Start Groups
Why Choose a Realistic Start Group?
It is essential to choose a realistic start group that suits your riding ability and speed to limit congestion on the single track and maintain the flow of all cyclists in the event. There will be very little congestion if everyone starts in a suitable group.
How to Choose a Realistic Start Group
In the online entry you will be asked to list one previous individual mountain bike result with event name, distance, the year of the event, your finish time, your overall placing (irrespective of age or gender divisions) and overall number of finishers in your distance (irrespective of age or gender divisions). You will then need to request to start in one of six start groups. Base your choice of start group on your listed result. Race organisers will check your listed result, scrutinise your start group request based upon this previous result and will either approve your requested start group or re-allocate you to a lower start group. The scrutinising process will take into account your percentage position in the overall field, your percentage time behind the winner and the speed of the winner. It is hoped that changes don’t need to be made to your requested start group when scrutinising however any changes that are made will be final. Please understand that the only way this system can work successfully is by basing start groups on past results. At the end of the day you could still start in group 5 and finish with riders in the first start group if you really are that good.
You want to be in the same start group as your friends
If you wish to start in the same start group as your friends, you should all request the same start group which suits the slowest friend’s previous result otherwise you may end up being placed into different start groups.
Listing Past Results
There will be two options for listing your past result in your online entry:
- You have completed at least one of the events listed on the ‘Event Name’ menu in the online entry form. This list includes the larger Australian mountain bike marathons including Capital Punishment. If you have finished Capital Punishment in the previous 3 years and choose the equivalent or slower start group (overall percentage in field) for the same race distance as your previous Capital Punishment finishes, your start group request will be approved. If you have improved significantly since a previous year’s Capital Punishment, and want to choose a faster start group, you should list a result in another more recent event. If you have completed more than one of the listed events, choose only your best result if you still have the same fitness level. You can view the events that will be listed on the ‘Event Name’ menu in the online entry form using the RESULTS SPREADSHEET. This spreadsheet will allow you to confirm any result from the past three years in any of the listed events and based upon your result, see your Ideal Start Group in either Capital Punishment 50km or 100km. Use the provided Ideal Start Group for your Start Group Request in the online entry form. You must use results from the past three years. You may only use results prior to 2012 if you have nothing more recent. Note that results prior to 2012 may not be taken into consideration in the start group approval process. Also note that some of the listed races do not provide results across all years.
- You have not completed any of the events listed on the ‘Event Name’ menu in the online entry form but have completed other relevant events preferably within the last 3 years. You should choose ‘other’ from the ‘Event Name’ menu in the online entry form and then list one result from a relevant event such as a large individual mountain bike event of longer than 30km with over 250 individual starters. Note you must provide a working URL which links directly to your result for this result to be taken into account for the start group approval process. Also note the following types of bike events should not be listed: Relay events or team events, multi-day stage races or fixed time events (ie 6 hour, 12 hour or 24 hour events). For an example of how the percentage position in the field of your ‘other’ result approximately relates to start group in Capital Punishment, refer to the table below. Note however that other factors such as your percentage time behind the winner and the speed of the winner are taken into account in the scrutinising process. If prior to February 16, you don’t have a relevant result, you may be moved to the last start group.
100km Start Group Timings
| Start Group | Start Time | Number of Starters in Group | Time gap between previous start group |
| 1 | 7:00am | 75 | 0 |
| 2 | 7:05am | 79 | 0:05 |
| 3 | 7:10am | 81 | 0:05 |
| 4 | 7:20am | 82 | 0:10 |
| 5 | 7:30am | 75 | 0:10 |
| 6 | 7:40am | 154 | 0:10 |
50km Start Group Timings
| Start Group | Start Time | Number of Starters in Group | Time gap between previous start group |
| 1 | 7:00am | 61 | 0 |
| 2 | 7:05am | 46 | 0:05 |
| 3 | 7:10am | 41 | 0:05 |
| 4 | 7:15am | 53 | 0:05 |
| 5 | 7:25am | 207 | 0:10 |
You have no past results
If you have never completed any relevant mountain bike event before you should choose to start in the last start group. From the ‘Event Name’ menu you should choose ‘I am choosing the last start group as I do not have any relevant results’. Then select Start Group 6 as your ‘Start Group Request’. If you are planing on riding in a relevant mountain bike event prior to February 16 you should choose ‘I have not ridden any relevant events yet but planning to prior to 16 February’. Then return to your entry via the ‘User Profile’ button to input your result at a later time but prior to 16 February.
Amending your past result and start group request online
You may amend your start group request and past result online by logging back into your entry via the ‘User Profile’ button at any time up until close of entries. You will not be able to amend your start group request or past result online after the close of entries or once your start group has been approved or re-allocated. The approval process will be worked upon from late January and will be completed by 21st February.
Start Groups on Race Day
YOU MUST START IN YOUR APPROVED START GROUP ON RACE DAY AS SHOWN ON YOUR BIKE RACE NUMBER PLATE. Your race time will be calculated based upon your approved start group. The timing system will automatically disqualify anyone not starting in their correct group. This will only be adjusted if you are late to your start. The disqualification will not be adjusted if you start in an earlier start group than your approved one.
You must be in your start group location 5 minutes before your start group start time for the compulsory pre-race briefing. There will be a short pre-race briefing before the start of each group.
Your actual allocated start group will be shown after 21st February in the Participant List.