I have an etiquette question for all you out there who are experienced and wise in the way of triathlon. I competed in my 5th triathlon on Sunday, and my first Olympic distance. I had a great race, for me, but there is this nasty incident hanging over the day.
My friend and I got to the transition area 5 minutes after it opened at 7:05, and got a couple of good spots right next to each other 6 racks from the bike exit/entry. We did our normal, pre race routine: checking out the transition area, then a run warmup and a bike warmup. I got back from my bike warmup at 8:30, the race started at 9:00 and found a guy racking his bike in our spot and unloading his stuff. I walked up to him and told him, "I'm sorry, but you are going to have to move your bike, these spots are taken." Anyway, a rather loud conflict ensued where he informed me that because my bike wasn't there, he didn't know the spots were taken. However, there were two piles of gear there, even though our bikes weren't. I tried to stay polite, but I was a little tense, and time was ticking away. In the end, the guy told me that I was rude, and left.
So, in hindsight, I'm wondering if I should have handled it differently. Should I have offered to turn my bike around and rack it by the seat? I always rack my bike by my brake levers because the two times I didn't my bike ended up on the ground. Should we have moved stuff around to make room for him? We were racked so our handle bars were touching and I had another guy's seat right next to my handle bars, so it would have involved moving the whole row. Should I do my bike warmup at a different time, or not at all?
I feel like if I get to the transition area when it opens that I have a right to claim a spot and not move for someone who shows up 30 minutes before the race. Is that wrong? Was I rude? Feel free to lambaste me if I'm in the wrong. I'd just like to know one way or the other so I can avoid situations like this in the future.
My friend and I got to the transition area 5 minutes after it opened at 7:05, and got a couple of good spots right next to each other 6 racks from the bike exit/entry. We did our normal, pre race routine: checking out the transition area, then a run warmup and a bike warmup. I got back from my bike warmup at 8:30, the race started at 9:00 and found a guy racking his bike in our spot and unloading his stuff. I walked up to him and told him, "I'm sorry, but you are going to have to move your bike, these spots are taken." Anyway, a rather loud conflict ensued where he informed me that because my bike wasn't there, he didn't know the spots were taken. However, there were two piles of gear there, even though our bikes weren't. I tried to stay polite, but I was a little tense, and time was ticking away. In the end, the guy told me that I was rude, and left.
So, in hindsight, I'm wondering if I should have handled it differently. Should I have offered to turn my bike around and rack it by the seat? I always rack my bike by my brake levers because the two times I didn't my bike ended up on the ground. Should we have moved stuff around to make room for him? We were racked so our handle bars were touching and I had another guy's seat right next to my handle bars, so it would have involved moving the whole row. Should I do my bike warmup at a different time, or not at all?
I feel like if I get to the transition area when it opens that I have a right to claim a spot and not move for someone who shows up 30 minutes before the race. Is that wrong? Was I rude? Feel free to lambaste me if I'm in the wrong. I'd just like to know one way or the other so I can avoid situations like this in the future.