I raced pro at Clearwater and was disgusted by what I saw. I have been trying to get my race report on websites since the race but so far no-one seems interested. So I apologise if posting it on the forum seems like sniping behind people's backs but I feel this needs to get out there and the sooner the better.
The full race report is on www.tritom.co.uk but I have pulled this most potent points out;
At 10 miles I was getting pretty cross. The cones on the course was spaced 9m aparts (to coincide with the road markings) so it is pretty obvious when riders are spaced less than 9m, let alone 10m. I implored the photographers on the motorbikes to take shots of the riders ahead. He sympathised and said he would try but I think we both sensed the futility of the situation.
By mile 15 a referee finally appears and I suggest he should card every rider ahead. At this point I counted 16 riders within 10 cones distances, or 16 riders within 90m. I was confident justice would be served. As the penalty tent approached I expected the whole group to file into it and serve their 4min penalty. Alas, all but one of the riders continued on their way.
I couldn't believe it. I was outraged.
In case you don't know, a legal 10m gap still brings about a slipstream effect, but it is legal. I could tell by the splits and my own effort levels I was riding faster than I ought to be, and after seeing the impotence of the referees I wanted no further part in the race.
I coasted for 50m and decided to just race myself for a time. The group (not pace line) rode in with a bike split of 2hrs3mins which I know I would not be capable of riding, my split was 2hr8mins - but it was MY split. Further evidence can be found by looking in more details at the splits. Massimo Cigana, former pro cyclist, was made to look slow. He takes apart pro 70.3 races on the bike, was out split by over 20 athletes and crossed the line with a 2hr1min16sec bike. Athletes who I put 5mins into on 70.3 courses are now out splitting me by 5mins?!
Implications
The 70.3 Ironman World Championships is a draft legal event. I will endeavour to find out how many pros picked up a drafting penalty, I suspect fewer than 5. Whilst it is easy to suggest I am bitter about my result (I am) there is more evidence for drafting than my hear say;
Results are wildly inconsistant with peoples previous performances
The quickest swimmers stayed at the front for the whole bike
Bike specialists (Galindez, Cigana) were made to look weak
Conspicious absense of people visiting the penalty tent
Pro girls jumping on the back of the pro guys pace lines
Photographic evidence......anyone???
The referees were incapable of enforcing the rules; for fear of rocking the boat, for fear of not having a big enough penalty tent, for fear of damaging the reputation of the sport??
As an aspiring Pro triathlete (still working, not sponsored, not funded) it already has been damaged. I happily make the choice to pursue the pro triathlete dream but there are certain things I am not willing to comprimise on, the rules. Just coming to Clearwater is a cost of 800GBP of my own money, it is not something to undertake lightly. And this does not take into account loss of earnings whilst I am away. The pro prize money is not sufficient to support athletes other than the worlds best, 8th in the World wouldn't have covered my costs, but when you are not competing on a fair playing field the whole concept of the professional triathlete is a complete joke.
I now have to go home and try and sell myself for what little sponsorship opportunities there are in England with a weak World Championship result. After failing to gain any sponsorship on the back of last years placement of 37th Pro, I am not optimistic that 48th Pro this year will lead me to be overwhelmed with offers.
Improvements
Aware that all I have done is whine for the last however long, I thought it worth mentioning that 70,3 can be saved, but in my eyes at least, only with fundamental changes...
Time Trial Format - A mass start permits drafting in the swim, if Ironman events are going to be a true race against the clock, drafting should not be allowed in the swim either. I suggest releasing the pros at 1, preferable 2min intervals. This should massively reduce bunching on the bike. If pro cycling can enforce the rules on this format hopefully triathlon can too? Potential drawbacks include racing at different times of the day, not knowing who is in the lead....but cycling manages it. But most importantly, the race will be an all out individual race against the clock, which is what Ironman is meant to be.
Photographers - Surely the best placed people to gather irrefutable evidence of drafting are the race photographers? Hire more of them. They have the cones as a reference point for distance and no one can argue with photographic evidence.
Jack Bauer - Put him in a race helicopter with a sniper rifle
Bottom Line
70.3 Ironman World Champs is a draft legal race, and right now, I have no desire to race a Pro World Championship under such conditions
Head referree Jimmy Riccitello goes as far to confirm what I say in an interview he did for slowtwitch last year, "When draft marshals are not present, (most) athletes will cheat. It only takes a couple of blatantly drafting athletes to turn a perfectly clean group of riders into a "pack" of riders who are too close."
