Designing a route with a 2000m climb in the first 20 km and a timed control at the summit couldn’t really be anything other than a conscious choice.
True. Do such things happen? I've only directly experience Danish, Dutch, and Belgian organisers, and they have all been universally wonderful.
On any real world route (i.e one that doesn’t involve alpine mountain passes) the climbs average out over the typical long-ish distance between controls, so if you can’t get between any two controls you’re unlikely to complete the whole route anyway.
You say that, but something I've noticed looking at many AUK routes compared to similar distance routes in .NL, there are a lot more controls on AUK rides than Dutch ones. The first audax I did had 2 controls, at 84km and 163km. Which roughly worked out as 84km slogging into a headwind hoping to make it within the cut off (not realising the Dutch aren't fussy about it), then 80km with the wind at my back(or across me). With headwinds like these, it feels like the time is spent climbing a mountain. But looking at some AUK, they have 5+ plus for a similar event (esp if counting info's)
Some organisers are bastards and aim to time out as many riders as possible by every possible means.
This is the sort of thing I am trying to find out. I've only experienced nice organisers. Seems a bit sadistic to try to time people out intentionally.
Others are somewhat sympathetic and use the 'sticky hands on the clock' to ignore that some folk time out at intermediate or finish controls. That doesn't work if subjected to excessive scrutiny. Others design their routes to be gentle to riders. There would be few countries with multiple organisers that are 100% consistent for all organisers. Why bother trying to do so?
Looks like I've been spoilt by the organisers I've experienced then. Given everyone had said that all the German organisers had been very strict on their timings, I did wonder if there is a policy at a national level in some places.
I was obviously too naive in my thinking and question asking. I'm so sorry.
The Norwegians are very strict.
My first 1000km brevet was not homologated due to missing a control by 1 hour (all controls were of the ATM/tankstation/shop kind, would have been silly to have true manned controls as I was the only rider ) I finished with 2 1/2 hours in hand and no additional time was awarded for the 3 1/2 ferry crossing to Denmark.
Could you not have claimed the clock was wrong on the ATM? I noticed this on one of the BRM's that went into .BE from .NL last year, the clock on the til hadn't been updated for the day light saving time change, so it looked like I was late at the control, I tried to explain this to the organiser at the end, which is when Ivo explained to me that it wasn't an issue (I had GPX to back up that I was in time).
So knowing how the organizers deal with the rules can be rather important; it would have been no problem getting to that control in time had I wanted to (it was the first control after a long sleep and elaborate breakfast).
Getting a homologation on that brevet is still high on my bucket list!
Can you share the name (feel free to PM if you prefer). Sounds like useful info to know.
The organizers of Borders of Belgium were relaxed about the intermediate closing times; only the two staffed (and rented) locations had true deadlines.
Yeah, staffed controls it makes sense not to keep humans waiting. My question was just for unstaffed controls.
J