Here is an outline of the setup we use with our Omega timing system as not everyone will be familiar with it. Much of this description shows the equipment as we use it at track meetings, although brief mention is made of the timetrial and road race setup.

 

Omega Electronics is part of Swiss Timing, and their equipment is likely to be branded with other names from their extensive range. Some of our kit is branded with the Omega name, whilst other items bear the Longines marque.

 

First off, this stuff fills the van (left). Scoreboards, cables, timing strips etc all have to be squeezed in. This picture was taken at Herne Hill and not all our kit was needed here - we have some large stands to mount the scoreboards one above the other, and they were not needed on Good Friday.

 

In 2005 we still had our Transit vans and the scoreboards just fit in full-length. The new Vivaros are slightly shorter and the scoreboards have to go in at an angle.

 

First job is to put the timing strips down, and the picture (below) shows the finish line. Tracks follow the UCI rules in having a black line with white on either side. To improve picture quality for the photofinish I usually reverse the colours with tape. Nobody has so far commented.

 

The timing strips are of the 'normally open' type and have been used for many years. These days I suppose it would be better to use infra-red beams, but whether it's worth the expense when the kit isn't used very much is a debateable point.

 

All the peripheral devices such as timing strips and transducer (more on this later) are connected into the Omega Distribution Box (left). Timing strips can be used for start and finish points and the cables have to be plugged into the correct socket.

 

The picture shows a fairly basic setup with only a start contact from the 200 metre line, and a finish line contact provided. The latter doubled as a start when switched in for the distance events.

 

When a meeting includes traditional 2-man pursuits, we also put down track contacts for the pursuit stations, and run out a connection for a transducer (right) which detects the pressure wave from the starter's gun to send a start signal to the timing computer. Note the gunpowder burns from over-enthusiastic starters!

 

Another option for pursuit starts is to use an electronic countdown timer which gives a sequence of 'pips' followed by a simulated gun. This will activate the timing computer, and also open starting gates, if available. Although we don't have that bit of kit, it is in use at the Manchester Velodrome, where the timing system is otherwise identical to ours.

 

Next, the scoreboards. We have two Omega UNT4 units which are now a bit long in the tooth. In fact these models are no longer made and it is these which tend to give us the most trouble. These days we try to carry out any repairs ourselves.

 

Having said that, they are very effective. The boards can be configured to stand alone, as the picture (right) shows. In this instance both boards will display the same time, although it is impossible to cover the whole of a stadium with them.

 

A typical layout is shown (below) at Herne Hill.

 

Riders approaching the line can see a time, and the same board faces most of the spectators in the home straight. The other board faces the back straight spectators.

 

Another option we have is to mount them on large stands one above the other. This is a configuration which we normally only use at championships for pursuits and timetrials etc. In those cases, each board is programmed to display something different.

 

The next picture (right) was taken at Welwyn during the National Master's Championships, and shows this clearly. Here, the boards are set up for a pursuit race, where the top board displays the time of the rider finishing in the home straight, whilst the bottom board displays the time of the back straight rider. As an added piece of information, the riders' numbers appear on the left of the appropriate board.

 

The same configuration is used for events like the timetrials, where a 'time to beat' is displayed on the bottom board, with the rider's running time showing on the top.

 

The units have nine segments, the six on the right being used to show the time. This can be set to display times to the second (as in road races), or tenths, hundredths and thousandths. The three segments on the left are used to display the rider's number.

 

The picture on the right shows part of the 'guts' of the scoreboard. The prominent blue bit on the printed circuit is a rotary switch which sets the unit to show tenths, hundredths, thousandths etc. The grey button with the letter 'T' on is a test facility which sets off a programmed sequence in order to check all the segments are working.

 

Below this, and not too clear in the picture are rows of pins which, by changing the position of jumpers will alter the address of the board. It's these which tell the unit exactly what to display.

 

Now for the bits which do the business. On the left is our switching unit, the AL555. It's cabled from the distribution box, and gives us the ability to select start and finish points without having to alter the track wiring during a meeting. In a pursuit match we can also change a rider's finish line in order to give half lap splits (not very widely used, though!).

 

The AL555 is connected to the main timing computer, the TL5005 (shown below right). The set of buttons on the left deal with the actual timing, with one start channel and two finish channels. The extra finish channel is used in pursuits. Most of the rest of the keyboard display is either numeric (entering numbers etc), or giving us the ability to carry out various functions to set precision, synchronisation and so on. Note that our kit is branded Longines, one of the marketing arms of Swiss Timing.

 

The output from the TL5005 is fed direct to the scoreboards, which are all connected in series. The TL 5005 can also send a feed for television, although we don't have the interface kit to do this. Times are printed on the less than user-friendly 'bus ticket' roll on the right of the unit.

 

The next picture (below) shows how we set things up until we dispensed with the tall tower and began using new tripods for the camera. Here, the camera is mounted on the top of the taller tower whilst the lower platform provides a base from which to operate the timing. These days the low platform stands alone next to the tripod. We used to work at ground level but it's very difficult to see where the riders are on the track due to officials and riders getting in the way. Ideally we should operate outside the track for better visibility, but the logistics involved with extra cabling make that a non-starter. The vans are in the track centre purely for reading the photofinish laptop. We have tried them in the open air but can't read the screen!

 

All of the above text and pictures relate to how we carry out track timing operations, but we also use our timing equipment at the occasional timetrial or road race. It has never been that easy to photograph the setup we use at timetrials because we are usually more or less on our own and it can be quite a stressful time. However, Bob managed to take this quick shot (below) during the National Timetrial Championship in 2006. Our job is made more difficult by the typical poor location at the finishing area, and the picture shows this very clearly. In this example (right) the scoreboards shows the rider's number on the left of the display and the running time is on the right.

Of course, sometimes we do have more than enough space to work in. The picture below shows the finish of the 2007 timetrial championships where we were located in a very wide layby.

We operate in exactly the same way as described in the write-up of the 2005 Tour of Britain, in that a 'spotter' is placed a couple of hundred metres before the line to identify an approaching rider. This is then passed to the operator on the line who (quickly) puts the competitor's number on the board. The computer calculates the current time elapsed from the pre-programmed start time and this displays automatically. Of course, the difficulties arise when multiple riders approach the finish together - and the stress factor rises accordingly! Eh, Bob?

When we provide a timing facility at a road event, our scoreboards can be configured to show actual race time on one board, with time gaps on the other. Although there are no pictures of this actual setup, the principle is the same as that shown in the report of the 2005 Tour of Britain.