Bike Rack Etiquette

Triathlon Forum
1

So I did a duathlon on Saturday (or, more accurately, the race did me). The race starts at 8am, and at 6:15am I’m in the transition area with my bike. There are three racks for about 20 bikes (the set of racks has a sign indicating the range of race numbers to use that rack). I’m the second one there, so I rack my bike by the saddle next to the other bike. Back to the car to get everything else I’ll need for the day.

On return, I find that a bunch more bikes are racked. Of course, the rack is now so loaded down that I can’t hang it by the saddle (it’s a 58cm), so I take it to the other side and rack it by the brake levers. No big deal. There’s just enough room between bikes to squeeze it in. It’s now about 7:05, and time for my bike warmup. I hang my large gym bag (velcro-closed straps) on the rack; it barely fits between the two bikes adjacent. My transition gear consists of running shoes and race belt, which are on the ground where my rear wheel had been.

I do my ~20 minute spin, and return to the rack at about 7:30. Lo! and behold, there’s another bike (a nice red Felt) racked there, on the other side of my running shoes. My gym bag has been slid over, scrunching it up against another bike. Racer #xxx is nowhere to be seen.

As the race is coming up, I move my bike down to the other end of the rack where there’s another space. I’m pretty annoyed.

Shortly before the race starts, Racer #xxx shows up. I ask him why he took a spot that had been occupied. Rather testily, he informs me that he didn’t move my bag, and there was plenty of room for another bike (I would’ve had to put my bike on top of his!). Speechless, I just stare at him, to which he replies “You want to make something of it?”. I walk away; he says “have a nice race”.

So, what say ye, O arbiters of all things transitional? Can one reserve a spot on a rack? Or is it only reserved if someone can’t physically rack his bike without shoving all your transition stuff aside? Are there any rules on this, when the racks aren’t explicitly numbered?

2

“You want to make something of it?”

Ha! What a total loser. I hope you laughed in his face.

3

Ken,
Congrats again on the race. Yes it was tough. Sorry that happened yesterday. I heard there was a disagreement on our rack between two racers but did not know it was you. I don’t know if there is a “rule” as such but I have always done as you did. In a triathlon I usually just hang my wetsuit over the bar where my bike would be careful not to take any more space than my bike would. I think you were perfectly right to expect your space to be there when you returned. Others may disagree so I too am interested in their thoughts.

Bob

4

It seems as if this is a recurring problem, unfortunately the only answer I have is warm up before racking, or at the rack on your trainer.

Sucks that the dude was a prick about it, don’t worry you’ll see that Felt on ebay after he does an Ironman.

5

Bring tape and a 3x5 index card. When you leave your rack space just hang the index cards that say something like don’t f8cking touch my bike, or says bike already racked here go find another spot.

6

the other thing to do, which I have done successfully in front of the owner of the other bike, is to rack my bike and overlap handlebars so that he has to move my bike to get his out from under mine in order to leave the transition area. If he doesn’t like it tell him to go rack further down.

It seems that the problem today is RD’s don’t want to spring for a few extra racks. Three years ago X number of racks was fine for the race when it had ~300 racers. Now it has 450 and they don’t have extra racks.

7

I built my own rack out some 2x4s. I don’t use it in every race, but I usually know which ones are going to be really crowded, and I bring it to those.

There’s probably something in the rules prohibiting that, but I think I know what I’d tell the unprepared (for the size of his/her race) RD who calls me out on it.

8

email me your mailing address, I’ll send you some goatheads to spread liberally around your next transition area…
if someone takes it, they won’t go far :wink:

9

That is friggin awesome dude. Is this true?

10

In a perfect world, I coulf lend you my ten pound sledge and your could beat on his head until it was paste. But then that would make me a bad person.

That totally sucks. As a civilized human, I don’t know what other action you could have taken. He was obviously a complete scumbag.

I think that we all have stories of doing our warm-up and coming back to find some late-comer setting up where our stuff is laid out(in case the towel with gear, wetsuit laid over th bike rack, and huge duffel bag wasn’t enough of a clue.) That happened to me at my first tri three years ago. Fortunately, the guy conceded. He probably didn’t want to be an ass in front of his wife and kids.

