Event Procedure
The following outlines the typical event procedure for one of our Trailquests. This guide should be read in conjunction with our rules of competition. If you are new to Trailquesting there is always someone on hand to help you understand what to do at all of our events.
- To ride in any MTQ event you must have first registered for membership with us via this website. This is a condition of our insurance. Please do not turn up at an event if you are not an MTQ member as you will not be allowed to ride!
- Upon arriving at the event HQ you must go to the registration desk. The time window for registration is shown in the event details for each event on this site. If you have pre-entered the organiser will already have your MTQ number and entry details. If you are entering on the day, you must give the organiser the printed postal entry form from our website with your correct MTQ number on. Without this you will not be allowed to ride.
- Whether you have pre-entered or are entering on the day, a control card will be made out for you. The control card is a water resistant piece of paper with 36 boxes on it. It is punched with a plastic punch found at each control.
- Usually you will be given the event map at the same time as the control card. The event map is usually an extract of an Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50000 map, although 1:25000 scale maps may be used for some areas where more detail is required (such as events in forested areas). The map will be pre-marked with the locations of each control that you may visit. Please note that organisers print only a limited number of maps and if there are more entries on the day than anticipated, you may not get a map. Therefore, pre-entry is always highly recommended.
- You may start the event whenever you are ready within the time window allowed for starting. The earliest and latest start times allowed are shown in the details for each event on this website.
- When you start the event you will be given a control description sheet, which describes in detail how to find the control once you have navigated to the point indicated on the map, as well as how many points each control is worth. (For some events the map is already marked with the control values and therefore is only given out when you start along with the control sheet).
- You then have to navigate to as many control locations as possible within the time limit for the event, and the points gained at each are totted up as your score. If you are late returning you will incur penalty points which are deducted from your score.
- Remember to plan a route you can achieve in the time allowed that will yield you the maximum points. It is worth spending some time doing this before you start, and you can even start planning a provisional route when you are given the map.
- When you have navigated to the correct control location using the map, you should be able to identify the exact location of the control from the description on the control sheet. At the control site there may be a streamer, usually red & white tied to a feature near to the control itself. The control itself consists of a red & white square board of approximate 20cm square and a punch. Use the punch to punch the correct control location box on your control card. Please note that not all organisers use streamers as these make it easier for non-competitors to find and steal punches.
- When you finish hand your control card in at the finish desk. If you have genuinely punched a control in the wrong box or believe that the control was stolen (and are sure you were in the right place) then you must report this as soon as you have finished.
- The organising team will then tot up your score using a spreadsheet system and will typically attach each of the scores in order, by class, on a piece of string. This then forms the result for the event.
- Before you leave the event headquarters you must check you score! If you believe it is incorrect, tell the organiser before you leave the event and explain why you think it is wrong. If the organiser agrees it will be corrected.
- If you entered on the day, please also make sure you gave the organiser the printed entry form with your correct MTQ number on. If the results spreadsheet does not include your correct MTQ number you will excluded from the final results as our automated system cannot tell which membership account to put the result against.
- Later that evening or early next day, the organiser will send the results spreadsheet in. Our website will then automatically extract the results from the spreadsheet, publish them and calculate the relevant league tables. At this point the result will become official and cannot be amended, so make sure you check your score before you leave!
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