STANDARDS

E H Strevens devised a set of Standards in tabular form, which provide individuals with an unending challenge, thereby providing motivation for continuous competition within the sport. The Standards, which are either times for set distances, or distances for set times begin at the age of 40 and become more generous with each passing year standards for women are similar to those for men but there is a phased shift to reflect physiological differences. More details are on the Standards pageAll this may sound confusing but its operation is quite simple and is best understood by example. Below is an extract from the Men's Standard Table for 50 mile time trials.  

It can be seen that as age increases so does the Standard Time.

Now supposing a 53 year old male rider competes in a season and his best time for 50 miles is 2:18:28, he would have beaten his standard by 12 minutes 30 seconds which is referred to as a plus of 12:30. As he has beaten his standard he can claim a medal from the Association. (Provided he has registered before the event - see Registering for Standards.) The next year, now aged 54, he rides again and this time his best performance is 2:19:10, which gives him a plus of 12:56. Although his actual performance has gone down his plus has improved so he can again claim a medal from the Association. The next year at age 55 he can only manage to do the 50 miles in 2:20:29 which again beats his standard but this time his plus is 12:46. As he has not beaten his best plus he cannot claim a medal and must try again the next year. In order to win a medal the following year at age 55 he must achieve a plus of 12:57 i.e beat his best plus. This means that he must complete a 50 mile event in a time of 2:21:26 or better if he wants to make a claim. The Standards are appropriate for virtually all riders. Elite, gifted competitors will set very high plusses and will need to keep on producing quality rides over their veteran careers in order to qualify for medals, whereas those with less ability will still be able to participate and have their own performances recognised.