It's a secret

[yoav]

Audax ignoramus here.

What is the purpose of keeping a control secret?

To ensure riders stick to the designated route. I think PBP do it all the time but thus is the first time LEL has used them.

[Captain Nemo]

"What is the purpose of keeping a control secret?"

To keep the riders guessing and ensure adherence to the route. In this instance we were hiding just north of the knarly climbs over the North York Moors when there was an obviously easier route (used on the way south). "Secret" controls are really just check points and don't have the facilities of the main controls.

Having two secret control boxes on the brevet card kept the riders to the route all the way back, not knowing that the big secret about secret control 2 was that it did not exist  .

[dod]

Did not exist? But no, the secret was actually that the secret control was one of the southern controls. I won't say which 

I heard stories of the controllers at said secret control spotting incoming riders who could take some banter, then pointing out they must have missed the Secret Control 2 as they had no stamp. There was some confusion/panic (but not to the point of tears) before they brought out the special stamp and fixed the problem

Then they upped their game by distracting the rider and stamping the card for SC2 while he/she wasn't looking, then congratulating them for finding the secret control already. This caused total confusion for the rider (I have? Which one was that? Actually there was a layby that I thought looked a bit busy..) while also causing utter panic in the riders standing next to him. They had to be very selective indeed for those victims 

[Wycombewheeler]

I wound a rider up by saying that he must have missed the second secret checkpoint, and they queried why, so I showed him the green wristband that I was wearing that was given to riders passing through it to confirm they had done so and at the next checkpoint the brevet card would be stamped.

I then admitted I was only joking and the green wristband was the one for my campsite.

when riding south of great easton when the others I was riding with did not have the second stamp, I was tempted to say "the second secret control had been at the top of chapel fell, didn't they see the vans?" But I just told them mine had been stamped at St Ives, so the could relax because clearly they had been to St Ives.

[Fidgetbuzz]

I think the use of a non existent 2nd secret control .. does need  bit of thinking about and clarifying. as the scope for chaos and confusion is too much for tired riders. How to do it .. .. you can not tell them it is late on .. then they can choose to go off course up north , knowing it is down south. May be it depends on the specific main road  risk that we are trying to mitigate . So maybe .. next control after that stamps the 2nd box.

[Delph Cyclist]

One of my main concerns about the first Secret Control was that we didn't want it to be so much of a secret that the riders would miss it.  Otherwise the whole exercise would have been pointless.  I had count-down signs at 33km, 29km, 6km, 4km and 2km away alerting riders to the approaching control, so we shouldn't have been too much of a surprise to them.
http://www.delphcyclist.info/pic/LEL_pic3.jpg

The interesting bit was that our actual control was off the route!  Instead, we used that as our volunteers base and for toilets, first aid and mechanical support, and used the local cricket club (which was on the route) as our "stamping ground".  We made sure that you could hardly miss it!
http://www.delphcyclist.info/pic/LEL_pic1.jpg

And just in case you did miss it, just a bit further down the lane we had another sign telling riders to u-turn if they hadn't seen the secret.
http://www.delphcyclist.info/pic/LEL_pic2.jpg

I was just a bit concerned about riders approaching us in the dark, suddenly finding a bunch of ne'e'r-do-wells diverting them into a field for some evil purpose.

Our location also gave us a perfect spot to monitor for any camper vans on the road.  I don't know what the official supporters' route was, but it was very definitely not on that road between Helmsley and us.  It was so twisty and narrow that when I drove my van on it the day before to put out the signs, I was realy grateful not to have to pass any cyclists.

It was bad enough that the local farming community were moving some extremely large and alarming looking agricultural machinery which all but filled our narrow lane but we had brilliant cooperation from them and no cyclists were harmed.

[Wycombewheeler]

And just in case you did miss it, just a bit further down the lane we had another sign telling riders to u-turn if they hadn't seen the secret.

Didn't see that sign, luckily the control was much harder (impossible) to miss.

[jdsnape]

I had count-down signs at 33km, 29km, 6km, 4km and 2km away alerting riders to the approaching control, so we shouldn't have been too much of a surprise to them.

I enjoyed the humour on the countdown signs, it made me chuckle despite the hills. However, each time I failed to clock the distance I was at so all I knew was that the control was < 33km away etc.!

[Can’t swim won’t tri]

I saw at least half a dozen people cycling back towards the secret control - “the ride of shame”?!  Was there a later sign on whatever cheeky shortcut they’d taken alerting them to their downfall?

[Delph Cyclist]

I saw at least half a dozen people cycling back towards the secret control - “the ride of shame”?!  Was there a later sign on whatever cheeky shortcut they’d taken alerting them to their downfall?

Some of those "people cycling back to the secret control" could have been me and other volunteers riding to the cricket club from our HQ in the village.  The u-turn sign for a missed control was just on the exit from the village, so you would have passed the control to see there.

[αdαmsκι]

I rode through the secret control during daylight and struggle to believe anyone could have missed it at least during the day. Which is the whole point. It was very well done.

[T42]

Audax ignoramus here.

What is the purpose of keeping a control secret?

To ensure riders stick to the designated route. I think PBP do it all the time but thus is the first time LEL has used them.

IIRC the PBP one is always in the same place.  Can't remember where though.

[Peter]

T42 - that's the one!

[mr ben]

I think the use of a non existent 2nd secret control .. does need  bit of thinking about and clarifying. as the scope for chaos and confusion is too much for tired riders.

Agreed, I think I’d have been worried that I’d missed it and thinking how devastated I’d be if I got to the finish in time without it…I’m sure the one that existed was very clear and not missable, but not sure that helps an exhausted and emotional rider who is not thinking rationally.

I understand the northbound one (well on the one) was to make sure riders didn’t take the easier route between Malton and BC, was the non existent one a general ‘keep to the route’ threat or was there another specific section that it was policing?

[Wycombewheeler]

The trouble with infirmary controls is if they are early,  then the tour can be ignored afterwards  and if they are late you have to run them for a long time.

I thought declaring the st ives control as the secret control was fine,  far enough into the route to keep people honest,  and far enough from the finish to stop riders worrying,  as long as they got the stamp when they should,  and notice it happening.

Perhaps it could have been boston,  no real scope for short cuts after that.