the moto? You're forgetting about the giant car directly in front of her.

She seems to do this a lot no?

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

I always land in the same spot after this debate comes up every other race. It's on the moto to keep the distance, not the athlete.

What is she supposed to do, slow down? I guess she could yell at them to go away but it's annoying that the camera crew just never seems to get this message.

Maybe they were this close only for a few moments to get a good shot, hard to say, but not a good look for them either way.

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Too old to go pro but doing it anyway
http://instagram.com/tgarvey4

That was just the nature of the course, look at all the mens and womens splits on very low wattage. You have all the cars on one side going by moving all the air your direction, and then if you are in a top position, you have unmarshalled video crews just trying to get as close up a shot as possible.

The athletes are not to blame here, what would you have them do???

x2

I'm not putting any blame on Holly here. This is 100% the moto, it's their job to stay out of the way. They should be positioned behind and to the side at this particular juncture, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be closing the gap.

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Definately the pace vehicles fault

At least the passing cars are a lottery available to all the athletes.

"I always land in the same spot after this debate comes up every other race. It's on the moto to keep the distance, not the athlete."



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Don't let the rules get in your way...



5.10A Position Fouls. Rule for Elites
(a) Drafting. Except as otherwise provided in these Rules, while on the cycling course, no participant shall permit his drafting zone to intersect with or remain intersected with the drafting zone of a leading participant or that of a motor vehicle. With respect to a motor vehicle (including authorized race vehicles); it is the athlete’s responsibility to continually communicate to the vehicle to move away.

Don't worry I won't. The race should not be putting them in this position or even allowing people to abuse it willingly.

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Too old to go pro but doing it anyway
http://instagram.com/tgarvey4

I think people are saying that it's in poor form of the moto if he's going to "sit" on her like that for them to say the athlete's the one who has to slow down constantly.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Except Rule 2.01(k) of the Ironman rules provides:



I suppose it could be argued that it's ambiguous as to what "external vehicle" means and that the race production vehicles are not "external" vehicles but rather part of the race organization. I'm not sure how or if Ironman has interpreted/applied this rule.

http://www.ironman.com/...20%20pro%20final.pdf

"Don't worry I won't. The race should not be putting them in this position or even allowing people to abuse it willingly."

Agreed, but it happens, and they have a rule that specifically instructs the athletes on what to do when it does. She gives no indication that I saw that she wants the moto to get out of the way.

I would have them, as true professionals and in solidarity with their fellow peers, sit up, wave their arms, and make a point that this needs to stop.

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

Well, one could argue that they are internal vehicles, and it is an advantage given to most all the top athletes, the ones competing for the top places. For sure the real outside vehicles is the caravan of cars on their right, sucking them along, but there again it seems available to everyone, so unfair advantage maybe not??

kdw cites an interesting rule (5.10A) that's more explicit on the subject but I can't seem to find a link to it anywhere.

This situation can be improved by:

1) mandating that lead vehicles stay at least 400 meters up the road.
2) making media motos always shoot from behind the rider

And yes Steven, I have a still shot from a previous race there where the lead car or a lead car is taking a picture of the lead rider with what appears to be a cell phone. If you are going to take a picture with a cell phone you can imagine how close they have to be to the rider. Of course to add insult to injury that lead car is a lambo or something similar.

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I'm with you there. In principal I totally agree and I wish I could trust everyone to do this. But in reality I think we know how this ends. It really has to be on the race to keep this from happening. Athletes will always look for an edge even if that edge is teetering on ethical questioning.

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Too old to go pro but doing it anyway
http://instagram.com/tgarvey4

Where does this video come from? It's almost like the vehicle is waiting for her and filming while blocking her.

Was this a mass start race? Is it possible there are athletes that she is catching up blocking the vehicle?

To me this is where I think as a sport the "leaders" just get an unfair advantage and we as a sport have to accept it. Because if you want true "fairness" by what your suggesting, then the quality of the broadcasts will go WAY down. So what does that do to sponsors, what does that do to pro bonuses?

So I think we have to have a discussion on all things considering when you start talking about media only from the rear of riders or X distance in front of them.

I'll say that for ITU as well. I think at some point if we want a strong polished broadcasting product you have to "bend" on some things that you may not really want to, but you do for the "betterment" of everyone *overall*.


ETA: So if it means the camera guys are that close or no broadcast, count me in as allowing the camera guys to ride as they do. Do I think they have to ride *that* close, no, and I think they could move up more. But if your suggesting completely revamping the way they broadcast races, just be ready for the other side- no broadcasts at all if the production people said no dice to your suggestions. So as I said, I think sometimes we have to "accept" some things for the betterment of other things.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Pro cycling manages to do this pretty well, and have a MUCH larger audience than triathlon.

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That explains the crazy fast bike times on that course... straight up drafting and side drafting with the traffic in the side lane.

They have motos in the front and behind groups, how differently are they doing it?

This from a lead moto driver in the Tour every year:

Do they ever get annoyed by you riding close to them?
[Laughs] I’ve had a few issues with some riders, a few rows, but nothing serious. But I’m a former rider, I’m not a motorbike rider who drives alongside them and admires them. I don’t really care, I feel like I’m just next to my fellow riders. So if I need to yell at them then I will, we’re part of the same family.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Usually, when I see them, the motos in front aren't particularly close. and when covering a break, the usual position is behind and to the side. the break doesn't get a draft off the camera crews.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

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Every telecast I see, I see motos all the time near riders. It's as I said, it's part of the show. I disagree that they are 400m up the road from riders and only from X angle, they ride in front, back, side of riders all the time.

But that's just it- it's accepted. They aren't bitching that X break has a side draft block wind at times or that they get 2 moto's close to them, etc. It's just accepted part of their sport.

Here's more info from the moto:

Besides drafting, is being in front of the rider a benefit to them on a descent because they can see when you’re braking?
Yeah definitely. When I was a rider I would always keep an eye on the Gendarme, because when you see their lights you know when you need to brake. I have so much fun descending with them, it definitely stops life from being boring,

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Blaming her is like blaming a tailwind. If the camera crew is in your face it's not her intentionally drafting.

Also, as for the "she's in the middle of the road" point: when you are all alone out front, who cares?

I'm a fast swimmer, which means on mass start races, I'm often alone as she was in this case, and I ride wider than I would in a wave start race because the pavement is better.