Part 11
Urban: Trials

11A  Overview

11A.1  Definition

The object of unicycle trials is to ride over obstacles. A unicycle trials competition takes place on a “course” containing different obstacles called “sections”. Each section is given a point value depending on difficulty. (Easy – 1 point, Medium – 3 points, and Hard – 7 points.)

A course typically contains anywhere from 20 to 80 or more sections and Riders earn points by successfully riding (“cleaning”) each section from start to finish. The objective is to earn as many points as possible by cleaning as many sections as possible.

The competition takes place within a specified time period. Sections may include narrow beams or logs, steep climbs, rocks, etc.

The average difficulty level of sections will vary between competitions depending on the ability level of the riders participating.

Section boundaries are defined by flagging tape and/or instructions that designate a start line, section boundaries, and a finish line.

11A.2  Rider Summary

This section is intended as an overview of the rules, but does not substitute for the actual rules.

• You must wear shoes and a helmet.
• There is no restriction on type of unicycle.
• You may change unicycles during the competition.

11B  Competitor Rules

11B.1  Safety

All riders must wear a helmet and shoes as defined in chapter 1D.1.

Gloves, shin guards, and knee protection are recommended.

11B.2  Unicycles

Any unicycle may be used. There is no restriction on changing unicycles during the competition.

11B.3  Rider Identification

The rider number must be visible on the rider or unicycle.

11B.4  Protests

A protest can be lodged by anyone against a Line Judge’s ruling. Protests typically arise when a bystander (another rider, or a spectator) observes a rider make an infraction that is not recorded by the Line Judge, or when an Line Judge gives the wrong penalty.

Protests must be lodged with the event director within fifteen minutes of the official results being posted. Protests must be in writing, and must note the rider, and section number and a description of the protest.

11B.5  Event Flow

11B.5.1  Rider Responsibility

The rider is responsible for knowing where a section starts and ends, and which route they are supposed to take.

If there is a lineup for a section, the rider must go to the end of the line after each attempt.

If two or more riders are on overlapping sections at one time, the rider who started first has the right-of-way.

11B.5.2  Score Card

The rider is responsible for their scorecard. If it becomes damaged, the rider can ask the Event Director for a new one. If it becomes lost, the rider will be issued a new card but their score will return to zero.

11B.5.3  Scoring Points

The preliminary course is divided in different sections of easy, medium and hard lines. Easy lines are worth one point, medium lines are worth three points and hard lines are worth seven points. The objective is to score as many points as possible by successfully riding (“cleaning”) sections within the specified time period.

Preliminary Round Points

During finals, the completion of a line with zero pedal grabs will be worth three points. During a pedal grab, the foot may touch an obstacle as long as the foot is in full contact with the top of the pedal/crank. A deduction of 0.5 points will be made for each pedal/crank grab used during completion of the line, with a maximum deduction of two points.

Final Round Points

A pedal/crank grab is defined as the rider placing their weight on an obstacle through the bottom of the pedal/crank which is in contact with the obstacle (see Definition Of “Cleaning” below).

A pedal/crank grab is considered complete after a clear takeoff by pushing through the pedal/crank and not though the tire.

The pedal/crank may be re-positioned during a pedal/crank grab without being considered a new grab as long as the pedal does not move more than the width of the pedal away from the initial position on the obstacle. Traversing an object in continuous half pedal width grabs will result in multiple pedal/crank grabs recorded.

A time stamp (to the minute) of each line completion will be recorded by each line judge during finals to be used in the event of a tie.

11B.5.4  Definition Of “Cleaning”

Cleaning a section is defined as follows:

1. Riding into a section. This is defined as the moment a rider’s tire crosses over the start line.
2. Riding through the section without “dabbing”. Dabbing is defined as follows:
   1. Allowing any part of the rider’s body to touch the ground or obstacle. If loose clothing brushes against the ground or obstacle but does not influence the rider’s balance, then this is acceptable (does not constitute a dab).
   2. Allowing any part of the cycle except the tire, rim, spokes, crank arms, pedals,or bearing caps to touch the ground or obstacle.
   3. Riding or hopping outside the boundaries of the defined section. The unicycle must be within the boundaries of the section at all times, even if the rider is in the air (for example, a rider cannot hop over a section boundary that turns a corner, even if they land back inside the section).
   4. Breaking the flagging tape or other markers that are delineating a section boundary. Touching or stretching the tape does not constitute a dab, as long as the unicycle remains inside the section boundary.
   5. Riding a section in any way that is not consistent with the instructions outlined for that problem.
3. Exiting the section. A rider exits a section when their wheel fully cross over the finish line, or are within a defined finish area (such as a taped circle on top of a boulder). If there is no clearly defined finish area or finish line, the rider has deemed to have exited the section when they are back on the ground at the end of the section. The rider must finish in control as demonstrated by remaining mounted for a 3-second count from a judge after exiting the section.

