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IM Cozumel: is drafting that bad at the top of the pack ?
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Hi,

after missing Lake Tahoe which was canceled as you know because of the fire, I can register for 100$ for IM Cozumel, which seems the only option available this season for me.

for those who raced Cozumel:

- Is the drafting as bad as in Florida (answer seems yes)
- Is the drafting and organized group riding most a 'MOP' thing or do we see most of the KQ cheating as well ?

My goal is to qualify for Kona, I used to race between 9:45-9:30 on hilly races like LP, Wisconsin or Tremblant.

So did any of you was able to enjoy a clean race and fight with "equal" chance at the top of your AG if you choose not to draft ?

Head coach and owner at BartCoaching.com
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Re: IM Cozumel: is drafting that bad at the top of the pack ? [velosolex] [ In reply to ]
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Don't know about the drafting. Dependable on ur age group that race time is very good or just good.
Do note that the run is pretty hard there due to humidity and bike course very very windy.

Anyone has any experience on the road surface quality?

2016 Schedule:
IM South Africa - Challenge Roth - IM 70.3 Zell am See - Marathon Valencia
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Re: IM Cozumel: is drafting that bad at the top of the pack ? [velosolex] [ In reply to ]
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I thought the drafting was pretty bad and very blatant. I was near the front and there were several very large groups working together on the back side of the island. I found it easy to stay legal, but doing so is clearly a disadvantage over a lot of the folks who decided to tuck in. Still, you can ride legal distance behind the pack and still get a big advantage. I haven't don't Florida, so I can't compare.

I didn't finish my race (hadn't planned to), but I still think it would have been possible to be competitive despite the cheating. It's a nice race, so don't let it discourage you from going.



-Andrew
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Re: IM Cozumel: is drafting that bad at the top of the pack ? [Axolotl] [ In reply to ]
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Was there for the 70.3, did it as a team event. Road surface is great.

If you aren't from a similar area (Tropics), get there at least a week early to acclimate to the heat and humidity.

For the 70.3, the current picked up during the swim, took me close to 20 minutes longer to complete (although I'm a slow swimmer anyway). Ride is great, fast and flat but depends upon the winds which will be strong, disk wheels no allowed. The run is flat and HOT. Plus, if it rains, yo can be in water up over your rims on the bike and partially up your calf on the run. This year was hot and humid for the half though. Just be prepared for everything.

BC Don
Pain is temporary, not giving it your all lasts all Winter.
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Re: IM Cozumel: is drafting that bad at the top of the pack ? [velosolex] [ In reply to ]
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I think it depends on the wind direction. If the wind is crosswind on the backside of the island it can be a more fair race. Same can be said about Kona, if it is a headwind year it is a draft-fest versus crosswind year.

When I rode it, it was reasonably fair with most of the packs in MOP and the FOP more spread out. I did ride up on two guys in my AG sucking wheel and I bitched them out as I passed. Having spectated IMFL (I won't race that farce) my experience was that it was significantly better than Florida. If you go 9:30 on hilly courses you should be able to ride clean and qualify.



velosolex wrote:
Hi,

after missing Lake Tahoe which was canceled as you know because of the fire, I can register for 100$ for IM Cozumel, which seems the only option available this season for me.

for those who raced Cozumel:

- Is the drafting as bad as in Florida (answer seems yes)
- Is the drafting and organized group riding most a 'MOP' thing or do we see most of the KQ cheating as well ?

My goal is to qualify for Kona, I used to race between 9:45-9:30 on hilly races like LP, Wisconsin or Tremblant.

So did any of you was able to enjoy a clean race and fight with "equal" chance at the top of your AG if you choose not to draft ?
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Re: IM Cozumel: is drafting that bad at the top of the pack ? [velosolex] [ In reply to ]
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Drafting is awful.... for all levels. If you're an okay biker and great runner, you should sign up ;)

FWIW... I would NEVER sign up for Cozumel if I was hoping to be competitive. With that said, the event is a lot of fun and the island is amazing. It was a great vacation.
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Re: IM Cozumel: is drafting that bad at the top of the pack ? [velosolex] [ In reply to ]
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Not sure about the IM but I was there for the 70.3 last year by coincident.
If I didn't know it was a triathlon I might have assumed there was a bike race going on. The drafting marshals were doing nothing to break up the packs. I've got video footage of the same pack going and coming with the same marshal next to them. Nothing but a peloton.

unfortunately many WTC races have bc age group ITU style races. If you are racing for a slot sooner or later you're going to have to make a decision to join or watch it go up the road and possibly for good. If you can sit 7-10m behind a pack you will get an huge advantage but be racing legal.

Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

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Re: IM Cozumel: is drafting that bad at the top of the pack ? [desert dude] [ In reply to ]
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desert dude wrote:
Not sure about the IM but I was there for the 70.3 last year by coincident.
If I didn't know it was a triathlon I might have assumed there was a bike race going on. The drafting marshals were doing nothing to break up the packs. I've got video footage of the same pack going and coming with the same marshal next to them. Nothing but a peloton.

unfortunately many WTC races have bc age group ITU style races. If you are racing for a slot sooner or later you're going to have to make a decision to join or watch it go up the road and possibly for good. If you can sit 7-10m behind a pack you will get an huge advantage but be racing legal.

Did IM Cozumel in 2012 and 2013 and would have said the same thing. Last year was truly bad and while I saw a few penalties given out, for the most part the draft marshalls were just enjoying the view from their scooters. A complete draftfest. My family really loves this venue, but I won't be going back.
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Re: IM Cozumel: is drafting that bad at the top of the pack ? [velosolex] [ In reply to ]
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From the Cozumel 2014 thread:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=4916358;page=2;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;

Some of the packs stayed together for multiple laps though, even on tailwind legs with ample opportunity to spread out. Bluntly, I talked to thirty or forty people, who biked between 4:50 and 5:15 who were purposeful about their drafting. I had absolutely no problem riding cleanly. Sit up when a pack goes by on the windy side. After a few minutes they're gone. However, they get a nearly insurmountable advantage that shows up as saved energy on the run, and when I checked afterward, many of the names and numbers that qualified for Kona had been in those packs.

So, yes, up at the KQ speed, most of the riders were purposefully, intentionally, persistently, cheating. Finisher Pix documented the packs with the same members lap after lap. I've suggested some fixes to Luis Galvez, the COO of Ironman Mexico Events. I'll keep Slowtwitch updated on developments.

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Re: IM Cozumel: is drafting that bad at the top of the pack ? [velosolex] [ In reply to ]
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I DNFd in 2012 - I got sick and couldn't keep anything down on the bike. The GOOD part about that is I saw different parts of the race - I exited the swim in about 200th place, rode up to about 30th place, then ran out of fuel / couldn't keep it down and dropped back to god knows what place (by that stage I was counting porta jons not place!). Near the front there was not much drafting, or at least the guys were attempting to stay legal distance (most were), but half way through lap 2, a few groups of 15-20 "average" bikers came past in a literal peleton (like 1-2m gaps at most). Now, none of these guys would have been fast enough to KQ (they probably rode about 5:30-5:40ish), so they were kind of "front of middle of pack"

One more thing, even though it's pancake flat, the bike is actually quite hard (not a single downhill, and strong headwinds without a reciprocal tailwind)

____________________________________

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Re: IM Cozumel: is drafting that bad at the top of the pack ? [BrentwoodTriGuy] [ In reply to ]
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BrentwoodTriGuy wrote:
Drafting is awful.... for all levels. If you're an okay biker and great runner, you should sign up ;)

FWIW... I would NEVER sign up for Cozumel if I was hoping to be competitive. With that said, the event is a lot of fun and the island is amazing. It was a great vacation.

+1. I went there trying to qualify, and was very frustrated with the packs flying by. Exited the water in 8th place (1st in AG), and couldn't believe how organized the bike packs were at the front. Thumbs up to Jalobert: he was riding legit, with a couple of cheaters locked on to his wheel.
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Re: IM Cozumel: is drafting that bad at the top of the pack ? [velosolex] [ In reply to ]
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velosolex wrote:
Hi,

after missing Lake Tahoe which was canceled as you know because of the fire, I can register for 100$ for IM Cozumel, which seems the only option available this season for me.

for those who raced Cozumel:

- Is the drafting as bad as in Florida (answer seems yes)
- Is the drafting and organized group riding most a 'MOP' thing or do we see most of the KQ cheating as well ?

My goal is to qualify for Kona, I used to race between 9:45-9:30 on hilly races like LP, Wisconsin or Tremblant.

So did any of you was able to enjoy a clean race and fight with "equal" chance at the top of your AG if you choose not to draft ?

from my experience in 2011, 2012 and 2013 (and the halves) the drafting is getting better. last full IM i saw a LOT of penalized athletes the first lap and IIRC maybe the 2nd lap but my spectating family and lots of athletes here said they saw huge packs. at the half a week ago they handed out papers with registration materials saying no drafting and i was at the front of the race for a good first part (at least to town and i finished 700/2000 so i'm thinking i was fop) and saw not one single pack. but my husband who was spectating said he did towards the back of the race. the marshals were very very present the first part of the bike race but then abandoned the course for the run. they were riding alongside folks and telling them to back off and riding up behind folks and then warning them. however the penalty tents were empty (compared to the IM last year).

so that is my experience. i would say the marshals are making a difference at the front of the race. the back is a draft fest.

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