Hints To Organisers

The following hints are not intended to take the place of or to supersede BC Technical Regulations or the Cycle Racing on Highways Act Regulations, both of which, promoters must make themselves acquainted.

The Year before Your Race

Submit the basic details of your event for consideration to your Region Competition Administrator prior to the Autumn date fixing meeting viz.: distance, categories, course, size of field, entry fee, date required, stating if the date is a fixture e.g. carnival, fete etc., approximate time of start, whether entries will be taken on the day, together with your name, address and club. Remember to include the amount of the  levy and the insurance levy to your entry fee. These details should also be in the possession of your club delegates at the date fixing meeting. At this stage payment of the permit fee and insurance premium is required (see Technical Regulations). This will ensure the listing of your event in the BC Handbooks and therefore it is important that special details, such as a non-standard closing date, are included in the application. Remember, at the date fixing meeting to make it known if you are proposing to run your event, or part of it, on roads administered by another Region. If you are organising a race(s) on behalf of a league, you may find that many of the tasks will have been completed by the League administration. Please check if you have not received clear instructions from the league officials.

 Once the Event Insurance fee is paid, your event is automatically covered against third party risks. If your race is on the major event list you should book photo-finish equipment immediately BC headquarters has confirmed your date and also ensure that you have a sufficient supply of shoulder or frame numbers. Include the costs of photofinish in your budget.  Frame numbers can be borrowed from BC HQ on request, and comes with photofinish services when booked. There is no insurance in place unless the premium is paid at the date fixing meeting.

Four Months Before

If you are not using a standard course, go over the course, preferably on a bicycle. Select your start and finish points with regard to the regulations and the reasonable rights of other road users; ride back on difficult corners, finish area etc. to see how opposing traffic will meet the riders. Note any horse riding activity in the area, and the location of any nearby riding schools or livery stables (a list can be obtained from the British Horse Society), so that they can be notified by post or handbills. The British Horse Society have advised us such action may still not reach many individual horse riders who are not part of a riding school or livery stables. Find and book suitable changing rooms and event headquarters. Remember that with a four months lead time sections of the course may be torn up by Utility Companies, so try to ascertain their, or the County or Borough Authorities intentions in this direction.

If a Generic Risk Assessment has not been done previously, then this is the time to have the course risk assessed by an accredited person. Check with your Region Competition Administrator to see if this has been done.

 An ideal person to be your Safety Officer on the day is what was your Chief Marshal or similar official, who should complete the Specific Risk Assessment on the day. If you are using a standard course, your Region should be able to supply you with all the course details, the Risk Assessment documentation and phone numbers for race headquarters and changing accommodation, and horse riding establishments.

Three Months Before

The event permit application proper will be sent to you by the Region Competition Administrator. Read the application form through and fill it in carefully in duplicate. If the course has not been used before then a sketch map is essential. Send the completed forms and maps to the Region Competition Administrator, at least ten weeks before the event. He will then contact the necessary police and civil authorities and if all is well, issue you with the race permit. Do not deal with the police or  Safety Advisory Group yourself , always channel requests and information through the Region. This is for your own benefit as most dealings at this stage are with county forces that prefer to have contact with one responsible Region official. If there are objections or proposed amendments to the race details you will be informed and the police may contact you direct to clarify matters. You will now see why it is vital for you to make your application in plenty of time, preferably earlier than the ten-week period in order to give more time for negotiation before the event. At this stage contact all your possible sources of assistance and prepare a provisional list of assistant commissaires, judges, marshals, drivers, suitably qualified first aider etc. The Chief Commissaire and in some cases one or two other senior officials will be appointed by the Region or BC HQ.

Two Months Before

If you intend sending out entry forms, circulate them now. The BC Road and Circuit race entry form is available from BC HQ, or can be downloaded from the BC website. The form should contain all relevant details of the event. Prepare posters and contact a suitable printer. Remember that all printed matter relating to the event must bear the words 'Under the Technical Regulations of British Cycling’. Contact places of accommodation which may be required by riders. Confirm appointment of all your officials and helpers and arrange for qualified first aid cover in accord with the Technical Regulations.