When hooking a pedal on an obstacle, it is acceptable for a rider’s heel and/or toe to initially contact the ground, as long as most of the rider’s foot is still on the pedal. However, after a rider is established in position, weighting the heel or toe on the ground constitutes a dab.

It is acceptable for a rider’s body to be entirely on one side of the centerline of the unicycle.

11B.5.5  Multiple Attempts

Riders may attempt any problem multiple times until they succeed or decide to abandon the section. During preliminary rounds, it is not possible to earn additional points by cleaning a section more than once, and no points are awarded if the rider does not clean the entire section. During finals a rider may re-complete a line with fewer pedal grabs to receive a higher score. Only the rider’s best result at each line will be recorded.

Similarly, the time of the best result will be recorded as the finishing time for each line. For example, if a rider finishes their final line at 25 minutes receiving 1 point but retries the line finishing the same line at 45 minutes with 2.5 points, their 2.5 points and 45 minutes time of completion will be recorded in the results. If the rider re-completes a line without improving their original score, the original time of completion will remain.

11B.5.6  Time Limit

All riders must stop riding at the end of the time limit. If a rider is mid-way through an attempt when the time limit is reached, they are allowed to finish that attempt.

The rider must gauge their time. No allowance will be made for riders who spend too much time at one obstacle and cannot complete the course before the end of the competition time period.

11B.5.7  Prohibited Activities

No rider may attempt any obstacle prior to the start of the competition.

Intentional modification of a section by riders or spectators is prohibited. Note that kicking objects to test stability does not constitute intentional modification if an object moves. If a section is unintentionally modified or broken by a rider, they should inform the Event Director or Course Setter who will return the obstacle to its original form if possible.

11C  Judges and Officials Rules

11C.1  Trials Officials

11C.1.1  Trials Director

The Trials Director is the head organizer and administrator of trials events. With the Convention Host, the Trials Director determines the course, obtains permis, interfaces with the community, and determines the system used to run the event. The Trials Director is responsible for the logistics and equipment for all trials events. Trials Director is in charge of keeping events running on schedule, and answers all questions not pertaining to rules and judging. The Trials Director is the highest authority on everything to do with the trials events, except for decisions on rules and results.

11C.1.2  Chief Judge

The Chief Judge is the head Trials official, whose primary job is to make sure the competitors follow the rules. The Chief Judge makes all final decisions regarding rule infractions. The Chief Judge is responsible for resolving protests.

11C.1.3  Line Judge

The line judges are responsible for judging whether a rider has successfully cleaned a section.

In the Final round, line judges will be responsible for counting pedal grabs of riders as they clean a section as well as time stamping competitors scorecards at time of line completion. In the case that a competitor re-cleans a line with an improved result the line judge should clearly mark the improved number of pedal grabs and time of completion on the competitor’s scorecard.

11C.2  Safety

If a Line Judge or the Trials Director feels the safety is compromised by a rider attempting a section that is beyond their ability, they may prohibit the rider from attempting that obstacle. In cases where a fall from an obstacle could be particularly dangerous, the Trials Director may also permit attempts only by highly skilled riders who believe they will qualify for the Finals.

11C.3  Scoring Methods

11C.3.1  Method 1

Method 1 is mandatory for all major competitions and is the recommended method for all other competitions.

Each rider is issued a scorecard (see example) at the beginning of the competition, and must give their card to a Line Judge prior to attempting a section. If the competition is self-judged, the rider attempting the section gives their card to another rider who must observe them attempt the section. If they clean the section, the line judge indicates that they have completed the section by initialing or punching the box corresponding to that section. At the end of the competition, riders hand in their cards to the Trials Director or to a designated person for tallying of scores. An excellent scorecard generator for this method can be found at https://trialscore.one/.

Example scorecard:

11C.3.2  Method 2

This method is intended for small events, and is not appropriate for larger events. Major events such as Unicon or national meets must not use this system of scoring.

