Mountain Bike Orienteering (MTBO) is a very new and very exciting form of orienteering. Its popularity is rapidly growing around the world - and it is a sport Canada should be great at!! But so far we have had very few MTBO events in Canada - perhaps this event will be the start of a new craze.
Sponsors
News
Sept 20 | Trail Sports are providing prizes & great bike rental rates. Details below. |
Sept 18 | Axis Gear is providing prizes and great prices on map holders. Details below. |
Schedule
Saturday October 4th | ||
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9:00am - 10:00am | Clinic | Nordic Center Day Lodge |
10:00am - 10:30am | Sign-in | Nordic Center Day Lodge |
10:30am - 11:30am | Race | Nordic Center Stadium |
1:00pm | Awards | Nordic Center Day Lodge |
1:30pm | Course closing |
Results
Check the COF RouteGadget database to have a look at the map and the courses. You can draw your your routes and see the routes others took. And you can watch an animation (very cool) of the race.
Splits times (by course) | RouteGadget | Split Analyzer (RouteGadget tool) |
Registration
Registration is now closed
Categories & Courses
See Technical Details below for a list of categories and for course details
Entry Fees & other expenses
Pricing | Adults | Juniors (under 20) |
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Race entry (before Oct 2nd) | $10 | $10 |
Race entry (after Oct 2nd) | $20 | $20 |
Additional team members (max 3 per team) |
$5 | $0 |
SI Card rental | $2 | $2 |
Last Minute Registration Disincentive
On-the-day registration is possible, however only a limited number of maps will be available - and the entry cost will be WAY higher. Save the anxiety, register online before October 2nd.
Cancellation & Refunds
In the event you should cancel your entry, we�ll refund 90% if the cancellation is received in writing before October 2nd. No refunds will be given after then.
Club membership
You must belong to a Canadian provincial orienteering association or a national federation (for insurance purposes) in order to take part. Visit the Foothills Wanderers membership page to sign up. Membership is cheap and all memberships bought after September 1st are valid until the end of 2009.
Electronic Punching
All events use electronic timing. There is a small charge of $2/event to rent SportIdent cards if you don�t have your own.
Equipment
Bike & clothingYou will need the equipment that you would normally take on a ride at the Canmore Nordic Centre: a sturdy bike, a repair kit, normal riding clothes appropriate for the weather, and you should carry drink & food for about a 1 - 2 hour ride.
Map Holder
You will need some way to hold your race map so it is visible at all times. The key features are sturdiness, a rotating map holder, and the proper size. Click here for a comprehensive review of map holder options.
If you are not yet ready to commit to a commercial map holder you can contrive a homemade contraption. For inspiration check this idea or this one
** SPECIAL OFFER ON AXIS GEAR MAP HOLDERS **
If you do want to try a handle-bar mounted, rotating map holder we have a great deal for you. For this event we will have a very limited stock of Axis Gear map holders for sale and a very few for rent. For this event only we are offering the *amazing* price of just $55 to buy one or a mere $10 to rent (which can be applied to purchase price if you decide you want to buy right after the race). Because quantities are so limited, if you want to buy or rent please email Adrian (adrian _at_ barebones.ca) to reserve yours on a first come first served basis. Note: you must be registered for the race for this offer.
** SPECIAL OFFER ON BIKE RENTALS From TRAIL SPORTS **
Trail Sports at the Nordic Center has Rocky Mountain ETSX 10 bikes for rent. They're offering a 25% discount to MTBO participants - just $11.25 / hour. And if you want to buy one of the rental bikes they are on sale at great prices.
Clinic - Introduction to MTBO
Introduction to MTBO (Mountain Bike Orienteering)
Free clinic in the Day Lodge. No pre-registration required.
This clinic is for people who want to try MTBO for the first time. We will cover the rules, the map, navigation, route selection, and safety. No previous orienteering experience necessary.
