The 2011 Chico Time Trial Series Information:

2011 CHICO TIME TRIAL SERIES INFORMATION:

Hi Everyone! Well, with the time change coming up(March 13th, 2011) we will also be starting up the new 2011 Chico Time Trial Series soon too! This will be one big Series - with flat Time Trials ranging in length from 10-miles up to 33 miles.....and possibly longer distances, if the riders want it. Right now, we have flat courses mapped out for a 10-mile, 16-mile, 18-mile, 25-mile and 33-mile Time Trials. Points will be awarded based upon length of the Time Trial, and the Time Trial's part in the annual Chico Omnium Bicycle Races. This Series will go from March 2011 to October 2011.

"Some" upcoming Time Trial events in the 2011 Chico Time Trial Series are:

Thursday, March 17th - River Road 10-Mile Time Trial - 6:00pm

Thursday, March 24th - The Aguas Frias 10-Mile Time Trial - 6:00pm

Thursday, March 31st - The River Road 10-Mile Time Trial - 6:00pm

Saturday, April 2nd - The Oro-Chico 15-Mile Time Trial - 2:00pm - (25 Point Event in the 2011 Chico Time Trial Series) - Stage #3 in the Oro-Chico Omnium Bicycle Race

Thursday, April 7th - The River Road 16-Mile Time Trial - 6:00pm (16-point event in the 2011 Chico Time Trial Series)

Thursday, April 14th - The Aguas Frias 10-Mile Time Trial

Thursday, April 21st - River Road 10-Mile Time Trial - 6:00pm

Thursday, April 28th - Aguas Frias 25-Mile Time Trial - 6:00pm

Thursday, May 5th - River Road 10-Mile Time Trial - 6:00pm

Thursday, May 12th - Aguas Frias 10-Mile Time Trial - 6:00pm

Saturday, May 14th - 7-Mile Lane 25-Mile Time Trial - 9:00am

Thursday, May 19th - River Road 10-Mile Time Trial - 6:00pm

Thursday, May 26th - Aguas Frias 10-Mile Time Trial - 6:00pm

......more events to be announced.....this is just a few.

Total count for the Series could be as high as 30+ events, depending upon the energy of the event promoter.......and, obviously, the riders.

1. Like previous years, there will be more than 1 course used for the Time Trial Series, and the courses will be scattered around the Chico & Butte County area:

Chico River Road
Aguas Frias Road
Oro-Chico Road
7-Mile Lane
Cottonwood Road
Meridian Road
Wheelock Road
The Field of Dreams Course
....and others to be announced as the weeks go on(shoot me an e-mail if you'd like a particular course utilized - ChicoCyclist@gmail.com)

The idea is to get a feel for the various flat Time Trial routes, roads, distances and wind conditions around the area.....and just to challenge yourself a bit. GREAT training for triathlons, bicycle races or just to get/stay in shape! Most of these Time Trials will be of the 10-mile variety on Thursday evenings at 6:00PM - however, there will be a few that are thrown in on weekends.....and some Thursday evening Time Trials will be of the 16, 18 and 25-mile variety. The weekend Time Trials will almost exclusively be of the 16 to 33-mile variety. ALL of these Time Trials will be flat to fairly flat. Most of the Time Trials will be held on an out-and-back course - and all of the Time Trials will count towards the Overall Series. The final race in the Series will be completed in early October 2011 - and the Awards Ceremony for the Series will take place in mid-to-late October 2011 at an establishment to be determined.

2. ALL riders MUST sign in - you just need to sign in at the registration table at the start in order to enter the event. No racing license or entry fee required. Registration will normally open 20-30 minutes prior to the start. And, as usual in these Time Trials, we will be going in 1-minute intervals. Again, donations are always accepted and extremely appreciated - but all of the events are FREE. Just come on out and test yourself - and see if you can improve your times on the various courses as the year goes on - I just want you out there on your bicycles! This Series will prove to test your Time Trial ability over a variety of courses and weather conditions........but, most of all, will just be for fun!

3. Rain and wind will NOT cancel the Time Trials, unless specified by the Race Director. However, crudy air conditions(ex. - 2008's Humboldt Fire) could cancel them. In addition, I may be on vacation at some point during the summer, so would not have a Time Trial during that particular time/week.

