Enduro racing is a radical race format that mixes a bit of cross-country riding with downhill bike racing. Usually, the timed portion of an Enduro consists of 3-6 downhill segments that vary in length and steepness. Between each timed segment, there is a “transfer stage” that doesn’t count toward the race time total.
The Zone4 Timing Software is designed to make navigating the unique challenges of Enduro racing easy. We offer the most precise and accurate timing system for Enduro racing on the market.
This document will guide you through timing an Enduro race from start to finish.
Timing Hardware
For an Enduro race it is recommended that you use GoChip, as it is very easy to setup and use. It also reliably records accurate times for racers traveling at high speeds.
Segment Starts: For increased precision an activator can be used as a start timing device. An activator is very easy to operate during a race as racers simply ride over the attached timing loop to have their time recorded. However, for a cheaper, but less accurate, alternative you can use a phone as a start device. This means that a volunteer will need to be at the start of each segment to manually enter times into the phone as each racer passes.
Segment Finish: An activator is definitely the recommended finish timing device, due to its accuracy and simplicity. However, a phone can also be used at the bottom of the segment using the same method as described above.
Phone times can also be used to collect back up times at timing points that are using activators.
Create an Enduro Race
First, sign into your Zone4 Admin Account. If you don’t have an account yet, create one here.
Once in your account, find the Race Timing box and click “Time a Race”
Select “Mountain Biking”
Here you will also select the Race Format. You have two choices:
- Enduro: In this format, racers complete timed segments along with un-timed transfer segments. Using this format you will also be able to order your segments differently for different racer groups. This also means that racers can go through the segments in any order they wish.
- Linear Enduro: Here racers also complete timed segments along with un-timed transfer segments. However, all riders must go through the segments in a specific order.
This will take you to the Event Info page. Here you’ll enter some basic information about your race, such as the name, date, and location.
Next: Import Racers and Create a Race File
On the Import Racer page, you can import racers from:
- your Zone4 Registration (recommended)
- another race
- a spreadsheet (CSV file)
You can also select Do not Import any Racers to manually add all your racers once your race file has been created.
If you are importing from Zone4 Registration, select the correct registration form then click Create this Race.
Your Race File is being created and it may take a few seconds. Patience, young Padawan!
Once the Race File is created, the Overview page will open up:
From this page you can navigate to any of the other pages in your race file. Next, we’ll guide you through each of these race file pages.
Race Settings
Navigate to your Settings page by clicking the Settings button at the top of your page.
Here you can change the Race Information you entered earlier. There are a few more important settings that should be configured here.
Race Time Window
The Race Time Window is the time window where times will be recorded and assigned to racers. By default, it is set from 6:00AM to 6:00PM.
This window should be set to start from the time you begin race day setup to well after you expect your last racer to finish. For example, if you are holding a night race and the last rider is planned to finish after 6:00PM, you will need to change the Race Time Window. Make sure all your times are in 24hr clock format.
More Settings
Below the Race Time Window, there are a variety of other settings. These can be turned on if required. To keep everything simple for now, we won’t touch any of these.
Racers
Navigate to the Racers Page.
In this page, you can search for racers using either the search bar, or by clicking the blue number.
This page is also useful during the race to look up particular racers. Clicking on their name opens their Racer Page where you can view the individual’s Racer Info, Timing Info, and Results Info
To learn more about creating a race, the Settings page and the Racers page click here.
The next step is to set up your start list and course.
Start List and Course Setup
Linear Enduro
Start List
Navigate to the Start List page in your race file by clicking the Start List button at the top of your page.
The first option is to choose whether to keep racers in one start group, or to split them into different start groups.
Selecting Keep All Racers in One Start Group means that all racers will be scheduled to start at once. Selecting Split Racers into Start Groups allows you to separate riders into different groups based off racer fields, all of which will have their own start time:
When you select Create Custom Start Groups, you can select a field to group racers by. In this example, we will use a racer field that separates groups into a short course and a long course:
Start groups are now created based on the chosen racer field:
Once your start groups have been configured you can assign bib numbers and chips for all your racers. To learn how to do this click here.
The next step is to assign start times to your racers.
Assigning Start Times
Now you will assign a separate start time for every group you created. This is approximately the time the riders leave the staging area. It must be earlier than when the first rider starts a segment.
If you have more than one start group you will also set a gap time between groups.
To assign times simply type them into the correct text box and click Assign Start Times.
You can then configure your Start List with the fields you’d like to display:
To learn more about creating a start list click here.
Course Setup
Navigate to the Courses page in your race file by clicking the Courses button at the top of your page.
Here you are given two options:
- Split Racers into Course Groups: Allows you to separate your course groups based off of racer fields. To learn more about how to do this click here.
