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So you're introducing an element of chance here by saying "no official starting time"?

Hmmmm ... I see where you're coming from. Maybe we SHOULD make it a straight race and have no timings. But then I always thought the idea was to be the FASTEST team round Zone 1.

We'd all have to get from the meeting point to our starting points by 1pm which means we'd have to meet earlier on the day to allow us to get there.

We'd have no way of verifying with each other if everyone was at their start point by 1pm so some people may complain that they got held up ON THE WAY THERE

You are a pessimist!

From OC every Zone1 station is reachable within less than 30 minutes for sure. So if we allow a full hour for planning and selection of station - everyone should be ok! So let's meet at 11.30 then.

Anyway, it's just an idea. Variation just makes thing a little more interesting and fun.

I'm not saying I don't like the idea.

In fact, I think it is quite a good one. Imagine the feeling of thinking you had a good time only to arrive at the finishing station and seeing Geoff and me standing there already

You won't beat us next time, curse you!

So long as no one pulls a fast one and leaves their starting station before 1pm then I think we're on for a good idea here.

I have a feeling that "pulling a fast one" is what might happen, and I think that both the starting and finishing stations should be drawn from the hat.

Or, even better, if there is more than one possible "Umpire", then a starting station could be chosen for each Umpire and the competitors would have the choice out of a couple of stations to go to.

Unless one was Vauxhall and the other was Chancery Lane or something..

I also like the idea of drawing "everything" out of a hat. Imagine that also direction/line is given for the start. Then everyone really gets the same start time!

You could allow the option of running to another platform (or station - then not counting the first station obviously) - but the clock has started for everyone!

The benifit is still that the winner will be known when you arrive at the designated finish.

The drawback may be that many teams select the same route. In 2004 everyone started at Vauxhall, but at least the finish station was open.

Having a pool of umpires/start stations is a good one, but then again the winner is not known at arrival.

Furthermore, I don't think "jumping the gun" would be a problem with individual starts. I mean, thinking people would cheat in any way would simply make the whole Z1C impossible (without enforcing Guinness Rules - and we don't want that, do we?)

No, I think the balance must somehow come from:
* Honest competitors (a rudimentary log book is a reasonable level of documentation).
* A simple set of rules that provide "socialising" immediately before and/or after the event.
* Yet providing enough room for strategy variations!

The Record is safe, we had an absolutely nightmare 3:55:33

We raised about £300 quid for CiN though so we are pretty happy.

D

3 hours 55 minutes?!

Can we have a full write-up please?

What's to say? Bad Route, Never Start at Tottenham Court Road! Avoid NR between Waterloo and Vauxhall when there are severe delays....

Hurrah!

My record as the slowest person ever to do Zone 1 is safe!

(3:57:58, in case you're interested...)

I prefer the rules as they have been for the last two races, personally.

The rules for the 2005 Challenge, with station-out-of-hat, worked splendidly and I would welcome another challenge with identical rules.

i think a finishing station out of a hat would be a superb idea!

I think a finishing station purposefully-picked to be a real **** of a station to finish at would be a good idea

Be evil and have Vauxhall as the finishing station, just to annoy everyone who'd want to start there?

Cheers,

Barry