2011-06-25/26 ESCA National 24hr TT Champs

What I don't understand is all of this circuit switching. What's the reason for that?

I agree with MDCC tester's comments above, but I think its worth adding that a consideration in all long distance events is that it is necessary to keep the field more or less together.

This is essential in order to avoid the situation where marshals and the finish timekeeper are stuck at their posts waiting for some slow rider who is way off the back of the field but won't give up. In a 100 this can only be done by putting the slow riders off first (and this is one of the reasons for the bloody complicated entry form), but in a 12 or 24 it's done by sending the faster riders on more circuits than the slow ones.

I understand that on Saturday night John Warnock was not sent on one extra loop, which the organisers had intended him to take, simply because he arrived at the junction at the same moment as two slower riders and the marshals were unable to direct him onto the extra section without confusing the other two.

I think we may be beginning to see why its taking some time to get the final and definitive official result!