Number placement & rules on modification of numbers

[ExecDir]

Standing on the announcing stand next to Jim Karnes and Diane Obermeyer straining to read the numbers on riders backs, Diane recommended that the MBRA should have a weekly forum to discuss USAC rules as well as give racers guidance.

It seems to simple, here's the first.

MODIFICATION (folding/crumpling) of race numbers and placement of race numbers

1) Don't fold your number down. That makes it REALLY, REALLY difficult to read, even when using a 5,000 frames per second camera.

2) Let's define a "crumpled" number. One that gets folds in it while in your bag or maybe you sit on it, that may not cause it to be unreadable. But, taking the number and wadding it up over and over again so that it's ragged, yes, that makes it tough to read. Don't believe me, at the next race sit next to Jim Karnes while he tries to read race numbers.

Here's the official USAC rule:

1N7. Racing numbers.

(a) Racing number are provided by the organizer, who may require a deposit that shall be refunded on return of the numbers in good order. The figures shall not be hand written, but printed in block letters using black waterproof ink. Numbers shall be constructed from materials sufficiently durable to last the race without tearing or disintegrating, even in adverse weather. The name of the race or race sponsor may appear on a competitor's number. Promoters who fail to provide numbers meeting the above requirements to all riders shall be fined as specified in the Schedule of Fees.

(b) Riders shall place their numbers as prescribed by the officials and in such a way that they are visible when the rider is in a racing position. When shoulder numbers are provided for cyclocross, they are worn on the upper arm to be visible from the front. Hip numbers shall be attached securely at least at the four corners with pins and no accessory or hair may obstruct a clear view of the number (riders with misplaced, obscured or unreadable numbers will not be placed). If shoulder or frame numbers are provided, they too shall be placed as prescribed. Numbers may not be folded, trimmed, crumpled, or otherwise defaced. [Replacement of the numbers at riders' expense if noted before the start, otherwise warning or relegation.]



Wanna hear all sides, read Steve Tilfords post on the subject and the many comments that follow:

http://stevetilford.com/2010/03/17/officiating/

I like this one common-sensical comment:

Is it always a real issue? No. Can it be? Yes. The fact that Steve Tilford is always scored is because you are Steve Tilford. Can it be hard to score riders that the official doesn’t know? Yes. Does the crumpled number make it even harder? Sometimes, yes


Wanna do it right (pin your number)? read this article:

http://cyclingskills.blogspot.com/2008/ ... ement.html




Want to see exactly what I'm talking about? Take a look at this image, the Pro I/II finish from Frankenmuth, May 29, 2010. Try to read the numbers of the top 10 finishers. Post up the numbers.

You may need to download the image to your computer and then view it using a picture viewer, etc for better effect.





You may need to download the image to your computer and then view it using a picture viewer, etc for better effect.


Now..... "GET OUT AND RACE!"

[lucasjw]

This is a topic I love, some for the rhetoric of the argument, but also because I think it demonstrates a person's perspective on bike racing and their ability and/or willingness to see it from different perspectives. So a little commentary on the topic....


Bike racers want their numbers to lay flat and not flap in the wind. They think that crumpling their number helps this. Let me give you the secret: 8 pins. Not 4 pins (and absolutely not 4 pins using the provided holes--this is cycling, not sailing club), not even 6. You get a handful of pins at nearly every race. Save a few. Then don't be lazy, don't whine, use 8 and this entire argument goes away from every perspective possible, save the lazy bike racer.

But of course, bike racers are (by definition, I believe) lazy. So we have a problem.

For officials, seeing the numbers on riders whizzing by 5 deep at 25+ mph is an exercise in futility. A single line at 30 mph is no better, but this is the job of the official. Some officials are lazy, too (former racers?), and don't actually try to read all the numbers every lap, so they don't care how numbers are pinned. These officials should be stoned--they are the ones that take a millennium to figure out results because they have no practice at picking out 10 places in order at the finish. But most officials do care and spend the entirety of a race trying to decipher the perspective-bending Dali-esque attachments racers manage to make with their numbers. For them, crumpled numbers are the emblem of their nearly-futile task, not the cause of it. Sure, the stickler quotes the rule book, but one of the jobs of an official is educating riders. Aside from the occasional power trip, it's just part of the job.

So we have lazy bike racers and officials who've found a scapegoat for the nearly impossible task of reading thousands of numbers during a day.

The reality is that the rule is stupid for three reasons. First, like all other riders, I pin on my number, warm up, go to the bathroom, sit down, load and unload my rear pockets multiple times, and perform numerous other actions that WILL crumple my number whether or not I did it intentionally.

Second, the Tyvek material used for numbers reflects sunlight pretty well if you get the right angle. A poorly crumpled number (intentionally or incidentally) will probably have a few surfaces that reflect light and reduce the visibility of the number. However, a pristine number can reflect light across its entire surface rendering it completely illegible.

This illustrates the third point that proper placement of the number is usually far more important than the surface smoothness for visibility of the number. Up on the back: bad. Down along the side of the jersey: good. Right side up? Yeah, I'm talking to you, genius--put your number on right side up. (Cat. 2 - Cat. 5 -- I've seen them all do it this season.)

That all points to the fact that you need to learn how to put on a number like a pro. When you crumple the number, don't just wad it up and be done. You need to decimate it! You're not buying a new iPhone because it has 16 icons on a screen--you want it because the pixels are so densely packed you can't even see them! So get comfy and start crumpling. And rolling. And flexing. Now repeat. Finally, find a nice edge and smooth it all out. Hey, don't rip it--that's way amateur. But when you're done, the thing should feel like silk and lay on your jersey like your head on a 400 thread-count Egyptian cotton pillowcase.

Once you take the pro approach the officials won't notice a thing but the high resolution outline of your number. Unless it's upside down. Or on your back. Or flapping like a sail from 4 pins poked through the 4 dummy holes.

So just use 8 pins, put it on your side, and get the race started already.