1. Teams: Riders in the OPEN teams of 3 to 5 categories (male, female & mixed)  can include riders of all abilities. The OPEN Mixed Team of 3 to 5 category must contain at least one man and one woman and is for riders of all abilities. The WIDE OPEN category, for teams of up to 6 to 10 riders,  is a more relaxed 'fun' category and can be made up of any mix of men & women.  Pairs categories are available for male, female & mixed. Once racing begins, there can be no change to the line up. The order of racers can change, but team members cannot be substituted.  All riders must sign on and sign the event disclaimer.

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2. Swapping Spares: Once on course, normal mountain bike racing rules apply. This means no outside technical assistance and riders must be self-sufficient. Support from other racers on course is allowed, provided that the racer is ‘on course’ at the time. This includes swapping spares, tools and even bike parts. Food and drink can be handed to riders by anyone at any time. Before racers get on course, they can swap bikes/bits whatever, as long as the correct number board is kept with the right rider.

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3. Bike Specification: You are free to use whatever bike you deem suitable for the demands of the course and the race.  The exception is that E-Bikes are not allowed in this race.

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4. Race in One Direction: Once on course and out of the start/finish area, racers must follow the course in the racing direction, so a mechanical problem 100 yards from the start must be fixed on course. In the case of a major mechanical, the rider must still complete his or her lap, so a well maintained bike and a comprehensive toolkit are vital. If you’re not racing, then you can’t ride on the course while the race is on.

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5. Cheating: Substituting unregistered riders, racing outside your normal category, cutting through the tapes, having outside assistance, short-cuts and any other cheating will result in instant disqualification for the whole team – so don’t even think about it… Riders must race within the course tape. Where it has not been possible or practical to erect course tape, then they must stick to the obvious trail.

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6. The Baton: The baton (in whatever shape it comes) must be carried by the ‘on course’ rider at all times. Losing the baton will incur a time penalty, with the incoming rider forced to wait five minutes before being given a new baton to hand over.

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7. Timing System: The timing system revolves around a transponder that is affixed to the rider's number board and is to be attached to the handlebars of their bike.  These will be collected at registration when riders sign on. As you pass under the start/finish arch your lap time will be logged.  The clock then starts on the next lap, whoever might be doing it. If you are doing another lap, just carry on. If another rider is doing the next lap, hand the baton over to them. Their lap time will stop when they pass through the arch.

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Important: Please make sure that each rider has the correct timing chip/race number that corresponds with entry.  Your number board must be on the bike you are riding.  If you change bike for a different lap you must put the number board on to that bike.  No number board = no lap.

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8. Minimum Laps: Each team member must complete a minimum of two laps during the course of the event. The exception being the WIDE OPEN categorory where each rider must complete one lap each. There is no maximum number of laps. If each team member does not race the minimum, then the team’s score will not count. If you have a rider who is uncomfortable racing at night, then they needn’t race in the dark as long as someone else from the team does and as long as everyone on the team does their minimum number of laps. 

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9. Lights: Being a 24 hour race (and of course Mayhem by Night), it’s going to get dark and all racers who are on course between sunset and sunrise must have two working lights. The main light must be a suitable power to light the trail and have enough power to last the lap. A backup light is needed for on-trail repairs or in case the main light fails. This can be a head torch or a second light (though it needs to run on separate batteries to the main light). Unless your battery or lights fail catastrophically you must race with at least one light on. Please check up on your lights before the event and make sure they’re fully charged. There will be a charging station on site.

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10. Quiet Time/Noise at Night: After 10.00pm, please keep the noise down in the campsite. Believe it or not, some riders & local residents will be trying to get some sleep. And if you’re going to be staying up late on the Friday before the race, please do so quietly and as far from anyone else as you can.

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11. Registration: All riders must sign the event disclaimer at registration before 11am on the day of the race. You will get your number/timing chip and baton at this time. Any last minute team member absences or swaps must be done before 10am on Saturday. ID may be required to verify team members and proof of age. All riders must be 14 years of age or older or 18 years of age or over in the Solo category. If you find that a team member can’t make it at the last minute, there will be somewhere to advertise on site for a new team member. If you are allergic to medication or are on medication for the race, this must be written on the back of your race number.

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12. Teams must have at least one rider that is over 18. Pairs must also have one rider that is over 18. The Event Organiser must receive a parental consent form (which is documented, signed and dated) for those riders who are under 18. The participant must have good experience of bike events, being conscious that they are not ride novices. Parental consent forms are downloadable HERE and must delivered at registration to the registration team.

