We received feedback from a number of riders and parents during and after our races on Monday on a couple of topics, and wanted to respond to that feedback.
Transponder availability
We use chip timing at Ixworth to allow for the most accurate race timing, especially when we have a number of race categories underway at once. The number of riders we have means that we must return transponders immediately after they’ve been used so that they can be returned to riders for following races.
We had some difficulties making transponders available in a timely manner this year owing to the high number of entries. We already have plans to improve this next year, e.g. through the use of additional transponders.
Youth podiums and prizes
At Ixworth, we like to hold the podium presentations at the finish line as soon as we can after each race. For the Youth C/D/E race, this means that there are a total of 6 categories and potentially 18 riders to award after the Youth C/D/E race. While this worked well last year, it leaves little time to get the podium presentations done if there are delays processing the results in the narrow window between races.
Therefore we took the decision that for riders in Youth C/D/E race, where the ability differences between sexes are small, we would award 1st, 2nd and 3rd gender neutral prizes and podium for the overall winners (likely from the U12 category) and specific prizes for first place in Under 10 and Under 8.
For riders in the Under 14 and Under 16 categories, we intended to hold full podiums for boys and girls, but lost track of some of the riders after their races. It wasn’t our intention to provide different prizes for girls in these age groups compared to the boys.
We have listened to your feedback and will rectify this by forwarding on a prize to all the young ladies who stood on the podium today. Please contact us with your address details to secretary@westsuffolkwheelers.org
From feedback we received on the day, we understand that the younger riders value the recognition that comes from being able to stand on the podium. We will find ways to ensure that we can hold full podium presentations for all age groups next year – for example by holding them at a specific time at the Village Hall.