Final details

Luxembourg City Race

Welcome

Luxembourg Orienteering Club, newly set up in 2016, welcomes you to its first open orienteering event. Enjoy the novel experience of orienteering in the Grand Duchy – be part of orienteering history, while seeing part of Luxembourg’s history.

The Race

An urban event, with Middle Distance courses. Estimated winning times for all adult courses are between 30 and 35 minutes. Competition classes are as used for the City Race Euro Tour series, although this 2017 event is not part of that series.

The competition area covers the old heart of Luxembourg City, including the Grund district, and the Petrusse gorge. Be ready for complex route choices, steep climbs and narrow alleys.

Newcomers to the sport will be particularly welcome. At the event, it will be possible to rent the simple electronic punching/timing device that all participants must use.

Our sponsors

Date and Start Times

Sunday 5 November 2017. Start times 10.00 until 11.30 – note that these times are a little earlier than usual, as the City authorities would like the race to take place before the streets become busy. Please arrive early – the Event Centre will open at 08.30.

Event Officials

Planners – Ondřej Kotecký and Jevgenijs Sproge, Luxembourg OC
Controller – Jonas Wolff, Luxembourg OC
Organiser – David Roach, Luxembourg OC – please contact for queries via cityrace@orienteering.lu .

Map

1:4,000 scale, contour interval 5 metres. To IOF standard ISSOM 2007.

Mapping by Ondrej Piják and Barbora Pijáková November 2015, updated by Ondřej Kotecký October 2017. Cartography by Ondrej Piják, with updates by Ondřej Kotecký.

The map (A4 size) will be laser printed on Pertex water-resistant paper. Maps will not be in plastic map covers, but some map covers will be available at the Start (at -2 minutes) on a self-service basis.

For all courses, control descriptions (using the International Orienteering Federation standard symbols) and codes will be printed on the face of the map.

Electronic Punching/Timing System

The EMIT system will be used.

Start times and start lists

The link to the start list has been posted on the website on Monday 30 October.

Originally we had intended not to allocate any start times, and for competitors to simply queue at the start for the next available start time. However, there will now be a start list, with all pre-entrants (except for Courses E and F - Juniors and Children) now being allocated a start time.

Juniors and Children will not have set start times - this should give the flexibility that parents often appreciate. Juniors and Children will be given the next available start time as soon as they present themselves at the Start.

We apologise for this change in organisation. However this has become necessary because of the unexpectedly high level of pre-entries received. Please contact the Organiser via cityrace@orienteering.lu if the start time you have been allocated is going to be a problem, and we will do our best to help you. However please note that some courses are now very heavily subscribed.

Entry on the day

Entry on the day will also be available, at a higher entry fee, until pre-printed maps run out.

Courses and Classes

Class	Age Group	Birth Years	Win time	Entry on the day fee
Men	H21-34	1983 - 1996	30 - 35 mins	€ 10
Women	D21-34	1983 - 1996	30 - 35 mins	€ 10
Veteran Men	H35-49	1968 - 1982	30 - 35 mins	€ 10
Veteran Women	D35-49	1968 - 1982	30 - 35 mins	€ 10
SuperVet Men	H50-64	1953 - 1967	30 - 35 mins	€ 10
SuperVet Women	D50-64	1953 - 1967	30 - 35 mins	€ 10
UltraVet Men	H65 +	1952 or earlier	30 - 35 mins	€ 10
UltraVet Women	D65 +	1952 or earlier	30 - 35 mins	€ 10
Young Men	H17-20	1997 - 2000	30 - 35 mins	€ 5
Young Women	D17-20	1997 - 2000	30 - 35 mins	€ 5
Junior Men	H13-16	2001 - 2004	20 - 25 mins	€ 5
Junior Women	D13-16	2001 - 2004	20 - 25 mins	€ 5
Children Boys	H12 -	2005 or later	15 - 20 mins	€ 2
Children Girls	D12 -	2005 or later	15 - 20 mins	€ 2
Newcomers Long	ANY AGE			€ 5
Newcomers Medium	ANY AGE			€ 5
Newcomers Short	ANY AGE			€ 2

The Junior and Children courses are planned to avoid any busy road crossings.

