Race Rules and Cut offs

 Prior to being accepted into the event:

• All participants must read and sign the Participant Indemnity.
• Juniors only - (under 18 on race day) must have their parent or guardian advise the organisers, Rapid Ascent, of their intention to enter and the parent or guardian must read and sign an authorisation and indemnity.
• Competitors must follow the complete course as marked and directed, passing through all checkpoints on the course. Taking shortcuts or using any unfair means of obtaining an advantage over other competitors will result in disqualification. It is the competitor’s responsibility to ensure that the correct course is followed.
• Participants must wear the race bib provided by race organisers as the outermost item of clothing at all times. Not wearing a race bib as your outermost garment or not wearing it at all will incur a 15 min penalty.
• Competitors must complete each cycling leg on a non-motorised bicycle.
• Competitors must use the same bike frame and wheels for the entire bike leg and may only receive assistance from other competitors to repair their own bike. Penalty for using someone else’s bike frame or wheels and for lending your own bike frame or wheels to another competitor is 60 minutes for the borrower and 60 minutes for the lender.
• Competitors must use a certified cycling helmet when on the bike, and this helmet must be fastened prior to unracking your bike and must remain fastened until your bike is racked.
• Competitors shall not receive any external assistance on the course except inside the designated transition area. Cyclists may only accept mechanical assistance on the course from other registered racers. Penalty for being found to have received external assistance shall vary according to the nature of the assistance received from 60 minutes to disqualification.
• No riding of bikes is permitted in the transition area. Penalty 30 minutes.
• One competitor cannot provide assistance in forward progression through physical pushing / pulling / towing, or the provision of food or drinks to a competitor in another category except in emergency circumstances.
• Australian Road Rules apply at all times on all roads, tracks and trails.
• Drafting (slipstreaming) behind another cyclists is permitted on the cycling legs.
• Competitors must start, paddle the course and finish each paddling leg on a non-motorised craft.
• Competitors must use the same boat for the entire paddle leg and may only receive assistance from other competitors to repair their own boat. Penalty for using someone else’s boat and for lending your boat is 60 minutes for the borrower and 60 minutes for the lender.
• Paddlers found on the water after the official time of sunset (5:35pm) must have a solid white light of minimum 50 lumens turned on and pointing forwards at all times. Lights may be affixed to either the paddler or the boat.
• Paddlers must wear a Type 1, 2 or 3 PFD at all times during the paddle leg(s) with Race Bib worn over the top of the PFD.
• Drafting (wake riding) behind another paddler in this event is permitted on the paddle legs, however, obtaining assistance from any water craft (powered or otherwise) which is not part of the event is strictly forbidden. Doing so will result in either a time penalty or disqualification. The river is wide enough: it is your responsibility to ensure you do not receive external assistance.
• Any competitor who withdraws from the race MUST notify an official. This is an essential requirement to avoid unnecessary searches being conducted and emergency services being engaged.
• Only registered riders, marshals and officials may ride on the course.
• All competitors must carry the listed compulsory equipment for each leg. Failure to carry any listed item will result in a 30 minute penalty per item found to be missing.
• Failure to abide by rules may result in time penalty or disqualification.
• All teams and individuals are permitted to lodge protests against results or decisions enforced during the event. A judging panel of three Rapid Ascent Directors will adjudicate on all protests and other contentious matters, and their decision will be final.
• Rapid Ascent has sole discretion to alter or amend the race rules in order to increase the safety of participants or for any other reason deemed appropriate.
• If the race is cancelled or called off after it has started, it is each competitor’s responsibility to get themselves to a transition area as soon as you have been notified of the cancellation.

Paddlers must be competent in:

• Paddling their craft in flat water conditions.
• The ability to self rescue in the event of capsize.
• Paddlers must be able to swim 200m unassisted in open water.
 

Cut off times

 Cut-off times will be strictly enforced
Start of Leg 2 – you must depart Dom Dom Saddle by 9.30am
Start of Leg 3 – you must depart Kinglake TA by 12 midday
Start of Leg 4 – you must depart TemplestoweTA by 2.00pm
Start of leg 5 – you must depart Eaglemont Tennis Club by 4:00pm
Start of leg 6 – the paddle from Dights Falls to Docklands cannot be commenced after 6:00pm

Cut Off procedures

 • For teams who do not make the published cut off time, the next team member will be allowed to continue at the published cut off time. This team member will not have the race bib and this will signify to officials that this team is still racing, but is unranked.
• Individuals who miss a cut off may elect to miss the next leg and continue the race unranked. If they decide to do this, the competitor must turn their race bib inside out to signify their unranked status.
• If the last cut off is missed, then competitors must make their way via alternative means to the finish line.
• If you cannot complete a leg or are forced to stop or withdraw from a leg the following procedures will be followed:
• You must turn your bib inside out and you will now be an ‘unranked’ competitor. You will not be permitted to return to that discipline but you can recommence the event with the next leg
• If you have been rescued on the water, you will be taken to the nearest river access point or transition area. Or, if you withdraw from the leg by landing along the side of the river, please ensure you advise a Race Official of your location and condition as soon as possible – this will save us looking for you unnecessarily.
• When you get to the next transition area, advise an official that you did not complete the leg and hand over to your team mate who can continue the rest of the course
• Your team will be unranked, but you can still continue the event.