I hate drafting (in triathlon) and I hate cheating. I just want to get that out of the way right at the outset. I'm one of those guys who tends to get pretty worked up about others who don't follow the rules whether they're riding in a pace line, not keeping to the right, or dropping their GU packets on the side of the road.
This past weekend I had the good fortune to be able to race in my first race overseas. I was at IM Switzerland and I knew going in that there were going to be some subtle differences in the rules. At the race briefing, I was suprised to learn that the only two rules they seemed to plan to enforce (other than the standard clothing requirements) was drafting (with a 10 meter separation required) and illegally crossing a solid center line. There was to be no such thing as a position penalty, and no requirement that racers pass on the left.
The bike course at this race was a 3 loop course with 3 climbs on each lap and a couple of sections that were very narrow. There were also about 1400 competitors in the race. Given these facts, it was inevitable that the course was going to get pretty congested in places. I was expecting the worst; awful pacelines, blatang cheating, and big bottlenecks. I was very pleased to find that the race didn't turn out at all like I expected. Yes, there were some crowded spots. Yes, there were some outright cheaters who rode in tight pacelines. BUT, for the most part, people did their best to ride legally, fairly, and respectfully. I noticed that when the course got congested, most riders (except the intentionally cheating scum, 1400, 1401, 911...) used their ability to spread out across the road to set up staggered positions. Yes, they may have been getting a little benefit from other riders nearby, but they were able to maintain their speed (not having to unnecesarily slow down or drop back) while not blatantly wheelsucking one another on the shoulder of the road. IMO, these people were keeping with the spirit with the no drafting rule while making the best of their race on a crowded course.
The fact that riders could ride anywhere on the road made the congestion tolerable, even enjoyable. The fact that one could pass on the right or left made the lack of position rules tolerable. The facts that most people stayed to the right anyway or moved out of your way upon announcing your intention to pass made the course rideable and enjoyable. The fact that riding the course was enjoyable made the race fantastic (at least for me). I can't help but think that some of our rules here in the States might be overkill. We've already shown that there's rules that we can't adequately enforce. I always thought the answer was better/more enforcement. Now I can't help but think that maybe, just maybe, we might have a few too many rules.
The other thing I liked was part of the "enforcement". When the officials would come upon a group of riders who were riding a bit too closely, they would drive up them and blow a whistle. (Or they'd start handing out penalties if this was a repeat occurence.) You know, basically a warning letting everyone know to clean up their act. In my experience, it was pretty effective. I feel like our officials are directed to "catch cheaters" rather than to promote a fair race.
Anyway, I found the race quite interesting and enlightening. Sorry if this is painfully obvious old hat to you all, but I thought I'd bring it up. I just think that we can make our races here in the States much better and I'm going to stop beating my drum that a tight police-like crackdown on racers is the way to go.
This past weekend I had the good fortune to be able to race in my first race overseas. I was at IM Switzerland and I knew going in that there were going to be some subtle differences in the rules. At the race briefing, I was suprised to learn that the only two rules they seemed to plan to enforce (other than the standard clothing requirements) was drafting (with a 10 meter separation required) and illegally crossing a solid center line. There was to be no such thing as a position penalty, and no requirement that racers pass on the left.
The bike course at this race was a 3 loop course with 3 climbs on each lap and a couple of sections that were very narrow. There were also about 1400 competitors in the race. Given these facts, it was inevitable that the course was going to get pretty congested in places. I was expecting the worst; awful pacelines, blatang cheating, and big bottlenecks. I was very pleased to find that the race didn't turn out at all like I expected. Yes, there were some crowded spots. Yes, there were some outright cheaters who rode in tight pacelines. BUT, for the most part, people did their best to ride legally, fairly, and respectfully. I noticed that when the course got congested, most riders (except the intentionally cheating scum, 1400, 1401, 911...) used their ability to spread out across the road to set up staggered positions. Yes, they may have been getting a little benefit from other riders nearby, but they were able to maintain their speed (not having to unnecesarily slow down or drop back) while not blatantly wheelsucking one another on the shoulder of the road. IMO, these people were keeping with the spirit with the no drafting rule while making the best of their race on a crowded course.
The fact that riders could ride anywhere on the road made the congestion tolerable, even enjoyable. The fact that one could pass on the right or left made the lack of position rules tolerable. The facts that most people stayed to the right anyway or moved out of your way upon announcing your intention to pass made the course rideable and enjoyable. The fact that riding the course was enjoyable made the race fantastic (at least for me). I can't help but think that some of our rules here in the States might be overkill. We've already shown that there's rules that we can't adequately enforce. I always thought the answer was better/more enforcement. Now I can't help but think that maybe, just maybe, we might have a few too many rules.
The other thing I liked was part of the "enforcement". When the officials would come upon a group of riders who were riding a bit too closely, they would drive up them and blow a whistle. (Or they'd start handing out penalties if this was a repeat occurence.) You know, basically a warning letting everyone know to clean up their act. In my experience, it was pretty effective. I feel like our officials are directed to "catch cheaters" rather than to promote a fair race.
Anyway, I found the race quite interesting and enlightening. Sorry if this is painfully obvious old hat to you all, but I thought I'd bring it up. I just think that we can make our races here in the States much better and I'm going to stop beating my drum that a tight police-like crackdown on racers is the way to go.