Event timetable

08.30: Event Centre opens
10.00: First start time
11.30: Last start time
13.00: Courses close
14.00: Event Centre closes

Event layout

Glacis car park – Event Centre 800 metres, 20 minutes (via elevator, no other climb)
Event Centre – Start 700 metres, 20 minutes (via elevator, no other climb)
Finish – Event Centre 500 metres, 8 minutes (downhill!)

Travel and Parking

If travelling by car, please park using the “Glacis” open-air car park. This is the main car park for Luxembourg City Centre, and is free of charge on Sundays. (Other underground car parks are pay parking, and can be costly.) The Glacis car park is open to all vehicles under 3.5 tonnes, with no height or width restrictions.

There will be no event-specific road signage. The Glacis car park is well signposted. It is situated north of the main inner ring route around the old City Centre, about 400 metres west of the Pont G-D Charlotte (the “Red Bridge”, linking the city centre and the Kirchberg EU and financial services office district). If approaching the city centre from Route d’Arlon, it is necessary to first turn right on reaching the inner ring route, and proceed for about 300 metres before turning left and doubling back to join the northbound inner ring route. The main entry to the Glacis car park is on Avenue de la Faiencerie, 50 metres NW of its crossing with Boulevard de la Foire (near “N.51” on the event layout map above).

The event centre is located at the Sang a Klang concert hall, 1 rue des Trois Glands, L-1629 Luxembourg-Pfaffenthal. The route from the SE corner of the Glacis car park to Sang a Klang (about 800 metres) will be marked with red and white taping. Part of the route involves descending the (spectacular) Pfaffenthal panoramic public elevator opened in July 2016 – enjoy the view!

If using public transport, there is a bus service (line 23 towards Eecher Plaz) from the Gare Centrale (quai 7) at xx.21 and xx.51 on Sunday mornings (one-way fare € 2.00). The stop Théiwesbur (next after Vauban) is 100 metres beyond the event centre. Alternatively, numerous bus routes stop at the Fondation Pescatore bus stop on Avenue de la Porte-Neuve – the taped route from the main car park for the event passes this bus stop about 200 metres after leaving the car park.

If staying in Luxembourg and coming to the event on foot, please approach the event centre from Avenue de la Porte-Neuve and follow the tapes to descend the Pfaffenthal lift.

Event Centre

The Event Centre will offer the following facilities – shelter, event registration (both for entries on the day, and mandatory collection by pre-entrants of EMIT back-up tickets (pre-printed with entrants names), guidance for newcomers, EMIT electronic punching/timing device rental (€ 2, with ID or € 50 as deposit for safe return), EMIT download, and a large-screen rolling results display. There will also be limited toilet facilities, and an area for safe bag storage.

There will also be a Bar, selling coffee, cakes, snacks, some soft drinks, and post-race beers (including some excellent Czech lagers). Cups of water can be asked for, and will be free.

The Event Centre will not offer showers, formal changing facilities, or a crèche.

The Event Centre is an old and architecturally notable building, usually used as a choral and jazz concert venue. Please respect this lovely building – remove any studded or muddy shoes before entering. No dogs are allowed inside the Event Centre. Please do not leave any rubbish.

The Club has been surprised and pleased by the high level of interest shown in our first City Race. This does however mean that space at the Event Centre could be rather limited. Please try to avoid bringing large bags (unless you have checked out of a hotel), folding chairs, or club banners, and please economise your use of space as far as reasonable. Rucksacks and bags should as far as possible be left upstairs in the balcony area while you run.

Toilet facilities

Please pre-plan! As well as the very limited facilities at the Event Centre, there are public toilets at the foot of the Pfaffenthal lift, and also adjacent to the Start. (Unfortunately the public toilets at the Glacis car park are shut on Sundays.)