Frankly, I don’t know what motivates that sort of behavior. I would rather have to run another 10-15 feet and have plenty of room than be trying to work my bike out of its space between a bunch of other bikes that were all hooked together.

Hopefully you won’t dwell on it(the way I probably would)and will just enjoy the fact that you had a good race.

11

Man, I hate that. I like to get to a race early and stake out my spot. If someone gets there before me, so be it. I try not to crowd. that’s happened to me a couple of times. but I’ve never been threatened.

How was your race?

12

It’s against the rules to use your own rack/stand in transition…

13

I had that problem last year at one of the races I did. I got there nice and early, and I was the first person on the rack for my number range. I like end spots so I set my bike on the rack, laid out all my gear, and then went for a warm up ride. I draped my wetsuit over the spot where my bike had been racked.

I come back from my ride, and not only has some jerk taken my spot but one of his brake levers is resting right on top of my wetsuit. I move the bike to any empty spot on the rack since the offender was not around. When he came back, I told him I moved his bike because he had taken my space.

I politely asked him, why he took my spot since my wetsuit was already there, and all my gear was laid out on my towel. He tells me, the rack is for bikes, not for wetsuits. (Duh, like I don’t know what the rack is for!) I tell him, I had laid out my gear, and was just saving my rack space while warming up. Again he repeats the comment about the racks being for bikes.

At this point I decided the guy was a total moron, and that I wasn’t going to waste any time or energy on explaining transition area etiquette. It gave me great pleasure to completely kick his azz in the race. Teach him to mess with this lady’s stuff in transition.

As much as I like being able to grab an end, there is something to be said for assigned spots. I do agree that some of these races could stand to have a few more racks to ease overcrwding.

14

Here’s a good way to reserve your spot.

Go down to the local recycled bike parts store and get some old nasty cheap ass bars and levers. Tape um up with REALLY loud bar tape and hang them in the slot that you are taking while you warm up. Also hang a nice sign from the bars that says that you are occupying this space and are just warming up so please leave the bars as they sit.

Sorry for your troubles. I wish more RD’s included “rack instructions” for those who are new to the sport and those who are just plain dicks. That way we might have some ground to stand on when carp like this goes down.

15

Hi Ken. Sorry to hear about your experience. Reminds me of a few weeks ago, my son raced at the Ralph’s half in Oceanside, CA. Got there plenty early and had no trouble finding space in the racks. Later, a guy who was doing his 1st ever tri came up to find no spaces left and no one willing to make room. Bunch of grumps (maybe because of the bad weather). Anyway, my son finally talked some of them into making just enough space.

We both had a much better time at the Dannon Duathlon last November and the racks had your race number on them. Plenty of room and no fighting over space. Too bad more transition areas can’t be set up like that.

16

Yes, true. It holds the rear wheel upright. It’s a thing of beauty. Bob Villa would be proud.

Incidentially (before someone follows my example and ends up getting penalized) I think section 7.3 of the USAT rules prohibits this - if by “properly designated bike corral” it means what we all call “bike rack.”

17

When you take your bike for a warmup, instead of hitting the porta loo, coil a brown python where your bike was racked and then you will have plenty of space when you get back!

Or maybe not. I dunno…sorry… my bad

18

The guy is clearly a ------ . But, it could have been worse. When I got back to the rack during my second ever tri last year, someone had taken my spot on the rack. A risk, I suppose, of being a good swimmer and a lousy cyclist. I had to run around the other side to find a spot to park my bike before heading out on the run.

19

I would have kicked his ass (assault charges still pending) and taken the DQ for it, but that’s me. I would have hauled him and his nice red Felt out of the transition area and have a little lesson in courtesy and respect. Cheers

20

That sucks. We’re at the mercy of our fellow triathletes in such situations, and can only Hope that they act reasonably. Obviously this guy was the exception.

My most annoying experience was 2 years ago. I was one of the first into transition and grabbed the first spot on the rack. I set up my stuff on my towel and went to line up for the swim. When I finsihed the swim and reach the transition area, I noticed that someone had moved all of my stuff 3 feet over. I just can’t believe the balls on some people.