- Keep All Racers in One Course Group: Selecting this option means that all racers will do the same course.
Generally, if all racers are doing the same segments in the same order and are therefore starting and finishing at the same points, you would Keep All Racers in One Course Group. However, if there are different segments for different groups of racers, then you can split racers into multiple course groups.
Once your course groups have been created, you will be able to setup your courses in your race file and assign timing devices.
Under the heading Segments & Timing Devices you will see that the template for a course segment has been added.
You can add additional segments by clicking the Add a Segment button at the bottom of the page.
You can also change the name of each segment by typing the name into the area above the segment template. For example, you could call it “Run 1”.
To remove an unneeded segment, click on the three vertical dots on the finish timing point of that segment. Then select Remove this Crossing from the drop down menu.
Assigning Timing Devices
To assign timing devices click the words Select a Timing Device on the desired timing point.
Then pick the desired device from the list of timing devices.
The name of the assigned timing device will now be on the timing point
Repeat this process for all your timing points.
Once you have finished setting up your course, you can get one of the Zone4 staff to review your course setup. To do this click the Request Review button at the bottom of the page.
To learn more about the Courses page click here.
Enduro
Course Setup
Navigate to the Segments page in your race file by clicking the Segments button at the top of your page.
Here you are given two options:
- Split Racers into Course Groups: Allows you to separate your course groups based off of racer fields. To learn more about how to do this click here.
- All Racers in One Group: Selecting this option means that all racers will do the same course.
Generally, if all racers are doing the same segments and are therefore starting and finishing at the same points, you would Keep All Racers in One Course Group. However, if there are different segments for different groups of racers, then you can split racers into multiple course groups.
Once your course groups have been created, you will be able to setup your courses in your race file and assign timing devices.
Under the heading Segments & Timing Devices you will see that the template for a course segment has been added.
You can add additional segments by clicking the Add a Segment button at the bottom of the page.
You can also change the name of each segment by typing the name into the area above the segment template. For example, you could call it “Run 1”.
To remove an unneeded segment, click on Segment Options then select Remove this Segment from the drop down menu.
Re-ordering Segments
You can move a segment up or down by clicking Segment Options then selecting Re-order: Move Up or Re-order: Move Down from the drop down menu.
If some of your course groups are doing your segments in a different order then you can re-order the segments for individual groups.
To do this:
Click on the Edit button beside the desired course group.
In this new window, you will see a section called Segments. To re-order the segment click an hold to the left of the segment name then drag it into place.
If one group doesn’t have to complete a specific segment at all, you can remove it from only their course setup by un-checking it.
In the Course Groups section you can view the segment order for each course group.
A final segment setting is Keep Times Private. This means that racers will receive times for this segment, but the times won’t be posted on public result sets.
To Keep Times Private for a given segment, click Segment Options beside the desired segment and then select Keep Times Private.
Assigning Timing Devices
To assign timing devices click the words Select a Timing Device on the desired timing point.
Then pick the desired device from the list of timing devices.
The name of the assigned timing device will now be on the timing point
Repeat this process for all your timing points.
Once you have finished setting up your course, you can get one of the Zone4 staff to review your course setup. To do this click the Request Review button at the bottom of the page.
To learn more about course setup in Zone4 Timing click here.
Start List
Navigate to the Start List page by clicking the Start List button at the top of your page.
For the initial configuration of your start list, answer the following questions by selecting the option that best applies to you.
- How should racers be grouped: This is asking whether all your racers will be starting together or whether they need to be split into specific start groups with different start times.
- How does each stage start: This is asking if you want to schedule start times for your individual segments.
- How does the race start: This is asking whether you want to schedule an overall or journey start time for your racers. This is different than the start time of your first segment.
Once you’re satisfied with the settings you selected for your start list scroll to the bottom of your page and click Create the Start List.
If you selected Split racers into start groups, then you will next have to choose which field(s) to use to base your groups off of. To learn more about how to do this click here.
Assigning Bib and Chip Numbers
To assign racer numbers type the first racer number into the column first # beside the desired group. The rest of your racer numbers will be assigned in chronological order based off of the Order by column. The Last # column will be filled out automatically based on the number of racers in each group.
By default Order by is set to random, but you can change it by clicking on the words Random.
In this new window, change your seeding type to Sort by racer field values and then select the racer field you wish to order by. This is commonly Last Name and First Name.
You can then either save this seeding type for the whole race or only for that group by clicking one of the buttons at the bottom of the window.
Finally click Assign Racer Numbers.
To assign chip numbers, simply type in the letter of the chip rack you have and the number of chips per racer, then click Assign Timing Chips.