Careful consideration should be given to the first aid cover provided in that where possible at least one of the first aiders should follow the event in a separate vehicle. You should be conscious that there may be restrictions laid down by the Region or local constabulary as to the number of vehicles permitted within your race convoy and that it may not be suitable for some vehicles to be pulled away from that convoy in order for medical treatment to be carried out. Advice from the Region Competition Administrator or your race Chief Commissaire should be sought.

Seven Weeks Before

Prepare your programme layout, leaving the list of riders blank. Give information and advertisements to your printer, as they become available. Your programme should include category, date, time and place of event of event together with your name and address and approximate time of finish, names officials, details of course, location of event headquarters and changing accommodation, a reminder that 'unofficial following cars' are not permitted and that litter is not wanted. It should also carry the reminder – NO HARD SHELL HELMET – NO RIDE.

Six Weeks Before

Check over your race equipment. There are some changes taking place with race equipment to meet the Event Safety code (ESC). If you are buying new equipment, it is best that it conforms. Check with the equipment suppliers, or BC Events Service team, for the latest specifications. Your Region may have a pool of this ESC equipment.

All clubs should endeavour to have a pool of equipment including rider numbers, race flags, marshals flags, direction arrows or boards, 'CAUTION CYCLE RACE IN PROGRESS' signs for around course - especially for traffic meeting the course, car identification boards or labels, marshals fluorescent tabards, lap boards, bell, safety pins, finish line tape, chalk etc. Warning headboards for two lead cars are required and it is advised that the rear of these boards carry the legend 'CAUTION-CYCLE RACE FOLLOWING' in large lettering. Amber flashing lights are a useful addition to lead car equipment where your local police will tolerate them. However, they should not be used if the Police object. In addition to the vehicle signs required by the Technical Regulations it is advisable that the last vehicle in your convoy display a sign to the rear clearly marked 'CAUTION-CYCLE RACE AHEAD'. P.A. equipment (where permitted) to inform and control spectators at the finish is advisable and should be arranged now.

Use CB radio to provide race information and you should check now how many units are available to you, most race service crews use them, as do a great number of regular commissaires and officials but you are sure to need extra units for such as lead cars, first aid, judges etc. Some vehicles will also need independent mobile P.A. facilities. Check your transport requirements; remember that you need two lead cars and that you should provide vehicles for your commissaires complete with P.A. and C.B. sets.  Both P.A and C.B. should be used operated by someone other than the driver of the car, as should mobile phones. Check with the persons concerned as to their needs.

The horse riders mentioned earlier and other locals may find out about your race by displaying any flyers or posters you produce in local shops, Post Office, pub or cafe. The “behind the counter” gossip will also help you with race publicity and awareness.

Three Weeks Before (or at whatever closing date you may have decided upon)

The closing date. Never accept a late entry if it upsets your routine of organisation. Never accept an entry without the fee. Collate your list of riders and send to the printers. Return all surplus entries immediately.

Eleven Days Before

Send to the Region Competition Administrator two programmes plus whatever is required for each SAG or Police area through which the event will pass. Send programmes to any horse riding establishment in the vicinity of your course, to your Press contacts and your advertisers, to all your officials and helpers together with any instructions as to their duties or special circumstances of your event, and that they should sign on when they arrive. In a situation with a league or series, where no programme is prepared, you should send some notification of the race to the local police, your race officials and horse riding establishments. If you have booked photofinish from BC Technical Services, send a programme and finish area details to the nominated operator, together with any accommodation details if necessary. With the approval of your Region Competition Administrator, contact the Police local to your course with programmes to ensure that they are aware of the event timings and circumstances.  Send a programme to each rider together with a set of riders’ instructions. Notes on procedures for gear check, signing on, changing room, commissaires briefing etc. together with any special instructions on race conduct when meeting course hazards such as horse riders, difficult junctions, unusual road surfaces etc. should go to your relevant officials, along with a race programme.  Complete in duplicate the rider's signing-on sheets provided by your Region, and start to enter your Officials and marshals on their signing on sheet.

