[piper]

What a huge mess!  Surely we deserve better. After Barberton there were lots of stories about the timing system having so many mistakes. Word was that it would be sorted out by Sabie. Now the Sabie results are even worse. This is the national series and Sabie was the National Champs and the results are wrong! How can the national governing body accept this ridiculous situation. Amongst our small circle of fiends who rode, there is a woman who is down as a man, a child down as a master another missing altogether and my result puts me finishing 18 minutes before I actually did. My category position should be 9^th not 5^th. That is just from a small group of riders that I personally know. These people all rode in Barberton so their details are in the data base. This  error percentage is about 30%.

 

We have been running events for 20 years. How is it possible to take such a huge step backwards? Entry fees go up to pay for this fancy electronic timing system that doesn’t work. Bring Grev with his tried and proven manual system back at half the price. These guys are not performing. Get rid of them.

 

This new idea of starting in batches also has no place in a National race or series. How can you be beaten by a guy you didn’t ‘race’ against? Mtb racing is not a time trial, it is a race. By all means there should be seeding , but there should only be one start. There were D batch riders who started in A batch in Barberton and scored a free 15minutes before they started. Now how valid will those National series results be? And what on earth does a neutral zone achieve? You want the field to spread out, not to be artificially bunched up!! So what if the surface of the first 2kms is slightly smoother than the next 10kms. It’s a race and the same for every one. If it’s too smooth to race on then why isn’t the last 2kms on the tar also a neutral zone?

[Andyr249]

I did the Komorant short distance and don't even appear on the results page. And they got the timing wrong by quite a bit!

[Regard]

Why so sour?

 

If you are just a weekend warrior, why bother?? What does it change?

 

If you are such a pro racing for posision how could they miss you or mistake you for some one els?

 

And I bet that you would be the first person to moan if they didn't have bunch starts and you where the one stuck in line for 10 min. to go into the single track because your time will be 10 min slower than it should have been.

 

p.s. There was at no point 4 "d" bunch riders that started with us in the a group at Barberton, that I can promise you.

Regard2010-03-02 08:59:51

[Face Plant]

if you have an issue with the timing take it up with Spectrum i bet it will be sorted out! Spectrum is the best timing companies around, !!

[kingcompass]

I smell a troll!



2 reasons -

1) Shouting that this "new" bunch start setup has no place in a national series/seeding race when it's been done for years in MTB races as well as road races, and

2) Saying that you support seeding, but that everyone must still start together. So what's the point of being seeded ahead of someone if you're going to start together with him and 1000 of his buddies.



I rode with a large group of friends, and met a few people at the race that I either knew directly, or indirectly (through the aforementioned friends), and each and every single one of those people have a result and a time that is within a few seconds of what they thought they'd done. So while in your small bunch, you found so much at fault, I found no fault at all in my large bunch.



ps. the neutral zone is there to ensure the safety of you and I, the participants. I'll pose a similar question that Regard did - How loudly would you be shouting if there had been countless crashes in the first few kms because people were acting like maniacs trying to race each other when there was no space to do so.

[Justin]

@Regard, I agree. Someone always complains.



So far in most of the races I took part in Spectrum Sport were the time keepers. Not one complaint yet. Every time they are spot on.



Also, I prefer the bunch starts by far! No cluttering at the single track.

[GutterHugger]

All my Spectrum results 100% or within a few seconds compared to my own "super accurate" Cat-Eye, Polar or whatever I've been using... do I smell sour grapes here?

[markStockton]

@piper - Why don't you ask the bar tender for a large shot of chill the f#ck out, and put it on my tab.



Spectrum Sport are very reliable and on the odd occasion I've had a problem, they have fixed it timeously with little more input from my side other than an email.

[Eldron]

Never had a problem with Spectrum Sports in about 15 races I've done with them....

[mtbvip]

My 110km result is also incorrect, although only by one position on spectrum sport results. What is a bit of a bigger problem is the fact that my mtncycling result (seeding) has me down as doing the 70km race.

I have emailed spectrum sport and have been assured the results will be fixed.

 

For me personally results are important. I train hard and race hard, and get a large part of my enjoyment from being competitive. I understand and agree that results aren't important to everyone, but don't crucify the dude for pointing out errors in the results.

[piper]

Seeing as you are so perceptive about smelling rats, maybe you can explain how, with the same number board in Barberton and Sabie, a Vetran Woman in Barberton becomes a Man in Sabie and a Junior Male becomes a Master and how they have me crossing the finish line when I still had 10km to go?

[Regard]

Quote

My 110km result is also incorrect, although only by one position on spectrum sport results. What is a bit of a bigger problem is the fact that my mtncycling result (seeding) has me down as doing the 70km race.

I have emailed spectrum sport and have been assured the results will be fixed.

 

For me personally results are important. I train hard and race hard, and get a large part of my enjoyment from being competitive. I understand and agree that results aren't important to everyone, but don't crucify the dude for pointing out errors in the results.

 

Point is, you didn't come on to a public forum blowing allot of smoke, did you?

 

No, you contacted them and I promise you your correct result will be there in a day or two.

 

I also once had a problem with one of my results but after one email it was all rectified.

That is it, ...... don't just moan about it, do some thing about it!

[piper]

Hey Regard, If mine is an isolated case then you have a point. But if the problem is more widespread then this forum might just highlight the scale of the problem. Already you have admitted to a mistake previously. Well your result may have been fixed but obviously the system wasnt. It was just hushed up. Before the much delayed prize giving at Barberton they had to go to each of the top finishers in the 120 and ask them who was ahead of them and who they beat to draw up the top ten results for the prize giving. Crazy.

[Heliboy]

Hi,

 

 Having been on  both sides of the fence, rider/Organizer/commissarie/water bottle holder for a race snake, The most common cause of wrong sex/age is that riders do not check what they have on the online entry system before they press proceed.

 

The data that spectrum sport use comes from these online portals. i have seen many times and had to sort out sex/age changes in the results because the data is wrong. 

 

Next time you enter please check before you enter the button.

 

Just my 2 cents

[piper]

That may well explain the mistake. I am just suprised that your ID and details dont travel with your number board from the day you buy it?

[canzp]

My results for Sabie 40km was shown as DNF. I sent an email and it was sorted out within 24 hours.
canzp2010-03-02 11:28:09

[Heliboy]

Your data for the number board does remain the same.

 

The data for the race comes from the online portals  as the timming system used could be different from race to race.

 

The online companies, timming companies and others are protective over the data and do not use the same fields for ID age etc etc that is why at most races there is a large amount of manual work that has to take place

 

As someone said SS are one of the better companies and you cannot do Sabie +2000 entries by hand with the new 5 number boards. I have been on the finish lines and to take down 3 numbers on boards with that amount of riders is impossible

[beetle]

I have done many mtb races in the last four years. I have always received correct results posted at the race venue in a given time period. Having now completed Barberton and Sabie 2010, the whole experience has only lead to frustration. We only received our Barberton race results on the Monday after the Saturday Barberton race. On Saturday at Sabie I noticed many discrepancies with the results and contacted the timing individuals at the race. I was assured that the problems would be rectified that  afternoon. It is now Tuesday evening, the results have still not been rectified. All we ask is that the timing is done correctly. Some of us are interested in our times and placements within our categories. Perhaps I have developed a bad case of dyslexia that I am now unable to fill out online entries correctly, old age perhaps, never happened with any other series. On a positive note the Sabie was a thoroughly enjoyable race, well done to the organisers.

[piper]

In the club newsletter, Brett Coates, the event organiser wrote today...  Quote  "As some of you may be aware the results are a bit of a mess... "