In this method, one or two line judges keep track of scores for numbered sections on a computer or paper spreadsheet such as this:

11D  Event Organizer Rules

11D.1  Venue

In the Trials Comp, the organizers should postpone the event in case of wet weather and exchange all the affected parts of the course for dry ones (replacing pallets for example). These competitions should be canceled if considered dangerous for the riders. If postponed or moved to an indoor location the organizers must try to keep the allowances the same as outdoors competitions (metal pedals allowed for example). If originally on the competition schedule, these canceled competitions should be rescheduled during the convention duration. The event host should try to place events that may be influenced by weather conditions in the first days of the event, giving a larger period of time to reschedule it.

There should be no dangerous objects to land on if a rider falls off a high object. Sections should be constructed so that they do not collapse or fall over under normal riding conditions.

11D.2  Officials

The host must designate the following officials for Trials:

• Trials Director
• Chief Judge
• Line Judges

11D.3  Communication

11D.4  Age Groups

1. Scoring will be based on age groups in accordance with rule 1C.8.

11D.5  Practice

Ideally there should always be a separate practice area set up outside the competition area, for warming up prior to competing.

11D.6  Competition Configuration

The competition time duration is based on the number of obstacles and competitors. The typical time duration is 2 hours with an approximate formula of 2-3 minutes per obstacle to allow each rider time to attempt each obstacle multiple times, if necessary. The size of the course, number of sections, and number of riders competing at one time can also factor into the time duration of the competition.

Due to the size of the course and the number of competitors, the competition may be split into several time slots. The splitting should aim to have a broad range of ability levels within each time slot, to reduce the potential for lineups at particular obstacles. Splitting may be done randomly, by competitor number, alphabetically, or by rider’s self-rating of ability level.

Normally, all riders of all categories are free to attempt any sections they wish in the entire course. This is the recommended approach for all competitions. However, if there are space or time restrictions, the Event Director may use the following system to allow top level riders to skip the easiest sections.

The sections should be be sorted into Easy lines (“green”), Medium lines (“blue”), and Hard lines (“black”), according to the instructions provided in section 11D.9.3 (Assigning Difficulty Ratings to Sections).

All riders that successfully ride 100% of the Medium lines will automatically receive the points from all the Easy lines, without having to ride them.

11D.7  Assignment of Line Judges

Line Judges are responsible for judging whether a rider has successfully cleaned a section. For the finals round, line judges are to be provided with a synched stopwatch or clock to provide line completion time stamps to be used in the event of ties. There are several possible ways for an Event Director to organize Line Judges at an event:

• One Line Judge can be assigned to judge at each section. This is the best option but is normally not possible because there are normally more sections than Line Judges.
• Each Line Judge can be assigned to judge several sections in the nearby vicinity. In this case, it is the responsibility of the rider to ensure that a Line Judge is watching when they attempt a section.
• Riders can be split into groups, and one Line Judge is assigned to each group. This Line Judge would then follow the group around as they go from section to section.
• At small events, there may not be a need for Line Judges. Riders waiting to attempt a section may serve as Line Judges for the rider who is currently attempting the section. This is termed “self-judging”, and it is up to the riders to ensure that scores are honestly recorded. This is the most common method for smaller competitions.

11D.8  Participation By The Course Setter(s)

Due to the grassroots nature of many events, the course setter(s) are allowed to compete. Although the course setter may initially be more familiar with course sections than the other riders, this should not result in an advantage because everyone is allowed multiple attempts to complete sections. However, if the Course Setter(s) chooses to also compete, they must refrain from riding on the course prior to the competition, including while they are designing and building the sections.

11D.9  Course Preparation

In all competitions, section difficulty should be evenly represented at all levels from the most beginner to the most expert riders.

11D.9.1  Numbering And Describing Sections

Course setters should ensure that they have the following material for flagging and describing sections: flagging tape, duct tape, spray-paint, a staple gun, paper or cardboard, a felt marker, and large size Ziploc bags. Laminated cards with large letters A, B, C, etc. or 1, 2, 3, etc. are also very useful for labeling obstacles for description purposes.

Each section must be clearly numbered and have clearly marked start and finish locations. Be especially careful to clearly define the finish so it is clear when a rider has cleaned a section.

