Software Solution for Time Trials

Post date: Dec 20, 2011 8:17:14 PM

I have had a number of requests for creating a simple solution for managing time trials, and have decided to take this on as a winter project.

The theme is "simple, easy-to-use time-trial management system for small/medium/club events usable by non-professionals".

Check back around Feb/Mar - I hope to get something out by then.

Please send me your suggestions!

Designing a solution for these events is always more difficult than expected. So far, thinking includes.

  1. Event Specs: date, time, distance

  2. Registration: manual input/Excel import of rider data (bib, name, team, license, category)

  3. Assigning start times: start times assigned based on previous results/gender/age/manual edit (drag and drop). Idea is to get reasonable sequence of riders from slowest to fastest. Assign standard gaps (30s, 60s, 120s) between starts once sequence is determined by wave.

    1. Printout of start times for riders (in clock time).

    2. Printout of start time for starter and officials (in stopwatch time).

  4. Synchronize race stop watches for all officials, start the race clock.

  5. Record race events:

    1. Finish times

    2. Easy way to record rider times separately from the numbers, then sync them up. This is essential to handle groups of riders crossing together. Easy input from manual stopwatch times.

    3. Chip reader interface (unlikely this is even going to happen, but you never know).

    4. Start-time adjustments (riders who jump early, riders started at the wrong time by mistake, etc.)

    5. Update rider status (DNF, DNS, DQ, PUL)

    6. Flexibility to enter late arriving riders during event and start them at the end.

    7. Suspend race clock for a given interval to account for unforeseen delays during the TT (course obstructed, etc.)

    8. Starter countdown app (shows next rider bib, name, gives countdown beeps).

  6. Get Results:

    1. Compute rider times: Finish Time - Start Time (+ account for any start adjustments)

    2. Maintain a leader list at all times (by category).

  7. Results output:

    1. Direct to printer

    2. Web (HTML)

    3. Excel

Of course, everything would be embarrassingly easy to use ;)

Don't see something that should be there? Send me an email.