If your sole purpose for being on the course is to provide assistance and equipment to another competitor then you are a domestique. This is not happening in Xterra races, and I don't suspect that it will arise out of this rule change.

I have done 2 Xterra races (Saipan and Maui) and had mechanical problems at both races. I had several people, to include a pro, offering assistance. It was much appreciated and I returned the favor in Maui. I was not in contention for any awards and neither was the person I was assisting. It was just a good deed done in the name of sportsmanship and comaraderie (sp?).

I personally fully support this rule change.

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Dan Hollingsworth

Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul." - Douglas MacArthur

I've enjoyed racing at Xterra Maui the past five years and in 2000 had the pleasure of pushing my bike for ten miles after breaking my chain and not being smart enough to bring a chain tool and spare links. Since then, of course, I've had the requisite tools/spare parts and not had a mechanical.

In principle I agree with the Big Kahuna that athletes should have the prerogative of loaning tools/parts to their fellow "tribe members." (It may also increase one's chances of getting a date to the costume party that night) Xterra races, especially Maui, are pretty challenging, not only physically, but to your equipment, and it's pretty sad to see someone out of a race who's gone through three flats or broken a chain. And face it, anyone near the top of an age group will pretty much be out of the running for a podium spot after suffering a major mechanical requiring "outside assistance." My experience is that these athletes usually have multiple flats from a ripped sidewall or a major problem from a spectacular crash, in which case they're in no shape to continue racing hard anyway.

I do question the wording in the proposed rule change to allow giving someone a "wheel"... I know that some people carry a lot of spare parts, but I don't think I've ever seen anybody packing a spare Mavic on their back! Hope that's a mistake and they really mean "spare tire". To prevent gross abuse of this change, maybe it could state that the athlete providing assistance has to maintain his/her capability to ride the bike.

It would also be interesting to see what the pros do when faced with the situation of supplying a competitor a spare tube, etc.

And don't forget -- if it was easy, they'd call it an Ironman!

Having done bike races since the mid 60's and tris since 1980 I think the the Big Kahuna is forward thinking or maybe retro. I think we are taking ourselves way too serious about aid. Getting a little help from the outside I think is way more ethical than drafting.
I "found" a free back wheel in the lava field after I had had three flats with two spares on sewups at Ironman 82. I had two choices ride the rim up to Hawi and 56mi home or bend the rules a bit. There wern't many Ironmans around back then and I was facing losing a whole years training .
I have stopped to help friends and strangers in training and racing for almost 40 years and don't plan to change anytime soon. Screw the rules we are all in this world together and if we can't stop and help out a brother/sister in distress then we have a bigger problem than triathlon rules.
I have given my bike away after I cut my foot in the swim to a guy that had to stand up for 20 miles because he rode a 6cm smaller bike than I. Last year in a TT I passed a my minute man with a flat front tire, and bam there went my rear. We swapped wheels and I got a ride in with two flats and he finished in the money. Sure those are two examples of cheating by some standards, but I think it is a part of the "Brotherhood of the Spoke" which some people seem to have forgotten in life lately. So if you are bust down somewhere and see a 100kilo guy from Hawaii come by, it might be your lucky day to be disqualified. Aloha G