Assigning difficulty ratings to sections is not required. However, it is recommended that difficulty ratings be assigned to sections and listed on the rider scorecards, because it allows riders to quickly determine which obstacles they wish to attempt. If the restriction system described in section 11D.6 is used, difficulty ratings on obstacle and scorecards are a must. For international competitions it is recommended to add section instructions to each line. Those should include the following information:

1. Start: Description of the start location
2. Section: Description of the section and section boundaries
3. Finish: Description of the finish location
4. Sketch of the section (optional)

Using sketches is strongly recommended cause all riders do not speak the same language. In some cases it can replace written instructions.

Example Instructions and Sketch:

To make it easier to describe sections, label major obstacles with numbers and/or letters. These should be clearly visible at a distance. Plastic laminated cards with letters or numbers are good because they can be re-used at other competitions.

One good strategy is to label all boxes with numbers, and all beams with letters. This makes it much easier to include section descriptions such as “ride from Beam A to Box 6, without touching the ground.” Section instructions should not require or prohibit a rider from using certain techniques to complete a section. For example, the instructions must not prohibit the use of pedal grabs or bash guards in order to increase the challenge.

11D.9.2  Section Difficulty

The range in difficulty of sections should correspond to the range in ability levels of the participants. The easiest sections should be cleanable by all participants after one or two attempts, and the harder sections should require multiple attempts by the best riders.

It is highly recommended to include one or two sections that are so difficult that they may only be cleaned by one rider, or not at all. This will help prevent ties for first place, and may also help to increase the technical standards of the sport if a rider succeeds in doing something that has never been done before.

11D.9.3  Assigning Difficulty Ratings to Sections

Assigning difficulty ratings to sections is optional, except if required to set section restrictions for competition categories (see section 11D.6). However it is recommended as it helps riders plan which sections they want to attempt. The most important responsibility when assigning difficulty ratings is to be consistent. For this reason it is best to assign difficulty ratings after all sections have been built. Course setters should also try not to let their own strengths and limitations at different techniques bias their judgment of score values. This is especially important for rating sections that have similar difficulty levels but that require different skills (for example: hopping, riding narrow beams, pedal grabs, etc.). The sections can be sorted into “green” (easier), “blue” (mid-range), and “black” (harder). Each line should be marked clearly with one of these colors so that it can be seen at a distance. If possible, the same color scheme should be shown on the rider’s scoring card to make it easier for the riders to find sections of particular difficulty levels.

Two alternative methods can be used to assign ratings:

Relative Method: For the purpose of grouping obstacles by difficulty, the difficulty ratings can be assigned relative to other sections in the course. A typical course would have 25% Easy (green) lines, 50% Medium (blue) lines and 25% Hard (black) lines.

Absolute Method: Experienced course setters may assign Easy, Medium, and Hard lines based on absolute ratings of difficulty levels. The U-System, the open-ended difficulty rating system for unicycle trials, should be used to apply ratings. Note that the the U-system is NOT the same as the International Unicycling Federation (IUF) Skill Levels. Because the U-system is open-ended and based on rider consensus, description of reference obstacles is outside the scope of the IUF Rulebook. For information on the U-System, visit www.krisholm.com/u-system.

Difficulty levels can be grouped as follows:

Easy lines: U0-U2

Medium lines: U3-U6

Hard lines: U7 and harder

In addition to assigning Easy, Medium, and Hard groupings, experienced course setters may wish to label each obstacle with a U-rating. It may be helpful to rate all obstacles first, and then use this to group the obstacles by difficulty.

11D.9.4  Course Planning: Location And Materials

It is most important to make maximum use of available resources. Prior planning and proper site selection are essential. Expect to take at least one day to set a course for a major competition, plus time to assemble the raw building materials.

If possible, select a course location with an abundance of natural obstacles, or features that can be incorporated into human-constructed obstacles. It cannot be overstated that is much easier to make use of what is already there, rather than constructing new obstacles.

Sections may be set on natural features such as bedrock, boulders, logs, and hill slopes, and/or constructed from stacked pallets, railings, truck tires, junkyard cars, obstacles constructed from lumber, or any other material at hand. Often it is good to combine natural features with human-constructed obstacles.

It is highly recommended to also build a basic practice area to be set up outside of the competition area. This can consist of a small number of random obstacles, and is important for warm-up and to reduce the temptation to ride on the course prior to the event.

Make sure that there is plenty of extra building material (tools, screws, and raw materials) on hand to repair sections damaged during the event.

