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Timing modes

Pick the right mode and understand how timing is interpreted.

Timing modes

Timing mode defines how your event is scored and what riders should expect.

At a glance

  • Time Trial: solo effort over the full route.
  • Group Ride: wave/group starts with full-route timing.
  • Timed Sectors: only configured sectors are competitive.
  • Handicap: staggered starts where finish order decides outcome.

Time Trial

Best for

  • solo efforts
  • riders chasing fastest elapsed time over the full route

How it works

  • timing is based on route start and finish gates
  • start slots are used to space riders

Operational note

  • crossing behavior is designed to discourage timing manipulation

Illustrative timing example

  • Rider has allocated slot at 07:00:00.
  • If rider crosses start at 06:59:50 (just early), official start is 06:59:50.
  • If rider crosses finish at 08:00:00, elapsed is 1:00:10.
  • If rider crosses start at 07:00:20 (just late), official start stays 07:00:00.
  • If rider crosses finish at 08:00:00, elapsed is 1:00:00.

In plain English: starting early does not create an unfair advantage, and starting late does not remove lost time.

Group Ride

Best for

  • club/group participation
  • reliability-style events with shared structure

How it works

  • riders are assigned to waves/groups
  • timing is based on wave start context and route finish crossing

What to tell riders

  • stay with your assigned group setup
  • finish by crossing the route finish gate cleanly

Illustrative timing example

  • Wave A start = 07:00, Wave B start = 07:10.
  • Rider A is assigned to Wave A.
  • Rider B is assigned to Wave B.

Scenario:

  • Rider A starts around 07:00 and finishes at 08:20.
  • Rider B jumps early and crosses start at 07:08 (before Wave B start).

Group Ride timing applies wave rules:

  • Rider A official start = 07:00.
  • Rider B official start is treated as previous wave start (07:00) when they jump early.

This prevents gain from starting early into another wave. If Rider B starts late (for example 07:12), official start still remains 07:10.

Timed Sectors

Best for

  • training days where only specific efforts are competitive
  • social rides with controlled competition

How it works

  • only configured sectors count toward results
  • each sector has its own start/finish gate logic
  • between sectors is neutral riding and riders MUST regroup before the next timed effort

Host guidance

  • keep sectors meaningful (not too many)
  • brief riders to regroup safely between sectors
  • make regrouping a clear event rule before rollout

Illustrative timing example

  • A timed sector starts at 20.0 km and finishes at 24.0 km.
  • Riders roll to the sector start together.
  • Rider A crosses sector finish at 07:30:00.
  • Rider B crosses sector finish at 07:30:18.

Result for that sector:

  • Rider A leads.
  • Rider B is +00:18 on that sector.

For Timed Sectors mode, the event is designed around sector outcomes; neutral sections between sectors are not scored race efforts.

Fairness rule (important): riders must regroup after each sector. If riders continue attacking between sectors, the format is no longer fair Timed Sectors racing.

Bonifications (Timed Sectors only)

In Timed Sectors, you can award:

  • points (for rankings/classifications), and
  • bonifications (time bonuses in seconds).

Bonifications are applied per sector by finishing position. Higher-placed riders on harder sectors receive bigger time bonuses.

In plain English: if two riders have similar raw times, bonifications can still change final standings.

Segment difficulty and bonifications

Segment difficulty is shown in stars in the app:

  • ★★★★★ = hardest segment
  • ★☆☆☆☆ = easiest segment

How the star rating is calculated

The app classifies each segment using:

  • distance in kilometers, and
  • altitude gain in meters.

It uses an OR rule (distance or altitude can trigger a harder class), checking from hardest to easiest:

  • ★★★★★ if altitude gain is >= 700 m OR distance is >= 80 km
  • ★★★★☆ if altitude gain is >= 400 m OR distance is >= 50 km
  • ★★★☆☆ if altitude gain is >= 250 m OR distance is >= 20 km
  • ★★☆☆☆ if altitude gain is >= 100 m OR distance is >= 10 km
  • ★☆☆☆☆ otherwise

In plain English: a very long segment or a segment with high altitude gain can both be rated as hard.

Below is the current bonus/points setup by star level.

★★★★★ (hardest)

  • 1st: 20 points, 10s bonus
  • 2nd: 15 points, 7s bonus
  • 3rd: 10 points, 5s bonus
  • 4th: 8 points, 3s bonus
  • 5th: 6 points, 2s bonus
  • 6th: 3 points, 1s bonus
  • 7th: 2 points, 0s bonus
  • 8th: 1 point, 0s bonus

★★★★☆

  • 1st: 15 points, 7s bonus
  • 2nd: 10 points, 4s bonus
  • 3rd: 6 points, 2s bonus
  • 4th: 4 points, 1s bonus
  • 5th: 2 points, 0s bonus
  • 6th: 1 point, 0s bonus

★★★☆☆

  • 1st: 10 points, 5s bonus
  • 2nd: 6 points, 3s bonus
  • 3rd: 4 points, 2s bonus
  • 4th: 3 points, 1s bonus
  • 5th: 2 points, 0s bonus
  • 6th: 1 point, 0s bonus

★★☆☆☆

  • 1st: 6 points, 3s bonus
  • 2nd: 3 points, 2s bonus
  • 3rd: 2 points, 1s bonus
  • 4th: 1 point, 0s bonus

★☆☆☆☆ (easiest)

  • 1st: 3 points, 1s bonus
  • 2nd: 2 points, 0s bonus
  • 3rd: 1 point, 0s bonus

If points/bonifications are not enabled for a sector, that sector gives no points or bonus seconds.

Handicap

Best for

  • mixed-ability riders
  • events where staggered starts aim to compress finish outcomes

How it works

  • riders/groups start at staggered times
  • results are derived from finish behavior relative to handicap logic

Host guidance

  • communicate start order clearly
  • use simple, predictable instructions for first-time participants

Illustrative timing example

  • Wave A starts 07:00 (slower group), Wave B starts 07:10, Scratch wave starts 07:20.
  • Rider A (Wave A) finishes at 08:05.
  • Rider B (Scratch wave) finishes at 08:00.

Handicap interpretation:

  • Ranking is based on finish order/gaps.
  • Rider B is first across the finish line.
  • Rider A is shown at +00:05 relative to first finisher.

So in handicap mode, the key race outcome is who finishes first and by what finish gap, not sector scoring.

GPS gate tips (all modes)

  1. Do not hover around start gates before your intended start.
  2. Cross start and finish gates cleanly and keep riding briefly past the gate.
  3. If a rider thinks timing was missed, check upload/link and gate crossing logs before changing settings.

Mode selection rule of thumb

If this is your first event, choose:

  • Group Ride if you want simple operations
  • Timed Sectors if you want controlled competition

Then iterate once riders understand the flow.