must have at least 12 spokes each, and the maximum rim depth allowed is 90mm. However, skinsuits and TT helmets (and other aero clothing items) are allowed.
Riders must not ride in the "Puppy Paws" Position or simulate a TriBar position by resting the forearms on the handlebars.
Points are awarded based on finishing position relative to other riders in the class, and a rider’s 10 best results count towards the final league position.
Newcomer Class
The Newcomer class is open to any rider who has not previously competed in the club TT league*. To encourage participation this is open to any type of bike, except a dedicated TT or tri bike. Points are awarded based on finishing position relative to other newcomers, with a rider’s best 5 results counting towards final position.
Please put (R) and/or (N) after your name when signing on to indicate if you are opting to ride in the road bike or newcomer class.
Note that a rider competing in the Open Class, will not be eligible for the Road Bike competition.
* Anyone who has completed 5 or more events in a season is not classed as a newcomer.
Scores
Points are awarded based on finishing positions; 50pts for 1st place, 47pts for 2nd, 44 for 3rd, 42 for 4th, 41 for 5th and so on, decreasing by 1pt per position down to 6pts for 40th place. This scoring is similar to how UCI ranking points are awarded for official races, i.e. the points available are the same for a category of race regardless of the calibre, or the number of actual racers.
The average rider will, therefore, get more points from a small field rather than a large field, (10th/20 is 36 pts, 20th/40 is 26pts), but smaller turnouts are generally not as much fun!
The best 10 results count towards the final position
Points are awarded for all results and our TT table lists a total score, however, our final league positions are based on the best 10 results. This allows each rider to miss a few TTs, not finish, or have an off day (we all have one of those!), thereby not affecting your overall final position if all had been counted.
Timekeepers, Marshals and other helpers
For our TT series to run, we need people to help with setting up the course, marshalling and timekeeping; we are, therefore, keen to encourage regular entrants to volunteer at least once per season.
With the exception of new competitors, who are given a one year grace period, riders will not be eligible for the Open or Road Bike leagues unless they have volunteered for at least one event. When volunteering for an event, helpers will receive points for that event equivalent to their average score for the year (for regular volunteers, this is limited to three events). Please refer to the Time Trial Fixtures and Helpsheet page for details on how to volunteer.
Ranking when there are a mix of one and two lap results
The two-lap course is considered the full distance and all two-lap results will be ordered ahead of one-lap results.
Handicapped Time Trial
For our TT league, results are scored in the same way as usual, with the fastest actual time coming first. Please note that the handicapped times and positions are a separate competition for NC&TC members.
2-up results
2-up racing is where two people race together. We include both 2-ups and solo riders in the times and score as usual. Both members of the 2-up receive the same position and score, but earn two positions. For example, Bill and Bess are a 2-up and are the fastest; Ben is solo and has the next fastest time; Betty and Brian (2-up) are third fastest; Beryl is solo and comes in next. The final positions in this scenario would be: Bill and Bess are both 1st, Ben is 3rd, Betty and Brian are both 4th, whilst Beryl is 6th.
Does everyone score?
Full results are listed for all our participants, but league points are only calculated for first claim NC&TC club members, whereby points are based on positions disregarding non-members.
Are males and females scored together?
Males and females are scored together, but separate male and female league ranking tables are created at the end of the season.
DSQ, DNS, DNF?
Disqualified (DSQ), did not start (DNS) and did not finish (DNF) all score 0. A zero is entered as a mark of participation. By utilising the best 10 format, this allows participants to have the occasional mechanical.