Hey, if you don't like paceline, there are non-draft legal ironman races too.

I know that it happens but today was nuts. Draft Marshalls would just ride by. Penalty tents were empty for the most part. I raced clean, had a good time anyway. I race for my own reasons and breaking rules to satisfy a fragile ego isn't one of them.

---

Eric Doehrman
E3 Multisport

YEAH, TELL IT!

Drafting happens because people WANT to draft......

I was happy to see the additional of the "drop back" rule to the athlete's guide. IMO, this is why drafting occurs.

Of course...no one wants to purposely slow down.

I got kicked hard in the swim which ruined my day, but saw the Penalty tents were fuller than year's past and saw a 1/2 dozen or so folks get cited. I also saw a 43 year old man whine like a lil kid and start crying/yelling at an official. Rather pathetic....I would have DQ'd on the spot and called for a sag wagon. IMO, there's a growing group of bad apples with poor sportsmanship.

Going back out to bring in the midnight hour....

I was pretty bummed out by the peloton scene during the ride. However I saw a ton of bib numbers with slashes through them once we got on the run. I've never seen a race where so many penalties were given out. While some of the early tents were empty, you couldn't fit a toothpick in the tent at the end of 388 due to the number of folks in it.

The one nice thing about hilly IM courses, or any tri distance for that matter!, -spreads people out.

"You definitely suck if you sign up for races that shove far too many racers on a bike course."

What is surprising to me is the number of supposed intelligent people who do these races every year and then are shocked that "Hey, people really do draft at these races just like everyone has been saying for the past 10 years...."

I mean, if you watch 10 people in a row touch a hot frying pan, yell in pain, then touch the pan yourself, who is the idiot?

Hmmm. Must be November. The annual IM-Florida peleton whine is back.

---

''The enemy isn't conservatism. The enemy isn't liberalism. The enemy is bulls**t.''

—Lars-Erik Nelson

Just one more week until the post-Clearwater peloton whine returns!

---

------------------
My business-eBodyboarding.com

so then why worry about or give a damn about the peloton riders when you know it happens every time. I am not taking a shot at you. I have never actually done a tri, just starting to train, but I come on to slowtwitch and after every race there i spost after post bitching about the mass draft event they just witnessed. Like you said you raced clean, had a good time (congrats on that) and race for yourself. You can't do anything about the drafting so don't let it stress you out, just do your thing.
I am sure it is super frustrating (hopefully I will get to find out at some point) and your are just venting, but it seems like the norm in any Ironman event.
Good Luck with your training and future races.

"but it seems like the norm in any Ironman event."

The only IM branded event I have done was Louisville 07, and I saw NO drafting at that race.

Monty will likely show up as soon as he wakes up to tell everyone that if you sign up for a flat land race, this is what you get.

I'll never race Ironman Canada again for the reasons Monty points out. It is too flat for the first 70K going to Osoyoos and too many groups out there. It takes till Richter pass to spread it out...

...it is not rocket science when you get 1500 riders hitting the road between 60 and 75 minutes...that's 100 riders per minute or 1.67 riders per second that hit the tarmac. Break it into 4 waves and thing can easily be made much better.

Dev

Interesting. I looked at preliminary results posted because I wanted to sneer in disgust at the names of the cheaters, but there was no column showing penalties despite 2270 participants each showing a finishing time or DNF. In fact, I did a results search for penalties on several NAS IM races (including IMF 2007), and the penalty column is empty for all racers. I have a strong urge to vilify the cheaters this morning, and this lack of data is very unsatisfying.

I WANT RETRIBUTION and PUBLIC HUMILIATION! Whew...OK, that's better....I'm fine now. ;-)

The frying pan?

Well, the frying pan is what it is. If you asked it, it would probably tell you, "I'm hot. If you don't like touching hot things, you would be happier if you stayed away. If you don't, and get burned, I don't want to hear about it."

I thought Steve stated no more bitching on ST about drafting in races that everyone knows up front will be a draft fest. Guess we need to be ready for Clearwater bitching next.

Dave

---

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Thank you, finally the math to show that its virtually impossible to avoid drafting,blocking, etc for courses like this. Smaller, Independent races are the way to go if your not shooting to win the AG or qualify. Just did GFT. No drafting unles you are a blatant cheat. Just you and the long barren road

Let me make clarify my position.
I know that drafting occurs in these races, it is a fact of life. The only thing I wanted to say was that people riding in the peloton SUCK! What they do has nothing to do with my race. It is a simple observation.

---

Eric Doehrman
E3 Multisport

The only thing in life as certain as a post bitching about drafting after IMFL is that you will take the chance to point out that you think that anyone who signs up for a WTC/NAS race is an idiot ;-)

"Break it into 4 waves and thing can easily be made much better."

The thing is, it wouldn't surprise me if the race organizers wanted to do this but were told by both the same competitors that complain about drafting as well as IMNA that the mass start is not negotiable.

Also, there is clearly a decent number of people for whom the large draft packs are a feature rather than a bug.

Thanks kdw. Why do you feel triathletes who complain about drafting and IMNA/NAS would not support wave starts? Also, draft packs being considered a feature is new and disconcerting to me. What percentage would you estimate feel this way? I don't know anyone who feels this way, but I've been somewhat away from the sport and haven't raced IM distance in the last 5 years.

I complain about drafting and do not support wave starts.

Fix it some other way. Better course, fewer participants (that pay more), etc. Wave starts rob the event of drama.

I think those that complain about drafting and yet continue to support these events somehow believe that "this year will be different". I know that when I did Clearwater, I had heard there'd be issues w/ drafting, but I didn't really believe the organizers would let that happen at the WC. And then I was proven wrong, and mighty annoyed by it when I found myself pulling a train of 50+ riders as much as three abreast behind me.

---

**************
Too f@ckin depressed from various injuries to care about having a signature line.

Sponsored by Blue Shield PPO.

What is in the pan?