Assign Journey Start Times
The journey start time is the overall race start time, which is different from the first segment start time. This is scheduled time that racers can start riding to the first segment. For an Enduro race this time is generally not important when it comes to timing your race, but it is good to set a time for organisational purposes.
If you selected Set the same scheduled start time for everybody then you will only need to type in the desired start time and click Assign Journey Start Time.
If you have multiple start groups, you have the option of assigning a gap time instead of a fixed start time. This gap time is the amount of time after the last racer in the previous group started that the next group can start. For example if the last racer left at 10:20:00 and the gap time is 10:00, then the next group will start at 10:30:00.
If you selected the option Racers will start the day in waves or individually, along with setting the times as described above, you will have the option to set Wave Size and Interval. This option can be great for spreading riders out before they get to the first segment, so that the wait time at segment 1 is decreased.
To change your Wave Size simply type the number of riders into the Wave Size column. Remember that a wave size of 1 will give you an individual start race.
Next set the Interval by typing the desired time into the Interval column. This is the amount of time between waves. For example, if the group start time is 10:00:00 and the interval is 5:00 then the first wave will start at 10:00:00, then the next wave at 10:05:00, then 10:10:00…
Remember to click Assign Journey Start Times once you have finished changing your times.
Assign Segment Start Times
If you selected Do not schedule any start times you can proceed to configuring your start list display.
For options Set start times for the first stage only and Set start times for each stage you will now assign segment start times.
It is important to remember the segment order that you assigned to each group. Under the section 1st Stage Start Times, you will schedule the start times for the first stage racers complete. This segment is not necessarily the same for each group so be careful!
To assign start times you have a choice between 3 methods:
- First Start: This allows you to set a fixed time for your segment’s start.
- Gap: Allows you to set an amount of time to leave between the last racer in the previous group and the first racer in the current group.
- Transfer: This calculates the start time based off the time it takes to get from the start of the previous stage (or the journey start) to the start of the current stage.
If you selected separate start groups into waves as your method to start racers, then you will also be able to assign Interval times to each racer group. This allows you assign individual start times for the segment.
Once you’ve filled everything out, make sure to click Assign Stage Start Times.
You can repeat the same process to assign start times to the rest of your stages.
Configuring your Start List Display
The final step is to configure your start list display. Here you can add racer fields, header information and a header image to your start list.
You can view your start list at any point by clicking the View Start List button at either the top or bottom of your page.
To learn more about creating a start list click here.
Setting Up Results
Linear Enduro
Navigate to the Results page by clicking the Results button at the top of your page.
On this page you will see three result set templates that you can configure for your race:
- Age Group Results
- Overall Results
- Gender Results
You can hide any of these results if you don’t want to use them by clicking Hide beside the desired result set.
Click on the name of a result set (for example Overall Results) to configure it.
This will open the Create a Result Set window. Depending on the template you selected, this will show you the fields that will be used to create your result groups. You can change which fields are chosen and add more, but your result set will always be separated by course groups.
Once you are happy with your result groups, click Create this Result Set.
You will now be in the result set configuration window. Here you can change the settings of your result set and publish your results. To learn how to publish your result set click here.
To see how your results will look on the public side, click View Results.
Once you’ve closed your result set, you can view it or edit it by clicking View Results or Configure respectively.
These results will be updated live during your event and can be a useful tool to monitor each racer’s progress.
To learn more about the results page click here.
Enduro
Navigate to the Results page by clicking the Results button at the top of your page.
On this page you will see multiple result set templates that you can configure for your race:
- Overall Results
- Segment #1 Only
- Segment #2 Only
- …
You can hide any of these results if you don’t want to use them by clicking Hide beside the desired result set.
Click on the name of a result set (for example Segment #2 Only) to configure it.
This will open the Create a Result Set window. Depending on the template you selected, this will show you the fields that will be used to create your result groups. You can change which fields are chosen and add more, but your result set will always be separated by course groups.
Here you can also hide segments you don’t want to show on your result set by un-checking them and reorder the segments by dragging and dropping them.
Once you are happy with your result groups, click Create this Result Set.
You will now be in the result set configuration window. Here you can change the settings of your result set and publish your results. To learn how to publish your result set click here.
To see how your results will look on the public side, click View Results.
Once you’ve closed your result set, you can view it or edit it by clicking View Results or Configure respectively.
These results will be updated live during your event and can be a useful tool to monitor each racer’s progress.
To learn more about the results page click here.
Next Steps
Now that you have setup your race file you are ready to learn about timing a race and setting up your timing equipment. The following documents contain useful information that will keep things running smoothly on race day:
Good Luck!