11D.9.5  Course Design

Sections should differ substantially from each other and test a variety of hopping and rolling techniques. Often, it is a good idea to mentally make a list of the different techniques in trials, and design sections that test each of them separately or in combination.

The course layout is controlled mainly by the available resources. If there are abundant natural obstacles, design sections around the most obvious natural features.

For either natural or artificial sections, a good way to maximize resources is to first construct several major structures that can be used as centerpieces, or hubs, and then design sections that center around these hubs. For example, a car, spool, or large boulder could serve as a hub, surrounded by smaller structures that lead onto and over the hub in different ways.

Building centralized hubs rather than independent sections allows for high concentrations of sections on less building material. Unlike conventional bike trials, it is not a problem to design overlapping sections, although sometimes it may cause delays as riders wait for their turn. Usually a combination of hubs and independent sections is best.

It is extremely important to design sections that are durable enough that they do not break or change during the competition time period.

Overall, a course should not favor left or right handed riders, or riders with right- or left-foot-forward hopping stances. For example, the Course Setter should include sections requiring hops to both the right and to the left.

It is best to design sections that provide challenge without undue risk. Typically the best-designed sections include moves that test balance and precision, rather than moves that are difficult only because they are big. For example, rather than constructing a big, basic drop or gap between easy terrain, increase the difficulty of the takeoff or landing areas by making them smaller or off-angle. It is strongly recommended to avoid building any drops to hard, flat ground that are greater than 1.5m height.

11D.9.6  Time And Space-Saving Strategies

If building material is extremely limited and there are very few participants, an alternative competitive strategy is to create an elimination round, instead of setting an entire course.

A small number of sections are set (as little as 1 section at a time), and riders attempt all sections. Any rider who cannot clean an obstacle after multiple attempts is eliminated. Then a second set of section(s) is set, and the process repeated until only one rider can clean the section(s). This option works with minimal resources but should be regarded as a last resort.

11D.10  Multiple Rounds

This new format is to be tested and report how it works during the next two years.

The competition is to be formed by multiple rounds on the same course. Each round will be managed as a single trials competition. All other rules remain the same and each round will reset the time limit and the number of points scored.

Each round will have a time slot and there must be at least 2 hours in between each of the rounds. Different rounds can be scheduled on different days. The organizer must keep the course well built for all the time it is necessary. In order to improve the next round, small changes can be made to the lines during the time between rounds. Riders’ suggestion have to be managed with attention and care, the final decision of adjusting a line is that of the main judge. No rider may attempt any obstacle during the time in between rounds.

The sum of the results of all the rounds determines the ranking that decides which riders will compete in the final.

11D.10.1  

11D.11  Final

When the competition has been completed, the top riders in each category would compete in a Final round for the championship. The minimum number of top riders would be 6 for each category with the upper limit up to the host. If there are fewer than 6 competitors in the highest level category, no Final is necessary. Having a Final in the Junior categories is also optional. The results from the prelims will be taken as the Final results in these cases. There should be at least 6-10 additional lines that represent the difficulty of the top riders. Categories may have different lines depending on the overall ability of each group.

In the finals, long lines with multiple skills can be built completely new or combined from existing lines which were used in the preliminaries. The host should take attention that the lines for the final are close together and on a place that is good for spectators. Depending on the used obstacles, there should be 20 – 30 minutes of competition time for each group. Between the competition and the final should be a minimum of a 1-hour delay, or on another day.

11D.12  Tie Breaking

A tie occurs when the competition finishes and one or more riders have completed the same number of sections.

Age group or preliminary (if used): The tie may be broken using the time the rider turns in their score card. Organizers must announce this ahead of time and clearly record the time from a consistent source to insure fairness across multiple heats. If there is still a tie, it will be broken by the quantity of “hard” lines, then quantity of “medium” lines, and then the quantity of “easy” line. If there is still a tie, then the riders will finish equal.

Finals: In the case of multiple competitors finishing the finals round on equal points, riders will be separated by the time they completed their last line with preliminary results used in the case of equal finishing times.

The time stamp given by the line judge will be used to separate competitors, with the fastest completion time of lines (to the minute) receiving the higher placing. In the event that the time stamp does not separate tied riders, the preliminary round results will be used for placings. If competitors remain tied after finals points, finals time stamp and preliminary round points, no tie breaker will occur and the riders will finish equal.