Timing Chip

Timing chips come in various forms and sizes. In running, timing chips used to be attached to your shoe laces. Since that location often resulted in bent chips, and therefore, no results, these timing chips are all but extinct at this time. Nowadays, timing chips are generally attached to the back of your race bib in running events. In cycling, this has also become more common, but there are other solutions, such as handlebar-attached or fork-attached timing chips which are usually applied with zip ties or twisties. In official races like the Tour de France or Giro d’Italia, timing chips are generally combined with the riders GPS units and attached just under the saddle, or on the back inside the rider’s jersey. In triathlon, the swim discipline requires a different approach. As a result, timing chips are generally applied with a velcro strap to your left ankle (avoiding contact with the chainring on the bike). Timing Chips communicate with timing mats or timing receptors. Once the chip has passed over the mat or by the receptor, the exact time is then submitted electronically to the central computer for logging.