Six Days Before

Go out around the course and erect “Public Notice Cycle Racing on this road” notices in prominent places around the course. Parish notice boards, Post Offices and the signposts indicating bridleways are excellent sites.

Two Days Before

Check the course for last minute road works and other hazards and where possible visit the race headquarters to deliver all your equipment

On the Day

Ensure course is checked again for hazards that may have appeared overnight, complete the specific risk assessment and sign it over to the Chief Commissaire. Arrive at the event headquarters early. Check that course direction arrows are being positioned together with warning signs around the course to advise other road users that a cycle race is in progress, as per the generic risk assessment. Check that car-parking areas at the HQ are clearly marked. Check that all your officials and helpers have arrived and they know what is required of them. Ensure that gear checks take place for Juniors and (and Youth riders if it is a closed circuit race) before they sign on. The Commissaire will require that those prizewinners required to compete on restricted gears also have their gears checked after their event. Where you are accepting entries on the day ensure that there are officials present who know the system. If you have photofinish or video filming at the finish ask your licence stewards to instruct riders about the position of their race numbers.

Ensure that you and the Chief Commissaire speak to any police officers present, so that they have all the information they need. They may have never worked on a cycle race before. A tactfully offered cup of tea is rarely refused. Check that all the Marshals are going to be in position in time. If reserves have to be informed the Chief Commissaire will close signing on control 20 minutes before the start. Check that commissaires and judges have details of non-starters. Start the race on time. This is essential for the Police. During the race be available to deal with problems as they arise. CB radio is invaluable in these circumstances.

Get to the finish in plenty of time. Ensure that judges are equipped with pencils and pads and that correct flags etc. are in position. Make sure that spectators are kept off the road and that the finish is clear. Speak to any police officers present and explain what is required for a safe finish. It is recommended that marshals be positioned beyond the finishing line (with police officer if present) both to warn oncoming traffic of the impending finish and to keep the road clear of riders once they have finished. Attention is drawn to the positioning of the finish area caution sign required by the Technical Regulations. Once again CB radio is ideal for informing finish officials and police when the race is due to arrive. After the finish ensure that the result is clearly displayed or announced as soon as possible. If the Press is not present, telephone newspapers with results.

Hints to Gear Checkers

The only duty required is to check the gears of juniors and youths before the start and after the finish of an event. Make sure tyres are correctly inflated before the test. Do not inflate them yourself. Notify the Chief Commissaire of any riders you have rejected.

Immediately after the event

Thank all helpers for their assistance. Ensure that the finish area, changing accommodation and event headquarters are left clean and tidy. It is the responsibility of the Chief Commissaire on the day to submit a result card to BC HQ.  Riders are very keen to know their ranking points, so confirm with the Commissaire that they have the correct result to post immediately to BC HQ. This card lists the riders, licence numbers and positions of the top finishers.  The timely receipt at HQ is essential to the effective performance of the national ranking system.  The Commissaire also needs to complete and sign the levy form. There are a number of cycling websites, as well as the Cycling press and media that would like to have the race result(s) from you on the day of the race.

Within Seven Days after the Event

Prepare an accurate result sheet, including details of non-starters and non-finishers. Send a copy to the Region Competition Administrator, together with the signing on sheets, the appropriate one-day licence and levy fees.

Within Fourteen Days after the Event

Send letters of thanks to the police, sponsors, advertisers and all officials and helpers who assisted in making the day a success. Review all the good and bad incidents of the race organisation and promotion, with your Safety Officer and Chief Marshal and with these in mind, start making preparations for the next event!