Race Information
Super important information
- You must always report to the finish, even if you don�t finish your course. This is to avoid us worrying unnecessarily and/or pointlessly executing our emergency search procedure.
First Aid and Emergency
- Limited first aid is available at the finish.
- Contact Adrian Zissos in the case of serious injury or an overdue competitor.
- Medical services are available in Canmore and Calgary. Dialing 911 will contact emergency services./li>
Maps
Maps will be sealed in plastic bags. Legends will not be printed on the maps; control descriptions will be.
Control Descriptions
Are printed on the map. Loose copies with either IOF symbols & English text versions will also be available in the start chute.
Water
There is no on-course drinking water. Please keep this in mind and plan accordingly to stay well hydrated.
Electronic timing
SI timing is used for all events. There is no back-up punching in case an SI unit fails. If a unit fails we will endeavor to replace it as soon as possible. Obviously in the spirit of fair play we expect runners not to communicate with other runners about failed devices.
Event details
Saturday | Canmore Nordic Center: MTBO | ||||||
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Officials | Course planner: Adrian Zissos. Consultant: Margus Halik, Estonia: 4th place at MTBO World Championships in 2005 (Slovakia) and again in 2006 (Finland). | ||||||
Terrain | The Canmore Nordic Center has excellent terrain for mountain bike
orienteering with a complex network of trails ranging from easy, wide
tracks to technical single track. It also has lots of elevation gain to
provide route choice and a test of fitness and endurance. All controls are accessible from easy trails, but the faster routes will often involve taking more technical trails. |
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Map |
1:10,000 5m contours (possibly 1:15,000 for the long course - check at
the start) Drawn to MTBO mapping standards. To see courses from a Foot-O event held in the same area visit RouteGadget; the terrain & trail network is the same but keep in mind that the MTBO map will look different. New trails have been built since the map was made - especially some new sections of the "Orange loop". These sections will not be shown on the map. |
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Courses |
Long - approximate winning time: 45 - 50 minutes Short - approximate winning time: 20 - 25 minutes Both courses have intermediate navigational difficult. All controls are on the trails or slightly off them. All navigation can be done on double track or the gentler single tracks - though the fastest routes will include some intermediate-level single track. Expert riders will also have the option to take the most difficult trails if they want to. |
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Categories |
Open Long (men) Open Long (women) Masters Long (men) 45 & over Masters Long (women) 45 & over Team Long Youth short (men) under 20 Youth short (women) under 20 Open Short (men) Open Short (women) Masters Short (men) 45 & over Masters Short (women) 45 & over Team Short Family Short |
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Prizes | There will be prizes from Axis Gear & Trail Sports. In addition there will be a random draw from all finishers for an Axis Gear map holder. | ||||||
Start times |
Start time: 10:30am � 11:00am.
Interval starts, assigned at the start line. Course closing: 1:00pm (max time is 120 minutes) |
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Notes |
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Directions |
Park at the Canmore Nordic Center day lodge. The clinic is in the day lodge. Start & Finish are in the stadium. |
FAQ
Q. I've got a question - how do I ask it?
A. Send email to adrian _at_ barebones.ca. Or try phoning 403.262.4457.
Q. Is there any childcare organized? Or courses for kids?
A. Unfortunately not. If the kids are good riders they can go with their parents
in the Family category.
Q. What is the difference between MTBO maps and FootO maps?
A. They are very similar - the main differences are with the trails and tracks.
Because MTBO navigation and route choice depends on the condition of the tracks
- how easy to ride and how fast - there are a lot more track symbols. Have a
quick look at the
MTBO mapping standards and pay particular attention to the trail symbols.
Also note the very last symbol - a purple line across a trail that depicts a
blockage on the trail (we have not checked if any of the blockages have been
removed since the map was made).
Links
MTBO has somewhat different rules and map standards from foot-orienteering.For good overviews & introductions to MTBO visit these links:
* The Canadian Orienteering Federation's MTBO page.
* The British MTBO page
* MTBO mapping standards.