How to Pin Your Race Number

It is not yet March, and bike racing is already underway in New York City with more on the way this weekend with the CRCA season opener in Central Park. Which brings us to one of our classic How To Guides from the TBD Journal: How to Pin Your Race Number.

As Clay first explained a few years ago:

Number pinning. This time of year, you're more likely to do it in the cold, dark, nervous moments before the race. So you might be inclined to skip steps in the rush to line up. Or maybe you've just been pinning up the same way all your life, blissfully unaware that there is a good way and a bad way.  Fear not, friends! (And, if you already have this under control, use this post as an excuse to help out your buddies.)

• I like six pins per number. Some prefer the security of eight pins, but if you've pinned up correctly, you shouldn't need a pin on each short end of the number, because it'll already be tight against your body. It's possible to get the job done with five – usually assuming that fewer pins means fewer opportunities to tear your jersey...but it also means more load per pin hole and increased risk of a flapping number. Spread the love!

• The holes in most numbers are confusing. The holes are for joggers, where a snug fit isn't necessary. Don't use them – instead, pin through the number material, through your jersey, and then back through the number again. Repeat: do not use the holes.

• Learn how much slack you need to leave in the number to account for the stretch of your jersey - if possible use a pillow to stretch the jersey in a more natural pattern, or if someone else is pinning you, have them do so while your in an on-the-bike-like position.

• Avoid pinning through mesh panels on your jersey. They're delicate, and prone to tear.

• Take care to pin only through your jersey and not your baselayer or bib straps. Nothing is worse than having futz around with a jersey attached to your bibs/baselayer when you’re trying to remove it in a port-o-john right before a race.

• Keep excess pins in a little jar, and don't litter. Someone's dog might eat one, or a tire (maybe even yours!) will roll over one. Littering contributes to people thinking cyclists are assholes.

(Also, check to be sure you’ve got two of the same number, and not one of your buddy’s numbers. Ask me how I know.)

Now that you've got the method of attachment down, there's the question of placement. For this, we need to remember why we wear numbers in the first place: for the officials, and for timing. Be considerate of the folks that have been kind enough to manage the race you're in, and put the numbers where they will be able to see them. The folks handing out the number will be able to tell you which side(s) (left, right, and/or over center back pockets - sometimes you get 2 numbers) to pin them.

This requires a bit of thinking: not too far down the side of your body that it is obscured by other riders crossing the line, but not too far onto your back that the camera can't catch it.

That sums it up. Follow this guidance and not only are you going to make results easier for race staff and officials, you'll get more accurate results and likely look good doing so, unlike this guy: