The Hourglass, Dual Lap Course
how are they going to handle the 2 loop system?
Think of the hourglass coure as, well, an hourglass (this is a functional, not an actual description). The top half of the hourglass is the Red Lap and the bottom is the Green Lap. Where the hourglass pinches together in the middle, that is where the 2 timing points and transitions are. So, you do the red lap, then you automatically go straight onto the green lap, then at the end of that, automatically onto the red lap. Keep that up for 24 hours and its all over.
are you going to be able to just hit the same one again and again?
Only if you're in a team and you make the concious decision that you will only do the Red lap or the Green lap. But the race system will be checking that for solos and teams the laps are always in the red/green/red/green succession. If you plan on doing green laps only, but you are taking over from a rider who has just completed a green lap, then you
must start the red lap - there will be no other choice from that transition.
will they have to be of equal "difficulty" (i.e. technicality and hilliness)?
They will be of approximately equal ride time. One will be easier than the other, so if you have an inexperienced rider in your team, you could decide to let them do that lap - its your decision. That means that the red lap may be slightly longer than the green lap. Equal ride time is the aim.
i'd perform better if i just pick 1 loop and hit it every lap (so i can learn it and hopefully go faster on it) but it means i'll miss out on the other half...
Yes, as long as you're in a team you can do that - but its your choice if thats what you want to do.
You can expect this to be fully explained on the Scott website, with maps and photos as the event draws closer.