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13. Camping: Camping is included in the entry fee for competitors and supporters. There will be toilets and showers on site. Campsite opens 09.00a.m.Friday and competitors are invited to rest up and stay over on Sunday after the race, but must be off site by 9.30am Monday. Note that the course will not be fully marked until Friday afternoon. Barbecues are welcome so long as they are kept off the ground, but there’s no digging of fire pits or open fires please. Equally, be careful with glass and bottles. We’d like to thank you in advance for keeping the park tidy and encourage you to take your rubbish home or use the rubbish collection area and bins on site. Leaving the campsite clean will enhance the image of mountain bike endurance racing and give you a tingly glow inside.

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14. Security: Be aware that at Mountain Mayhem® there will be a large number of non-cyclists spectating and wandering around. The sight of an unattended bike might be too much temptation for some. Therefore – do not leave your bike unlocked or unattended at any time. There will be security guards patrolling the grounds at all hours of the event. It’s for your own (and your bike’s) safety, so please co-operate if you are asked questions regarding your bike. Despite security precautions occasional thefts from the campsite can occur. Keep an eye on your campsite, don’t leave valuables lying around. All common sense really.

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15. Problems during the Race: If you encounter any problems while actually racing – people messing with course markings, or lurking around, simply tell the next course marshal and they’ll send a race official or security to investigate. If you have an accident involving a member of the public, you MUST tell a marshal. And you must stop racing and wait until the Medical Team has had a chance to check out both parties for injury. If you see a rider in trouble, please stop to see if they’re OK – after all, it might be you in trouble next time.

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16. Start: NOTE: Mayhem 24hr to start at midday.  Before the race, the starting rider (the one doing the run and the first lap) must have the baton with them and be wearing their helmet in readiness to ride. The start will be similar in style to the start of the Le Mans race, though the distance will be a little longer – around half a mile. Once the bell/horn/cannon goes off, racers will run out and back into the arena, where their bikes will be lent up against the barriers. This will make finding your bike easier and save the start from being cluttered with bike stands. Racers must run into the arena behind the waiting bikes, collect their bike and only mount once they have gone under the arch. On subsequent laps, the changeover will happen in the normal manner, as detailed below.

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17. Handover: While rider A is out on course, rider B needs to go to the bike corral, a storage area for bikes next to the handover area, and wait for their team member to arrive. Rider A will come into the arena after their lap and hand the baton over to rider B. Rider B will run to their bike (parked neatly in the bike corral), mount it once out they are out of the change over area and ride off on the next lap. If rider A is doing a double lap, he will just be able to pass through the start/finish arch (to register their lap time) and continue on the next lap. If no rider is there to hand over to (i.e. they’re still asleep in the tent), then the racer on course can either elect to race another lap, or go and find them. The finer details of this will be explained at the rider briefing on Saturday morning, before the race. Please attend the rider briefing at 11am on Saturday.

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18. Retiring: If a rider drops out of your team, tell the start/finish marshals so they can be struck off the register. Remember that your team can’t get a result unless everyone has raced a minimum of two laps. This excludes serious injury (A hangover is not a serious injury.).

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19. Finishing: Mountain Mayhem® 24hr officially finishes at 12 noon Sunday afternoon. Riders still out on the course at that time will have to finish their lap before the team’s lap total can be counted. The winning team will be the one that completes the most laps in the shortest time. Results will be as number of laps, plus time taken to finish after 12 noon and might look like this:

1. Team A 33 laps, 24:02:00
2. Team B 33 laps, 24:15:00

3. Team C 32 laps, 24:01:00  

 

Team A wins with 33 laps and a finish time of 12.02pm. Team B come in next with 33 laps, finishing at 12.15pm. Team C have less laps, so come in third, even though they finish at 12.01pm. If a racer comes in before 12 noon, then the next rider on the team can leave for another lap. If you’ve had enough by then, you must wait before the finish for the final 12 noon horn/bell before finishing. Lurking before the finish is allowed provided you don’t get in the way. Again, this will be explained before the start of the race.

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20. Mayhem by Night - This event will start at 8pm on Saturday and finish at 8am on Sunday. Lights are required at all times for this event. Riders still out on the course at that time will have to finish their lap before the team’s lap total can be counted. The winning team will be the one that completes the most laps in the shortest time. Results will be as number of laps, plus time taken to finish after 8am and might look like this:

1. Team A 16 laps, 08:02:00
2. Team B 16 laps, 08:15:00

3. Team C 15 laps, 08:01:00  

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Team A wins with 16 laps and a finish time of 08:02:00. Team B come in next with 16 laps, finishing at 08:15:00. Team C have less laps, so come in third, even though they finish at 08:01:00. If a racer comes in before 8am, then the next rider on the team can leave for another lap. If you’ve had enough by then, you must wait before the finish for the final 8am horn/bell before finishing. Lurking before the finish is allowed provided you don’t get in the way. Again, this will be explained before the start of the race.

 

Very important notice for all riders
Sometimes mistakes happen, so please check your lap scores regularly, online & on the screens provided, throughout the event and if you have any enquiries speak to the timing team as soon as you spot anything. Please do not wait until the end of the event.