I am sure that officially you can not modify any number.
I have trimmed my frame number at every race and have never had a word spoken to or penalized.
You might find an official that loves looking for that and penalize you. Come on, take a chance!

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Team Zoot So Cal

Any reasonable official interprets that rule to mean you can't take your issued number of "121" and trim it to "12" or "21." Purpose of the sticker is to help with identification and trimming it as such hinders that.

On the other hand, if you're issued a race number with several inches of "extra" space on the top, bottom and sides, it's perfectly reasonable to trim it. In all my years I've always trimmed my down and only been challenged once. It was pre-race and I protested and insisted that we go talk to the head official. We did and he looked at the other official, rolled his eyes, and sided with me.

I was wrestling with the same issue for Victoria 70.3. I ended up cutting the frame sticker in half and slapped it on each side of my frame. When i checked the bike in the person looking at the bike numbers never battered an eye lid....i'll be doing the same for Whistler 70.3. I cant comment on trimming up the helmet stickers.

I trim mine of extra space all the time. However, do NOT ever trim off the official race logo above your number. I have seen officials reject bikes at check in for that. Without the logo, it might be a phony number affixed by a bandit. But the guy has a race band and chip you say. Doesn't matter. Trim off excess white space is OK, but the logo and number itself are sacred territory.

Just don't change the 1 to a 7 and you'll be fine!

I have trimmed off every official race logo (including Ironman events) and I have never had a problem.

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I usually trim it down and stick to each side of the Draft box.

I trim down the race number to just the race number. I make it the smallest area as possible without affecting the number itself. I stick the frame sticker to my seat post (I have a trek sc). I mount it vertically. Then stick the stem sticker on top of the base bar (my stem cover has a di2 junction box on it).

What I'll never understand is why the stem sticker even exists.

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I am not saying that you will get jacked every time but I am telling you that is a no no and I have seen people get jacked for it it at WTC races. Also, some WTC races this year are cracking down on multiple stem stickers. You are free to push the envelope.

Which WTC races has it been an issue with the cutting the logo(that you have witnessed)? Just curious.

Yeah the multiple stem stickers I definitely get. They have been really good about making people aware of this. Anyone in violation of it just isn't paying attention nor reads the athlete guide. I have no issue with this one.

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Saw it this year....cant temember whether it was IM Texas or Gulf Coast 70.3. Guy cut his numbers in half ... as had I. But he trimmed off the logo and I didn't. He was refused entry and told to go back to registration for new numbers.

They have not made me take off my Kona one yet :-)

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

Keep doing it because I am just making up a story, and we all know that WTC rules are enforced uniformly and universally. Ha.

IM Wales last year my brother and I picked up our race packets on the Friday, drove back to his place an hour or so away, then drove back down on Saturday with our bikes and gear for race weekend. When we got there we realised our bike numbers had gotten shredded by the wind on the mostly highway drive down there.
Went back to packet pickup and the girl there just wrote our numbers in black sharpie on blank white stickers and gave us those. I was expecting at least printed ones or something. Nobody ever questioned the stickers either.

I first want to say the volunteers at IM Racine were absolutely fantastic! This isn't because I didn't receive any violations or sent to get numbers redone. It is because as I was there for early bike check in, there were 5-6 people in front of me that had to have numbers moved or redone on their bike. Each person had it easily and clearly explained to them in accordance to the rules as to why it needed to be changed or was flat out not acceptable.

F.Y.I. 4 of these were simply because they had cut the 70.3 Racine Logo off their numbers. the others were what looked like people put the number on the bike frame tried to take it off to move it and destroyed half their number.

Sounds like they are making it a big deal that the only race stickers on your bike are from that race as all the officials made it clear as they walked some of the racks (from what I saw) that only the current race stickers were allowed. This is for safety in identifying people to equipment, asses penalties to the proper person and identification in a crash.

This was my first WTC event and I have to say i was pleasantly pleased with everything, except the swim cancelation. You can't fight mother nature and expect to win every time!