Footscray, Geelong and the Northern Combine are partnering again in 2020 to bring you the NorthWestern Handicap Tour - Swap Off or Drop Off. This is a 4 race series that joins together 3 different bunches and sets of experience to bring you the best racing possible through the winter.
We love handicaps. There aren't many other races where you start off knowing that you will get a 2-2.5 hour threshold effort (so you won't stay cold for long), working together with a small group of people to have the best chance to beat a field of 100 or so riders. The memories of being in a solid group at a handicap stay with you and your comrades for years. Not only that, but the fitness you develop from running a few of these will leave you in fantastic form for spring. This is classic Victorian racing.
How it works
There are 4 events with each race is a race unto itself - there will be podiums, prizes, etc. In addition, we will withhold some of the prize money at each race to accumulate prizes for the series winners. We want you there, and want you there for a few of these getting to know your fellow riders.
Your points will accumulate from the best 3 out of the 4 races. So don't worry if you can't make one or you get a not-so-ideal handicap - it is your top 3 results that matter. You will get 5 points just for racing (0 for not showing up as a DNS for a handicap is a dog move). The winner gets 15 points (plus 5 for racing), 2nd place gets 14 points (plus 5 for racing), etc. We are capturing the top 15 places each race, so you have an incentive to finish strong. We will also throw in a little bonus for those of you that are really committed - the 5 points you get just for racing add to your total, in addition to your top 3 results.
For the series winners, we will pay down to 10th place with at least a $1,200 pool! If there is a tie, we will then countback to the top 5 results, then 6, 7. If still a tie, we will look at the top places achieved in the race.
So, for each race:
| Place | Result Points | Entry Points | Total Race Points |
| 1 | 15 | 5 | 20 |
| 2 | 14 | 5 | 19 |
| 3 | 13 | 5 | 18 |
| 4 | 12 | 5 | 17 |
| 5 | 11 | 5 | 16 |
| 6 | 10 | 5 | 15 |
| 7 | 9 | 5 | 14 |
| 8 | 8 | 5 | 13 |
| 9 | 7 | 5 | 12 |
| 10 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| 11 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 12 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| 13 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| 15 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| 16 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Let's take Johnny as an example. He was keen and entered 4 out of the 4 races. His points over the series were as follows:
| Race | Result | Result Points | Entry Points |
| 1 | 32 | 0 | 5 |
| 2 | 15 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| 4 | 3 | 13 | 5 |
So for Johnny, he was in 4 races so he gets 20 points automatically for that. Then taking his top 3 results, he gets 1 + 8 + 13 = 22 for a total of 42 points.
Each club will bring their own flavour to each race. Footscray have provided pizzas for everybody after their big handicap race. At the Alf Walker Memorial, Brunswick will provide ride marshals for the limit (slowest) bunch to offer some guidance and assistance for those new to racing. Geelong and Footscray riders can enter Combine races at volunteer pricing (because you all volunteer). Combine volunteers are able to enter the Geelong and Footscray races at member rates for those clubs. Please note that for the Season Pass holders from the Combine, the pass cannot be used for Geelong and Footscray races.