Another athlete who shares my sentiments and whose blog I recommed you read if Greg Remaly http://gregremaly.blogspot.com/2009/11/703-draft-legal-world-championships.html
Surely the race has to change??
http://www.tritom.co.uk
Pro Triathlete
The full race report is on www.tritom.co.uk but I have pulled this most potent points out;
At 10 miles I was getting pretty cross. The cones on the course was spaced 9m aparts (to coincide with the road markings) so it is pretty obvious when riders are spaced less than 9m, let alone 10m. I implored the photographers on the motorbikes to take shots of the riders ahead. He sympathised and said he would try but I think we both sensed the futility of the situation.
By mile 15 a referee finally appears and I suggest he should card every rider ahead. At this point I counted 16 riders within 10 cones distances, or 16 riders within 90m. I was confident justice would be served. As the penalty tent approached I expected the whole group to file into it and serve their 4min penalty. Alas, all but one of the riders continued on their way.
I couldn't believe it. I was outraged.
In case you don't know, a legal 10m gap still brings about a slipstream effect, but it is legal. I could tell by the splits and my own effort levels I was riding faster than I ought to be, and after seeing the impotence of the referees I wanted no further part in the race.
I coasted for 50m and decided to just race myself for a time. The group (not pace line) rode in with a bike split of 2hrs3mins which I know I would not be capable of riding, my split was 2hr8mins - but it was MY split. Further evidence can be found by looking in more details at the splits. Massimo Cigana, former pro cyclist, was made to look slow. He takes apart pro 70.3 races on the bike, was out split by over 20 athletes and crossed the line with a 2hr1min16sec bike. Athletes who I put 5mins into on 70.3 courses are now out splitting me by 5mins?!
Implications
The 70.3 Ironman World Championships is a draft legal event. I will endeavour to find out how many pros picked up a drafting penalty, I suspect fewer than 5. Whilst it is easy to suggest I am bitter about my result (I am) there is more evidence for drafting than my hear say;
Results are wildly inconsistant with peoples previous performances
The quickest swimmers stayed at the front for the whole bike
Bike specialists (Galindez, Cigana) were made to look weak
Conspicious absense of people visiting the penalty tent
Pro girls jumping on the back of the pro guys pace lines
Photographic evidence......anyone???
The referees were incapable of enforcing the rules; for fear of rocking the boat, for fear of not having a big enough penalty tent, for fear of damaging the reputation of the sport??
As an aspiring Pro triathlete (still working, not sponsored, not funded) it already has been damaged. I happily make the choice to pursue the pro triathlete dream but there are certain things I am not willing to comprimise on, the rules. Just coming to Clearwater is a cost of 800GBP of my own money, it is not something to undertake lightly. And this does not take into account loss of earnings whilst I am away. The pro prize money is not sufficient to support athletes other than the worlds best, 8th in the World wouldn't have covered my costs, but when you are not competing on a fair playing field the whole concept of the professional triathlete is a complete joke.
I now have to go home and try and sell myself for what little sponsorship opportunities there are in England with a weak World Championship result. After failing to gain any sponsorship on the back of last years placement of 37th Pro, I am not optimistic that 48th Pro this year will lead me to be overwhelmed with offers.
Improvements
Aware that all I have done is whine for the last however long, I thought it worth mentioning that 70,3 can be saved, but in my eyes at least, only with fundamental changes...
Time Trial Format - A mass start permits drafting in the swim, if Ironman events are going to be a true race against the clock, drafting should not be allowed in the swim either. I suggest releasing the pros at 1, preferable 2min intervals. This should massively reduce bunching on the bike. If pro cycling can enforce the rules on this format hopefully triathlon can too? Potential drawbacks include racing at different times of the day, not knowing who is in the lead....but cycling manages it. But most importantly, the race will be an all out individual race against the clock, which is what Ironman is meant to be.
Photographers - Surely the best placed people to gather irrefutable evidence of drafting are the race photographers? Hire more of them. They have the cones as a reference point for distance and no one can argue with photographic evidence.
Jack Bauer - Put him in a race helicopter with a sniper rifle
Bottom Line
70.3 Ironman World Champs is a draft legal race, and right now, I have no desire to race a Pro World Championship under such conditions
Head referree Jimmy Riccitello goes as far to confirm what I say in an interview he did for slowtwitch last year, "When draft marshals are not present, (most) athletes will cheat. It only takes a couple of blatantly drafting athletes to turn a perfectly clean group of riders into a "pack" of riders who are too close."
Another athlete who shares my sentiments and whose blog I recommed you read if Greg Remaly http://gregremaly.blogspot.com/2009/11/703-draft-legal-world-championships.html
Surely the race has to change??
http://www.tritom.co.uk
Pro Triathlete