Trevor Knowles who observed the first World MTBO Champs in France has some innovations for the first event in the Wellington series next weekend. At the same time the event format will be ideal for those trying orienteering on a bike for the first time.
The day will consist of a short event with starts from 11am, and a massed-start medium-distance event in the afternoon. Competitive riders will find that a shorter event makes the navigation more critical because there is little chance to make up for a missed turn or a poor route choice. Casual and beginner riders can use it to get the hang of the map and find out what to do. Winning time will be about 30 minutes.
The medium distance with everyone starting at the same time (about 1pm) is designed to simulate a relay, where you see lots of the opposition, but variations in the course mean that you can't automatically follow anyone. Again, you can take this casually if you are new, and let the hares race away in front! Winning time for the full course will be about 90 minutes and there will be the usual shorter options for various age classes. The medium will be the first event in the Wellington series for 2004.
Registration will open earlier than usual at 10am. The location will be signposted from Waitarere Beach village, which you get to by turning off SH1 just north of Levin. To assist with the logistics of the day, Trevor would like to know if you are coming. (An earlier version of this page had the wrong link to Trevor, if your mail bounced please try again.)
Entry fees will be $20, $10 for 18 and under, and a $5 discount for members of orienteering clubs. Subscriptions for the organising club Orienteering Hutt Valley will be accepted on the day. There will be six series events plus a championship in the area this year; see earlier details.