Max time for a DIY?

[Uncle Eric]

What is the max time for a DIY? I did a DIY 200km today. The ViaMichelin distance that the DIY organizer approved is 213km. Actual distance was 233km. With 15km/h min speed, is the max time 200/15=13h20min, or is it 213/15=14h12min, or is it 233/15=15h32min? I assume it can't be 15h32min since the extra distance is due to getting lost or taking a longer route which is my fault or choice. So which of 13h20min or 14h12min is it?

I was wondering because the ride took 12h10min due to the cold weather, icy wind and a quite scary thin layer of snow/ice on the road at times. So with some mechanical problem or more getting lost and faffing about the ride could easily have exceeded 13h30min.

[Chris S]

Maximum time will be given by:

(a) Shortest distance between controls
(b) Minimum speed of 14.3 kph

So - if the agreed distance is 213km, then the maximum time is 14h 53m.

The minimum average speed for a DIY is 14.3 kph. The "distance" is always the minimum distance between controls, as approved by your organiser. The route and conditions you ride under will nearly always vary - and this will generally be not in your favour.

13h 30min would be well within the above if that's what you agreed with the Org.

HTH

[Greenbank]

What ChrisS says but with one other minor point...

Make sure you put the agreed distance on the entry form too.

If you just put "200" then you may run in to problems if you take more than 14 hours.

I've been very close to this once (see below) and took exactly 14 hours but, luckily, I'd put the agreed "205km" on the entry form so I was fine by 20 minutes or so. 200km at 14.3kph is 13h59m15s.

A DIY 200 from Thorne to Alston, the day after I did a DIY 300 from Putney to Thorne, and we were doing a DIY 200 from Alston to North Berwick the next day so I was taking it easy. 20km over distance as we detoured to Coxwold to follow the proposed LEL route (despite not using it as a control) along with chain problems (I unwittingly grimped up to Crayke with the sideplate missing on one link). We thought'd we'd make up time on the descent of Yad Moss into Alston but it was thick fog and we couldn't do more than 20kph. All ok in the end.

[marcus]

I'm glad someone asked this cos I'd been wondering as well!

I suspected the answer was much as Chris S and Greenbank have explained but it's good to have this confirmed. I hadn't realised that the min speed for a 200 diy was 14.3 kph rather than 15.

[Martin]

some calendar 200s are also 14.3

it's important to agree the distance beforehand with your regional org on a DIY. I think it would be harsh to time you down to a 200 if the minimum distance between controls was more though; is this definitely the case?

[MSeries]

I'm glad someone asked this cos I'd been wondering as well!

I suspected the answer was much as Chris S and Greenbank have explained but it's good to have this confirmed. I hadn't realised that the min speed for a 200 diy was 14.3 kph rather than 15.

It's all given in the perms pages for DIYs.

[DanialW]

I've only ever had one 'out of time' appeal, from a rider who had to divert due to police closure of a road. He sent me a printed sheet with all the times and distances, and a long explanation about what had happened.

Except he wasn't out of time. He'd done his sums wrong.

I won't names, but if I did, nobody would be surprised.

[MattH]

Kind of related (diversions), I rode up to Bangor this weekend. Last year I did it as a DIY, with controls up the A5. This year I just rode it, but found out at Oswestry that the A5 was shut just past Corwen, leading to a not only a big detour (around 20 miles up past Wrexham then along the A55), but it wasn't possible to get to the Betwys-y-Coed control without adding yet another huge amount of mileage (I could have dropped back down to Betwys-y-Coed from Conwy, but there is no way I could take a hit of 30-40 miles and still be in time).
How would that have been handled from a validation point of view?