Our rides are not races, they are reliability trials for solo riders riding a bicycle without any dedicated assistance.  There are no entry fees and no prizes.  There are no officiators, no marshals, no ride leaders, no rescue services.  There is no support.  

Only turn up on the start-line if you agree to abide by the following rules:

  1. Riders must go beyond 'Leave No Trace' (#beyondLNT) to leave the world in a better state than we found it. This means not just following the 'Leave No Trace' principles when riding/wild camping and be respectful of others around you, but over time extending these principles to permeate every aspect of your life. At a minimum, this means riders must: (A) Take the train/public transport/ride rather than driving when travelling to/from a ride. If low-carbon public services are insufficient, take to social media, make noise, and bring about change so you can attend the ride next year - The Racing Collective is about using our ultracycling mindsets (self-supported, self-actualised, self-motivated) to take the the path less travelled, to reject business-as-usual, and to drive forward change by showing there is a demand for sustainable solutions. HINT: if it was easy we wouldn't need the club! (B) Become a member of Trees For Life who are restoring a large area of Scottish wilderness, attend one of our club tree planting days, and/or our annual tree-planting and club planning week up in the Highlands.
  2. #bemoremike - Mike Hall was a self-supported ultracyclist who won the inaugural World Cycle Race, the Tour Divide twice, and so on (see accolades here).  Tragically he died after being struck by a car during the IndyPac race on 31 March 2017.  He was founder and race director of The Transcontinental, a race that has brought the soul and adventure back into bike racing.  Known for his uncompromising determination, Mike will be in our thoughts as we endeavour to stay safe and to #bemoremike.
  3. Every rider is responsible for his/her actions. Riders acknowledge that The Racing Collective is a not-for-profit club run by volunteers with no experience in event management/risk mitigation and the GPS routes are untested prior to the event.  As such, the rider is responsible for his/her actions; the collective itself carries no liability.​
  4. Riders should always consider safety first when making any decisions. Riders acknowledge they are riding on open roads/public rights of way often in the dark.  ​Riders must know and observe all local traffic laws and act responsibly with regards to other users, especially pedestrians who may feel vulnerable to fast moving bikes. Drafting is not allowed; you are strongly encouraged to report foul play in your fellow riders.
  5. Cycling insurance is mandatory.
  6. Cycle helmets, lights, reflective gear and fully functional bicycle with brakes are mandatory. Riders should dress appropriately for the conditions at all times and carry enough equipment so that they will be warm enough if they have to stop.
  7. ​No 3rd party support, private lodgings or resupply. All food, drink and equipment must be carried with you or acquired at commercially available services.  Riders should ride in the spirit of self-reliance and equal opportunity.
  8. Riders agree that social media content posted in relation to the ride can be re-used by The Racing Collective in online posts and the club Yearbook, with the intention of promoting the activities of the club, without prior consent of the rider. ​We're also keen to hear your stories from the ride (highlights/lowlights/anecdotes) to go into our Yearbook - within a week of finishing the ride, please send us a short (100-500 words) piece together with full resolution photos with captions.
  9. All riders must show evidence of their ride.  For 'Trans' trials, riders must tweet a timestamped photo of each checkpoint as well as the start and finish including the designated hashtag; you must have tweeted the start and checkpoint photos before you take your finish photo; the finish photo should be posted immediately [see full guidelines in section below]. For 'XDURO' trials, upload your ride to Strava as soon as you finish your ride; results will be collated a few minutes before midnight on the day of the trial - no upload, no results [see segment pitfalls to avoid below; if your segment fails to record you will be assigned the time of the slowest segment recording of the day]. 
  10. Buy your fellow racers a beer.  Tradition has it that the first home buys the second place finisher a drink; the second place rider buys the third place rider a drink; and so on, until the whole field of finishers are catered for.  That is, all apart from the 'winner'.​

Trans

Before the day of the start:
  • Download an app like 'Timestamp Photo and Video Free' for Android or iPhone and practise using it before the event! You want to configure the timestamp so it is visible in the twitter feed without having to click on the photo to see it and it should be in the format "d MMM y H:mm:ss"
  • We encourage riders to post a #rider&rig (ala bikepacking.com) shot on instagram - tell us a little bit about you/your setup and remember to tag The Racing Collective.
Start:
  • 20mins before the start time, take your start photo (ideally include as many other people/bikes/iconic landmarks as you can), timestamp it, and tweet it using the ride hashtag.  Start recording on all your devices etc so you can enjoy the start, free from phaff.  We assume all riders leave at exactly the designated start time (providing your photo was taken within 20mins of the start time). 
  • 5mins before the start time, line up (more photo opportunities ensue), shake hands.
  • 10s before the start, lead a countdown, and you’re off.
Each checkpoint:
  • Take a photo at each checkpoint to show proof you were there, timestamp it and tweet it. You should tweet the photo as soon as you can (to encourage the twitter version of dot watching).
  • It is imperative you tweet the checkpoint photos before you take your finish photo. 
  • That way the timestamp of the finishing photos can be compared on a like-for-like basis.
  • We will be travelling through remote areas without phone reception but this is not an excuse for failing to post the photos before the finish.  Being organised is part of self-supported riding. To paraphrase the late Mike Hall, if you get lost, get un-lost… if you have no phone reception, get some phone reception.
End:
  • Tweet a timestamped photo at the finish and post immediately.
Post-ride:
  • If you do have to scratch, please also tweet using the designated ride hashtag.
  • If you don’t agree with the published results, check that you’ve followed the rules above.  If there is still a discrepancy and you feel passionately robbed then contact TRC privately (please don’t use a public forum).
  • Please share your strava ride on twitter/IG asap after finishing, it's fascinating to see where people went and we can make a flyby video if you upload straight away. 

xduro

  • During a segment if you go the wrong way (~50m or so perpendicular to the route or going the wrong direction along the segment), Strava will discontinue the segment recording and your only solution is to go back to the start and restart the segment!
  • It is the rider's responsibility to be super careful and alert to turnings etc and navigate appropriately. You will need a designated GPS device fitted to your bike.  A phone attached to the bars will get knocked off and a phone in the back pocket is next to useless on complex segments.
  • If you know you have to deviate from the route you can stop recording, go get some food or whatever you need to do, and restart the recording in exactly the same place you stopped it, the segment will still be recorded (elapsed time so you gain no advantage by stopping it).​ 
  • Make sure you have enough battery capacity in your GPS/phone for continuous use over the race (external batteries are a no brainer).  For multi-day rides you can upload to Strava at the end of each day or pause the recording during the night.​
  • Upload your ride to Strava within 30 mins of finishing the route - you must save it with privacy settings so that 'everyone can see' or it won't be picked up.
  • If your segment fails to record you will be assigned the time of the slowest segment recording of the day. 
  • You are advised to record on multiple GPS devices in case a segment isn't picked up on your primary GPS.