4. Helmets are MANDATORY! So, please....please.....wear your helmet. AND - Yes, Aero Equipment is allowed! So.....wear an aero helmet! Or just a regular one. No hairnets though please. ;)

5. VERY likely that the Time Trials will also be a part of some of the Omniums taking place in 2011. The Omniums would include the Rumpstomper, Devil's Kick, Oro-Chico, Nutcracker, Field of Dreams, Rodneyums, Knockoffer and others. Ex. - Thursday Night Time Trial, Friday Night Criterium and Saturday Road Race making up one of the local Omniums. An "Omnium" is just a stage race using points rather than time - and you do not have to complete one stage in order to do the next stage. You garner points for each stage depending upon how you did in the stage.......and, in the R.A.C.E. Omniums, the MOST points wins(many Omniums reverse this and have the least amount of points winning).

6. All are welcome - you don't have to do the Series - just come on out and give one or two of these events a shot! It's amazing what kind of workout you can get during a Time Trial! It's just you against the clock - No pack riding, no field or prime sprints - just you and the watch. Lots of folks have gotten their starts in bicycle racing and triathlons by doing bicycle Time Trials - and some amateur bicycle racers race ONLY Time Trials - so this is a good opportunity to just give it a shot to see what you think. Don't worry - all abilities and all kinds of bicycles are welcome out there.

7. Points are used to calculate the Overall Standings in this particular Series(makes it easier for the promoter - sorry!). The point breakdown works like this........For a 10-mile Time Trial, the points awarded go 10-8-6-4-2-1-1-1-1. So, 1st place gets 10 points, 2nd gets 8 points, 3rd place gets 6 points and so on and so forth. For a 25-mile Time Trial, the point breakdown would go 25-23-21-19-17-15-13-11-9-7-5-3-1-1-1. So, you get the idea - the point breakdown is dependent upon the TT distance. HOWEVER, some Time Trials that are part of the various Omniums will have "bonus" points awarded to it. For ALL of the Time Trials, an additional 3 points will be given to each participant who completes each event. You MUST complete the event in order to get the points. The rider with the MOST points at the end of the Series in their respective Category wins the Overall Series Title - and the 2011 Chico Time Trial Series Championship Trophy, plus whatever goodies we can give you. Points will be broken down by Category. Once you enter and finish an event, you are entered in the Series. Results - and Current Overall Standings - will be out within 24-hours of the completion of each event and sent out to the R.A.C.E. e-mail group, Facebook, Twitter and to my blog. If you'd like your name added to the R.A.C.E. e-mail list, just send me an e-mail with the "ADD" in the subject line and e-mail to ChicoCyclist@gmail.com.

8. The following Categories are eligible for a Series Championship Trophy:

Category "A"
Category "B"
Category "C"
Women's Category
Men's Masters 50+ Category
Merckxian Category - NO aero equipment!(This includes wheels, helmets, aerobars, etc.).
Juniors (ages 16 & under)

***In addition - The rider who has the MOST points in the entire Series at the end will receive the "Grand Champion's" Plaque as well.

These are the Categories which all qualify for a Series Championship Trophy. If nobody - or very few folks are in one category - we will have to eliminate it and possibly add an additional category where the numbers allow it. Additional Categories could include various Age Categories, Tandem Category, Cruiser Category - and even a "running" Category if runners are interested! As usual, sandbaggers are strongly discouraged (A Sandbagger would be a Category "A" rider entering a Category "B" event). And, as usual, the Series Organizer reserves the right to re-classify you at any time(within reason and with plenty of notice). So, if you are just demolishing the Category "B" field, it is a sure bet that I will upgrade you to Category "A".

Also, you may ONLY enter 1 Category PER event. So, tell me at the start of the event which Category you would like to race. YES - you can be a competitor in multiple Categories IN the Series.......BUT, you can only enter 1 Category PER Time Trial. (So, one week, you might want to enter the Merckxian Category......but the next week, you may decide that you want to be in Category "B" for that particular Time Trial......that is A-Okay).

9. Finally, remember - these Time Trial events are essentially for practice and exercise - we have fun out there and get a great little workout in, and we get to work on some quality cycling. But, overall, they're no big whoop....no World Championship/Olympic medals or million dollar contracts on the line. So, with that in mind, just treat 'em as such - a good training event to try some new things, gain some good fitness.....and maybe even get into a sanctioned race at some point in time. Or not. Just have fun with it. We'll have trophies and hopefully some prizes for the Series winners/placers - and definitely loads of fun....and pain and suffering. ;) But remember - it's all in good fun and fitness. Finally, this Series is not associated with any clubs, so you don't have to be a member of any club to take part in any of these events.(Sorry - get asked that question all the time). Just come on out and take part in these FREE events, get in a GREAT workout and have a good time!

Hope to see you out there!

Rodney............
R.A.C.E. - Rodney's Amateur Cycling Events
Chico, CA
www.ChicoBike.com