Registration – at the Event Centre

Pre-entered competitors – all competitors who have pre-entered must still visit the Event Centre, to collect their personalised EMIT “back-up” tickets – as well as acting as support in the event of any electronic punching problems, this pre-printed card ticket serves as proof of payment of the entry fee, which will be checked at the Start. Please collect your EMIT back-up tickets from the “pre-entries” desk. If collecting back-up tickets for other club members, please be sure that they are expecting you to do this!

You will be asked to pay any entry fees that are still outstanding. Payment must be in cash – we do not have any facility for handling bank cards.

A few pre-entrants have, by mistake, stated the number of their SI electronic punching/timing unit. These competitors will be expected to either show their personal EMIT electronic punching/timing unit, or to rent one for the day and leave the necessary deposit (“caution”).

Entry on the day competitors, and newcomers – please complete the short entry form with your name, details, and course / class choice, before coming to the “entry on the day” desk. (Blank forms will be on a nearby table.) If you need to rent an EMIT electronic punching/timing device, please leave the EMIT number box blank, but put a ring round the “hire” option on the form.

Then hand the form to the “entry on the day” desk, and pay the entry fees as shown in the table above, plus any EMIT rental fees (€ 2 per unit). Payment must be in cash – we do not have any facility for handling bank cards.

You will be given a EMIT back-up ticket, indicating the course you have entered, to show to an official at the Start that you have entered properly.

EMIT rental – please go to the “EMIT rental” desk after visiting the “pre-entry” or “entry on the day” desks.

As noted above, to rent an EMIT electronic punching/timing device, you will be expected to leave EUR 50 in cash (per EMIT), or some form of ID (which can cover multiple EMITs), as a deposit (“caution”). The EMIT rental desk will put your cash or ID in an envelope marked with your name and the EMIT serial number(s), and retain this safely. On returning from your course, your envelope will be returned to you in exchange for the return of the EMIT electronic punching/timing device(s).

Newcomers – one or two of our experienced club members will be manning a “Newcomers” help-desk, and will be able to guide you on which course to enter, or answer any other queries that you may have. Do please ask!

Unfortunately we will not have any orienteering compasses available for loan. (Although very reassuring, a compass is not essential for urban orienteering.)

Loose control descriptions lists will only be distributed at the Start, not at the Event Centre. The only exception will be that Newcomers will be able to pick up a loose copy of a “translation” of the descriptions into “written word” form, when making their entry on the day at the Event Centre.

Start

Please allow 20 minutes to get to the start – it is about 700 metres from the Event Centre, returning back up the Pfaffenthal panoramic public elevator, and branching away from the route from parking at a sign near the top of the elevator. The route to the Start will be marked with blue and white taping once it diverges from the route from parking.

There will be no arrangements for moving clothes from the Start to the Finish, or back to the Event Centre.

For pre-entrants with allocated start times, at 3 minutes before starting, your start time will be called, and you may pass into the start area. A clock will be displayed showing the time of call up (i.e. 3 minutes fast compared with event time.

For entry on the day competitors, and anyone else who is late and has missed their start time, please report to the start official. He or she may allow you to go into the start area immediately, or you may have to queue for the next available start time for the course you have entered.

A check will be made to make sure that all competitors have a valid EMIT back-up ticket – so please take care of this ticket, and don’t lose it before you start!

At 2 minutes before starting, you will be called forward into the next area. Please pick up a loose paper copy of the control description list for your course, if you would like an extra copy. For Course F (the course for Children), this paper copy will show the descriptions in written words, rather than the standard IOF symbols. As noted above, all maps are also pre-printed with the control codes and descriptions.

At 1 minute before the start, you will be called into the final start area. A few seconds before you start running, you will be instructed to “EMIT” – in other words to place your EMIT electronic punching/timing device onto the EMIT sensor on a trestle. This clears old data from the timing unit. Your race timing starts as soon as you hear the instruction (beep) to start, and lift your EMIT device away from the sensor.

Pick up your map, pre-printed with your course. Check carefully that you have picked up a map that shows the course you have entered. Good luck and enjoy your run!

