VeloViewer WorldTour: Best Practice for Race Organisers

Help videos

Initial Set-up

  • AIOCC will send an email to all members with welcome/introductory information, links to VeloViewer resources and ask a suitable representative of the Race Organiser to get in touch with worldtour@veloviewer.com providing your Race Organiser name and a list of their AIOCC registered races. Or you can just contact us directly using the email above providing that same information.
  • Rachel or Ben at VeloViewer will get back in touch asking for a few more specific details.
  • A Race Hub for each Race Organiser will be created containing placeholders for all of their AIOCC registered events.
  • The nominated ‘admin’ person within the Race Organisation will then be able to add other users to the Race Hub. There is no limit to the number of users.

Race Preparation

(i) Race Routes

  • VeloViewer will add top level race information from the UCI calendar to your Race Hub and they will show as Planned Races until the race route files are received.
  • Race Organisers will create provisional race route files. Our preferred software is RideWithGPS as the route exports are higher quality and it is more reliable.
  • Race Organisers should send files (e.g. GPX, KMZ etc) for their provisional race routes to VeloViewer.
  • VeloViewer will add these and you will see them in your Race Hub. Initially the routes will only be available in your organisation’s Race Hub, Teams will not be able to view them.
  • Race Organiser can then do recons using VeloViewer Live app and revise your routes as required. If there are any route changes, then you update your own versions of the routes (e.g. in RWGPS) and send updated GPX files to VeloViewer who will make these changes in the Race Hub.

When sending GPX/KMZ files, please DO NOT send the following – the quality will not be good enough and we will not be able to process it:

  1. GPS recordings (from a vehicle or bike). The routes will never follow the road to the accuracy needed for VeloViewer to work effectively for teams and other stakeholders. Key areas (junctions, descents, built-up areas) are always messy.  Files MUST be created by plotting out the route, preferably using RideWithGPS.
  2. Files with reduced number of data points. Always ensure exported files include all available data points.
  3. Routing tools to avoid: OpenRunner (always lacks required number of data points); Garmin Basecamp unless you install the OSM maps (Garmin’s roads don’t line up with reality compared to OSM based mapping tools); Some national mapping services e.g. UK’s Ordnance Survey (like Garmin, these tools’ roads don’t match up with actual roads)

It is critical that route accuracy is as good as we can possibly make it. Riders have these routes on their head units during races and will be looking at them when descending at high speeds, any mapping errors/deficiencies may have major safety implications for riders. OSM based mapping using a tool like RideWithGPS provides that best quality.

We realise that you will have your own existing processes for creating files which have been adequate for running your race, now that VeloViewer is working with so many race organisers, we need to implement quality and safety standards. If your files aren’t up to the required quality, we will ask you for new versions plotted out with a more suitable tool. We don’t do this to be difficult, we do this because it is a critical rider safety issue.

(ii) Adding Waymarkers (POIs)

  • Race Organisers should add waymarkers during your race preparation in VeloViewer as early as possible, ideally before the routes are available to the Teams. This can be done when viewing a route in the Race Hub or, when on the road, in the Live App.
  • An importance level can be set against each waymarker, this will determine whether it will be shared with Teams (levels 0 – 3) or just visible within your organisation (levels 4+):
    • Level 0: Essential race info e.g. Sprint/Bonus, KOM (HC/1/2/3/4), KOM start, Pavé/Gravel start/end.
    • Level 1: Critically dangerous features. Often an unexpected element. Would always be considered dangerous. If not addressed appropriately, a crash/incident is highly likely.
    • Level 2: Route features that could be dangerous in certain circumstances. If not addressed appropriately, there is a moderate chance of incident/crash.
    • Level 3: Other info that could be useful to the Teams e.g. Waste/Feed zones, PPO, Anti-doping, Parking.
    • Level 4 (and above): Race Organiser only – All other features, Normal junctions, Info for marshals, logistics for signage/barriers, other information for Race Radio.
  • An optional description can be set which is also shared with the teams (on level 0 to 3 waymarkers). You can also set a private notes field against any of your waymarkers which is only visible within your organisation to help with race logistics, e.g. signage/marshalling.
  • For climbs, teams have fed back that they would like the climb name entered into the description field on the KOM waymarker. Also, if you have pavé/gravel sectors which are named/numbered then please add that information to the description to the pavé/gravel start waymarker.

(iii) Making your files available to Teams

  • When you are ready the race routes can be shared with the Teams. This could be straight away or it can be scheduled for a specific date (e.g. the route presentation).
  • Teams often want to begin their preparation many months before the race and expect some route changes to be made when necessary so the earlier the routes can be shared with the teams the better.
  • Once race routes have been made available to Teams, any further changes to the routes will still need to be processed by VeloViewer. Any changes will be listed in the Notes Log so it is clear to Teams what the changes are.
  • You can continue to add/edit your waymarkers once the routes are shared to the teams.

(iv) Exports for Road Books

  • The following data can be exported:
    • A CSV file with waymarkers along with expected arrival times for three given speeds for use in the race schedule.
    • Profiles of the climbs.
    • Maps.
    • The GPX/TCX files with all waymarkers.