Since you can not legally draft, why is your position an issue?

Dave

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

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Clarification on obs #2, 50 people in a Cat. 4 race is huge around here and 30 would be ave., therefore finishing 22nd is BOP and everyone knows FOP triathletes hate finishing BOP in swimming races, running races, cycling races, Scottish Highland games, pee holding contests and dwarf tossing - my apologoies for that one.

Rick.

Why do triathletes in a road race stick their powerbars to the top tube? That's just gross.

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I misread. A tri person in a road road. They do not know how to draft.

Dave

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

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Yep, I misread.

Dave

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

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

A fish out of water comes to mind, when thinking about a triathlete in a road race. Triathletes know only how to ride at or slightly below lactate threshold. They can't sprint any faster than a 6 year old on a tricycle. Their only real chance is to go off the front. Any true roadie can draft. Race unfolds as follows: Triathlete tows the group, roadie drafts, roadie sprints, race is over.

With a proper bike, any triathlete can lead the pack in style!

http://www.bikefriday.com/...-forrest-Roberts.jpg

Why do roadies post on a triathlon forum?

Home: Slowtwitch Forums: Triathlon Forum:

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Some of us do both..:)

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If they are doing these things, it's simply that they have no knowledge of road racing tactics. Explain the tactics to them. If they don't take your advice, then they are simply idiots, and worthy of your ridicule and scorn.

BTW, I know plenty of trigeeks that road race and do not do the things that you describe.

Ed

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Clarification on obs #2, 50 people in a Cat. 4 race is huge around here and 30 would be ave.,

I don’t know how it is for you, but when I was a Cat 4, team tactics did not exist. You simply went as hard as you can and the entire race was one of attrition. Nobody knew anything but “Go hard, or go home.” One race we did, me and another guy rode away from the Cat 4 field on the one bike hill of the first lap and did the two-man time trial until we caught the Cat 1, 2, 3 field and passed them. Not trying to say we were monsters, but in low category racing tactics just don’t come into play. And the 1, 2, 3’s were going 100 miles while we were doing 50, so they were in no rush to get things started.

If they want to do well at races then they will figure it out or quit. I don’t think it is a ‘triathlete’ problem as much as a “new to bike racing” problem.
Chad

I agree on the tactics Chad, generally there are non. Courses and conditions come into play as well. However, more often than not tri guys in a road race do dumb things and it is not from a lack of knowledge. I know guys that have done 10+ road races and they still do these things, so it isn't a new to road racing phenom.

I also know tri guys that have got it and ride more to win than to work hard.

Maybe most tri guys are just looking for another hard workout. I just don't know sometimes.

Cheers! Rick.

Well, that's pretty snobby.

No, it's an honest question. Especially when they get all bently about, well, triathlon stuff!

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Why do triathletes in a road race stick their powerbars to the top tube?

I am not sure why either. There is a very simple, classic and elegant solution for this - the back pocket of your jersey.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I'm doing a road race in Prospect Park, Crooklyn tomorrow (Cat.4) so i'll try to answer these questions.

Since it's only Cat.4 though I may just ride off the front....

Roadies are roadies.

Triathletes are triathletes.

In my case, I was a roadie for the better part of 6 years, and then started racing Tri's. You'll never see the gap in mindsets bridged, so just sing a verse of "Why Can't We Be Friends?" and ride on. Some roadies will talk to you, most won't. What can you do?

Train like hell. Go for brick runs after your crit. Wave and smile. Then eat 3x more than they can. That's what you can do.

Being happy about your sport is all that matters, right? Last night in my Thursday Night Crit I was just honking along in the back, sitting in the bus at 30+. The wind was light, and the field was smooth. It was just SWEET. Coming down the straightaway I looked over at the guy next to me and said, "Whoo! Man. E-Ticket ride." He just smiled and rode up the bunch. I can't help it; when I'm on my bike and not at my desk, it's all good.

It's only okay if your chasing down team mates.

I'm going to disagree here. Both "roadie" and "triathlete" labels really just serve to reinforce stereotypes. All they do in my mind is polarize people. Personally, I race bikes, race triathlons, race 10ks, race open water swims, and watch TV. I am neither a roadie, triathlete, runner, swimmer, nor couch potato.

People who are learning to race bikes spend too much time at the front and chase down their friends. That has nothing to do with whether they have completed triathlons. It has everything to do with how few bike races they have completed.

Singling out people who compete in triathlons as having poor tactics and strategy in bike races is inaccurate. Falling into the polarized view of the world just increases the power of people in politics and marketing roles to influence us. (Not a good thing if you ask me.)

-Marc

Marc,

I certainly see your point and agree with you about sweeping generalizations/stereotypes. But this is more than marketing: The triathlete mindset is so radically different from the road racing mindset, of course their first experiences at road racing are going to be a shambles.

I've seen it time and time again; They show up for the training crit. They ride in their aerobars. Guys freak out and scream at them. Triathlete attacks, rides off the front. Gets caught. Gets dropped. Talks to me, "Man, these guys are @ssholes, aren't they?" While some guys are indeed @ssholes (be they roadie or triathlete), it has nothing to do with the situation that just unfolded.

In triathlon it's you vs. the course, you vs. yourself, and sometimes, you vs. the other guy.

In road racing it's you vs. everyone else (except your teammates, most of the time). It's kill-or-be-killed; Julius Caesar on two wheels. You aren't supposed to be nice - being nice is weak.

When I was in breakaways when I raced USCF (Cat 3 - total career earnings, $25, one T-Shirt, one Power Bar), I used to try and talk to guys to get an edge. I wanted to know what they were thinking - if they were in this for the moment, or for the long haul. Of course, this almost never worked. I usually got blank stares, sort of the, "Dude. WTF?" look. Maybe it was because I could still talk at high heart rates, who knows. I was just having a great time racing, and that really messed with them.

But I rarely won. I wasn't mean enough. You've got to be mean to win on the bike. You've got to short pull, glass pedal, and expose guys to more wind than you. If he looks right to see where you are, you sit on his left to piss him off. If you've got a teammate up the road, you sit on his wheel and wave (maybe smile) when he flicks his elbow to pull through.

Road Racing is the anti-triathlon. We all know that on the run if you fall in-step with someone and maybe share a salt tab (if needed), by the time you reach the finish line, you'll probably know the guys (or girls) entire family history. In Road Racing, the conversations are usually much shorter. "Go, GO!" "Oh, F*ck you. You go!"

In my experience, it's just that the sports breed different mindsets, and therefore, will always be looking at the world through different Oakleys.

(Oh, no he didn't....)

Well put Bob. Couldn't agree more.

Rick.

"Why do triathletes in a road race chase down their team mates?"

At a recent Crit, Team Jelly Belly spent the last 10 laps massed at the front chasing down a break that had been away for at least 20 laps with their team mate in it. Since they all had ear pieces, I can't believe it was an accident. So maybe the answer is triathletes practice team tactics at the highest professional level.

+ 1. For once, an intelligent, well worded reply in one of these threads that seems aligned with both points of view.

I vote we sticky this reply, then insta-ban anyone who starts another of these threads with serious intent. If people want to start more of these threads for the sake of pure hilarity, that's fine, too.

At a recent Crit, Team Jelly Belly spent the last 10 laps massed at the front chasing down a break that had been away for at least 20 laps with their team mate in it. Since they all had ear pieces, I can't believe it was an accident. So maybe the answer is triathletes practice team tactics at the highest professional level.

You do realize that there are valid tactical reasons for such a move. I don't know what the specific situation here was, but perhaps the teammate in the breakaway had only a minute chance of winning the sprint??

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