Time to bust the myth, drafting was much worse in the 90's and early 00's, can't say for the 70's and 80's

People always said you roll the dice and ride in the pack, if you got a penalty that was okay a rest before the run. The fool proof strategy to get some one of your wheel was to stand up and let one fly out the back

I started in ‘81 and the first few year’s drafting just was not a big concern. By the mid 80’s I would agree with you. But there was not a lot of rules or USAT either. We were having fun.

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Team Zoot So Cal

I started in 1983, and drafting wasn't even a rule. It was part of the sport, on our local level. I also don't think many folks today, realize how big local triathlons were in the mid 80's. There were more triathlons than 5K's in our area. Those who could, and wanted to, drafted. Those who couldn't, or didn't want to, didn't. Simple as that. Yes we were having fun! It was a real race back then, gun time, mass starts, with three disciplines, cycling was one of them, and drafting was just part of bike racing. Everything changed when TriFed came to town in about 1987. Ass loads of rules, race entry fees went through the roof, our signature on a wavier was no longer good enough, and wham... no more drafting. Yes, I remember well the over zealous motorcycle drafting cops. Right up there with the bike-compliant stickers. The sport that had been exploding, was stopped almost dead in it's tracks. By 1989 it was over, and the biggest local race, was the last to fold from lack of interest and too much red tape. It wasn't until 2002, when most of the folks from the old days were gone, and the new folks getting into it, didn't remember the old days... that the sport came back. It's slowly increased for 10 years, and now it's in a decline again... but has never been more than just a whimper of what it was, back in the shirtless/speedo/drafting days.

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Athlinks / Strava