GPHXO Bike-O
General Description

(This page provides a general description of the Greater Phoenix Orienteering Club's Bike-O events. The information here is general and may or may not apply to any specific event. Please see the individual event webpage for details of your specific event.)

Summary:

The Greater Phoenix Orienteering Club sometimes offers a course called a Bike-O. During a Bike-O, participants take up to a designated time limit to search for controls indicated on a pre-printed orienteering map. Depending on the rules of the individual event, two types of Bike-O course formats are used: Classic and Score-O.

In a Classic Bike-O, participants visit controls on a map in numerical order. The participants first visit control #1, then #2, and so on. Results for the Classic Bike-O are ranked based on the amount of time the participant takes to visit all the controls.

In a Score-O format, controls are assigned different point values based on the distance they are located from the starting point and on the navigation difficulty. Participants are not required to follow a set course but instead try to maximize their point total through their own route choice. Participants are given a set amount of time to visit as many controls as they can. Lower-point controls are typically located closer to the start line and are easier to find. Higher point controls are typically found further away and can include some navigation challenges.

Scoring for the Score-O is based on point values assigned to the different controls. Controls assigned a number 10-19 are worth 10 points. Controls 20-29 are worth 20 points. And so on. The points available for any given course varies. The Score-O courses are often set so that it is physically impossible for the most advanced orienteers to visit all available points. In this case, higher scores are obtained by those selecting the more efficient route.

Bike-O controls are placed in locations near existing bike trails. They are not placed on the bike trails themselves but are placed on features that are easily distinguishable on the map. Participants are not allowed to ride their bikes off the trail. Instead, the participants must travel to a point on the trail near the control location and travel the remaining distance on foot. All Bike-O controls are within 200 meters of a trail. Navigation for a Bike-O is typically easier than the navigation used during a foot-O event.

The bike trails are marked on the map and are classified as "easy", "slow", or "difficult". Both the width of the trail and the difficulty classification are represented on the map. A wider line indicates a wide trail; a narrow line indicates a narrow trail. In addition, the dash pattern of the line indicates the ridability with a solid line indicating "easy", long dashes indicating "slow", and short dashes indicating "difficult" riding.

Categories:

Results for the Bike-O are separated into the following categories:

  • M (open male)
  • F (open female)
  • TM (all male team)
  • TF (all female team)
  • TX (mixed male and female team)

Typical Schedule:

08:30 Bike-O Registration Begins
09:00 Bike-O Course Opens
Registration Ends/
Last Time to Start the Course

This time varies depending on the course. For a Classic Bike-O, the participants may remain on the course until the course closes. Participants who return from the Classic Bike-O course after the course closes will be marked as "DNF".
For the Score-O Bike-O, the time to finish the course is calculated using the formula:

(Finish Time) - (Length of Time Allotted to Complete the Course) = Last Time to Start the Course.

Score-O Bike-O Examples:
  • Two-hour Score-O Bike-O, finish time = 1:00. The last time to start the course is 11:00.
  • Two-hour Score-O Bike-O, finish time = 2:00. The last time to start the course is 12:00.
  • Three-hour Score-O Bike-O, finish time = 2:00. The last time to start the course is 11:00.
Finish Time/
Bike-O Course Closes

This time varies depending on the course. The finish time is advertised with each event's details.

In a Score-O Bike-O, ten points are deducted for each minute or part of a minute participants arrive after the allowed finish time.

Score-O Bike-O Examples:
  • Finish time is 1:00:00, participant comes in at 1:00:00 (on time). No points are deducted.
  • Finish time is 1:00:00, participant comes in at 1:00:01 (1 second late). 10 points are deducted.
  • Finish time is 1:00:00, participant arrives at 1:00:59 (59 seconds late). 10 points are deducted.
  • Finish time is 1:00:00, participant arrives at 1:01:00 (60 seconds late). 10 points are deducted.
  • Finish time is 1:00:00, participant arrives at 1:01:01 (61 seconds late). 20 points are deducted.
DNF Time
(Did Not Finish)

For the Score-O Bike-O, the "Did Not Finish" time is the announced finish time + 30 minutes.
For the Classic Bike-O, the "Did Not Finish" time is the time the course closes.

For the Score-O Bike-O, participants arriving after the finish time plus 30 minutes are marked as "DNF" (Did Not Finish).
For the Classic Bike-O, participants arriving after the course closes are marked as "DNF".

Score-O Bike-O Examples:
  • The finish time is 1:00. A team arrives at 1:30:00. 300 points are deducted from the team's score.
  • The finish time is 1:00. A team arrives at 1:30:01. The team is marked as DNF.

What to bring:

Whistle Mandatory for all. Available for purchase for $1
Compass Mandatory for all. Available for purchase for $1
Sun screen. There is no shade on the course.
Water There will be water at the start/finish . We will also have one or two water stations on the course. However, you are strongly encouraged to bring your own water bottles or a camelback.
Sturdy hiking shoes and
Long pants
You will encounter cactus, cat claw, and loose terrain.