On the course

All controls will have the control flag hanging from a small, light trestle. Attached to the trestle will be the EMIT timing sensor. At each control, please be sure to press your EMIT device fully onto the sensor, so that your visit is recorded.

Please check that the control number shown on the EMIT timing sensor is the number of the control you are looking for, as shown on the control descriptions. In some areas, controls are placed quite close together.

Course information

Class	Age Group	Birth Years	Course	Length (km)	Climb (m)
Men	H21-34	1983 - 1996	A	3.7	200
Women	D21-34	1983 - 1996	B	2.8	140
Veteran Men	H35-49	1968 - 1982	B	2.8	140
Veteran Women	D35-49	1968 - 1982	C	2.6	100
SuperVet Men	H50-64	1953 - 1967	C	2.6	100
SuperVet Women	D50-64	1953 - 1967	D	1.9	75
UltraVet Men	H65 +	1952 or earlier	D	1.9	75
UltraVet Women	D65 +	1952 or earlier	D	1.9	75
Young Men	H17-20	1997 - 2000	B	2.8	140
Young Women	D17-20	1997 - 2000	C	2.6	100
Junior Men	H13-16	2001 - 2004	E	1.6	60
Junior Women	D13-16	2001 - 2004	E	1.6	60
Children Boys	H12 -	2005 or later	F	1.2	10
Children Girls	D12 -	2005 or later	F	1.2	10
Newcomers Long	ANY AGE		G	2.7	140
Newcomers Medium	ANY AGE		E	1.6	60
Newcomers Short	ANY AGE		F	1.2	10

During your race, please take great care of your safety, and that of other people. In particular:

A number of busy roads are marked as out of bounds on the map (purple hatching). You must NOT cross these roads, except where gaps in the out of bounds are shown – typically these will be at traffic lights or pedestrian crossings. You may however use the pavements beside such roads.

You must obey the Luxembourg “code de la route” at all times, especially when crossing roads with traffic lights, where red lights must be respected. This is a condition for the Club being allowed to hold this competition.
Be mindful that there are tourists and other non-orienteers in the Ville – please respect all members of the public, and be particularly careful when running round building corners.
Please do not run through restaurant outside seating areas. Many of these are marked on the map as small out of bounds areas, but the mapper cannot be sure to have identified all such areas.
There are some high cliffs and very steep drops in some parts of the competition area used by the courses for adults. The courses have been planned to keep you away from danger, so if you find yourself near the edge, please step back.
You take part in this competition at your own risk. Luxembourg Orienteering Club asbl declines all liability, to the maximum extent permitted by law.

It is strictly forbidden to use any public lifts during the race.

Courses A and B visit an area of wood and steep grass (around 10% of the course). The optimum routes on other courses are entirely, or virtually entirely, on tarmac, gravel or concrete. Please wear appropriate footwear.

Some parts of the competition area, especially around the Palais Grand-Ducal and Place Guillaume, are currently major construction sites. It has been hard to map the impassable areas legibly and accurately, but a narrow passage on foot along all significant streets remains open.

Some narrow passages and covered areas near the Start are not accessible on Sundays. These passages are marked on the map with a small mauve overprinted bar, at each gated entrance.

The area is crossed by two high road bridges, each mapped with a bold mauve bridge symbol at either end of the bridge. The optimum routes for Courses A, B and C pass under one of these bridges at least once. For clarity, the map does not show paths, tracks and roads where these are directly beneath these high bridges. There are no paths, roads or track that do not link to a path, road or track the other side of the bridge as shown on the map.

All courses close at 13.00, and you must go to the finish at or before 13.00. Controls will be removed starting promptly at 13.00.

Finish and afterwards

You must EMIT at the trestle adjacent to the finish banner. At this point, your overall time for your run will be recorded. There will be no drinking water provided at the Finish.

Please then return to the Event Centre. The route back will be marked with green and white taping.

At the Event Centre, you must go to the “download” point at the secretariat, to download the data on your EMIT, and have your result recorded.

You MUST, without fail, download before 13.15, so that the organisers can be sure that you have returned safely from your course.

Please be sure to return your EMIT device, if you rented it.