12:12 Event Instructions

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Directions

The event is to be held at Minley Warren Fields, Minley Manor, Minley Road, Blackwater, Hants GU17 9UF. The venue is on the A327 less than 1 km from the M3, junction 4A, from where it will be signed. The venue will also be signed from the A30 at Yateley. The venue entrance will be clearly marked and has a post box handily placed for recognition! The venue is not at Minley Manor barracks, Gibraltar barracks or Hawley, so please don’t try to get into them or you may end up on basic training all weekend!! Please respect our neighbours if you enter or leave the site (especially at night) and keep to the speed limit.

Camping and Parking

All camping is free to competitors and supporters, and is available from 2pm on Saturday right through to 2pm on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon. There is plenty of trackside camping in both fields with an area set aside for Soloists, but please take care when driving through the fields and remember that this is a military training area, so don’t pick up anything that looks like it may go bang! For safety reasons we need to minimise post event traffic in the camping fields, so if you are not camping, you will be directed to park in the parking field, which is close to the Arena and has areas to park trackside. There will be NO camping in this field. If you want to bring dogs onto the site, please keep them on a lead at all times and clear up any fouling.

There will be drinking water, toilets and showers on site. Please do not clean bikes at the water points but you can bring your Dirtworker if you wish. QUIET TIME on site on Saturday will be from 11.30 pm to 7.30 am and on Sunday from 2 am until 8.30 am, so no generators, loud music or shouting during these times please. For safety EMERGENCY ROUTES must be kept clear at all times, barbeques should be off the ground and open fires are not allowed. Finally, please collect your rubbish and take it home with you or place it in the skips in the Arena.

Registration

Registration opens from 4pm to 7pm on Saturday and from 8am to 10.30am on Sunday for riders’ signatures and the collection of numbers and rider packs. Team and Pair changes (which must be signed for) and confirmations can be made at this time. Teams and Pairs must confirm ALL their riders by 10.30am on the Sunday - no changes will be allowed after that time. Teams and Pairs will be given a BATON, which must be carried by the rider who is on the course, and can only be handed on to the next rider in the Transition Area.

Pre-riding the course

We highly recommended that all competitors pre-ride the course either on the Saturday from 2pm - note that there will not be marshals or paramedics on the course, or pre-ride on Sunday between 8am and 10.30am.

Rider Briefing

At 11am on Sunday there will be a briefing at the Marquee, all competitors must attend.

Event Rules

Team and Pairs riders go out, in relay, in any order and can either change-over after each lap or continue. Team and Pairs riders may only change over in the TRANSITION AREA just after the Lap Finish Point and not anywhere else on the Course or in the Arena. Solo riders can only leave the course at the SOLO Pit Area at the end of the Start straight and must rejoin the course at the SOLO Pit Area. Once you have started a lap, you must complete it without short cutting the route at any point. If you suffer a mechanical problem you must complete the lap, on foot if necessary. Other riders are allowed to support a rider who has suffered a mechanical problem by offering support, parts and equipment but the rider must be self sufficient in carrying out repairs. Please check your bike is in good order before you start and carry spares and tools with you during your lap.

Unsporting behaviour, foul & abusive language, course cutting and cheating will not be tolerated and will result in the exclusion of the Solo rider, Pair or Team. Lights must be fitted to all bikes starting a lap after 7pm and must be switched on by 8pm. Please ensure that you have a back up light, as riders not showing adequate light will be instructed to walk.

Start and Finish

The Start will be a mass start with riders on their bikes and the Start Point will be clearly marked. TEAMS AND PAIRS - PLEASE REMEMBER YOUR BATON!! All riders must pass between the Start Boards. The Start time will be 12 noon on Sunday, and the event finishes at 12 midnight. All riders MUST complete the lap they have started up to the Finish Time, so if you pass through the Finish Line before midnight you must complete another lap. All finishers after midnight must dismount and walk through the Finish Line. Winners will be decided by (1) the most laps and (2) by the quickest time. Lurking will be allowed, but riders must respect those who are still racing and keep the course clear.

The course

The course is of mixed terrain, approx 8 miles in length and yes, it really is a figure of 8!

Changeovers at the Transition – Pairs and Teams

The Transition Area for Pairs and Teams will be alongside the course, just after the lap Finish Point. If you are waiting you should enter the TRANSITION AREA place your bike on the rack, then wait at the fence for your rider to hand over the BATON. If you are on course and changing over you must ride on the left hand side of the course after the lap Finish Point and enter the Transition Area, where you must DISMOUNT. You must then pass your BATON over the fence to the next rider, who should collect their bike from the rack, walk to the Transition Area course exit and join the course. You do not have to dismount through the Lap Finish Point except on a finishing lap.

Solo Riders

Soloists may setup their pit in the designated trackside area after the Start straight. Space may be limited so if you have both a gazebo and a camping tent please just put the gazebo trackside, with the tent behind. To access the pits when racing please use the peel off lane and only stop there – DO NOT stop on the main race route. To re-enter the course, please check behind you first for approaching riders.

Your race number pack contains a light stick and zip tie. Please mount the light stick on your seat tube or chain stay by zip tying it at one end on. When you mount your lights at approx 7pm, crack the light stick by pulling on one end up to activate it. Other riders will then be able to identify you as a mad soloist and will hopefully shout encouragement or give you a wide berth!

And Finally…

Riding for 12 hours is not to be taken lightly! Remember to ride at a pace that initially may seem too easy, but holding back early on will pay dividends later when your competitors, who started too fast, are tiring! Ensure that you get into a regime of drinking adequately on every lap – at least one bottle of energy drink - and eat regularly too – little and often is best. There will be some sections of road/fireroad on the course that are long enough to give you plenty of time for refuelling.

Prizegiving

Prize giving will take place just as soon as we get the results sorted, which should be around 1am. There will be trophies and prizes for the 1st, 2nd & 3rd in each category plus plenty of race number spot prizes on a ‘killer prize draw’ basis, i.e. you must be there to win, if you aren’t, then the prizes will be redrawn.