So, I did a sprint race (La Porte Triathlon) today and the drafting I saw was unbelievable. Literally there were guys waving other guys around when they were getting tired. It was like a group ride. I actually thought that maybe these guys didn’t know that it wasn’t a draft-legal race, so I asked them and the guy I asked acknowledged that he knew drafting was illegal then proceeded to continue to run a paceline. I’ve done 30+ triathlons and I’ve never seen anything like this. They weren’t even trying to hide it.
One word:
Xterra
.
So, I did a sprint race (La Porte Triathlon) today and the drafting I saw was unbelievable. Literally there were guys waving other guys around when they were getting tired. It was like a group ride. I actually thought that maybe these guys didn’t know that it wasn’t a draft-legal race, so I asked them and the guy I asked acknowledged that he knew drafting was illegal then proceeded to continue to run a paceline. I’ve done 30+ triathlons and I’ve never seen anything like this. They weren’t even trying to hide it.
I had the same thing happen last weekend. At Chisago Lakes in Minnesota. I had 8 people pass me. in a group i passed them back and held them off till we went back into the wind them i couldn’t hold them off anymore.
Now this wouldn’t be bad except then they had a a draft martial ride beside them for a mile while they were still drafting. I get back to the end and he gave them no penalties. Im like are freaking kidding me. Its not a USAT race and i’ll never do it again because the RD didn’t care at all.
Grant
Exactly. This, too, wasn’t a USAT race and the rule was that two racers had to report the drafters numbers for there to be a penalty. No marshals at all. It’s really close to my summer house, so I was excited to do it, but this really turned me off. I loved everything else about the race, but this was such a bummer.
Its not a USAT race and i’ll never do it again because the RD didn’t care at all.
Sounds like some of the races on Long Island. But these races like the Mighty Hamptons are USAT sanctioned with no draft marshals on the course. One big cheat race as far as I’m concerned & I swore off doing their races.
I agree. Cheaters suck. I think most of us agree.
However, my opinion on drafting is a little different. Maybe I’m alone here, but I’m don’t make a living as a triathlete. I have a full time job and a wife. I compete in triathlons for fun and exercise. Granted, I spend too much money on it, but I still think I have a healthy perspective on the sport. While cheating in anything isn’t cool, I don’t get worked up about it nearly as much as some ST folks get. I feel good about my accomplishments in the sport and that concerns me the most. I could care less for the most part that others in the race choose to cut corners. I choose to train my ass off and focus on my own performance.
Does it upset me that I can potentially miss out on podium spots because the competition drafts, blocks, dopes, etc? Absolutely not. Why? Because I raced the right way.
No race can compare to the Desert Toyota Triathlon in La Qunita, CA in terms of bike drafting. Packs of 20-30 gathered together, and a lot of runners only doing 1 loop of the run course. Only in CA, where getting a T-shirt makes them think they just took viagra.
Race director Greg Klein refuses to do anything about it, because he loves the $$ for these low lifes. Boycott at of his races!!!
I was in a race once, where I saw a local coach blatently drafting for about 6 miles of a 9mi bike. I would never want a coach like that!
As a Category 3 USAT official I can add, that it’s up to the RD’s to decide whether they want us there or not. We get paid a small stipend and travel expenses if the RD requests our presence from the regional official coordinator. It’s up to the RD to decide what kind of event he wants. Earlier this summer, a first-time 1/2 IM USAT race out here was looking for officials and, even though they didn’t have to, paid for my hotel and gas costs (I was still a Cat. 4 official), to make sure they got at least 2 USAT Refs out there on motos. Considering the money they charge for entries, one racer’s entry fee would almost cover the cost for a Ref to be there.
A race does not even have to be sanctioned by USAT to have draft marshalls, an RD can explain the rules to volunteers and send them out on motos (but that’s risking it).
Again, demand better. Write the RD and tell him what you think about the event. Good RD’s will take the feedback and fix the problem. This first time race I ref’ed in June flat out ASKED me and the other official what they could do better next year and they are going to implement all the safety concerns we mentioned.
Sorry about the cheaters…
I’ve done the Toyota Desert International Triathlon for the last two years and the only place that I’ve even remotely seen anything that can be construed as drafting is on the road leading in and out of the park area. With that said, that road is like a funnel leading into transition so you can’t help but be right on top of one another. I have NEVER heard any complaints about one of the Klein-Clark events. I actually really enjoy the race.
i hear you! some guy was sucking my wheel today on the bike leg–so when we approached the biggest climb in the race i had no other option but to demoralize him. i dropped him like a hot potato.
in the end, people are going to do what they’re going to do. all you can do is focus on yourself (and whip their ass on the course the next time).
The LaPorte triathlon was actually my first ever, way back in 1991. Back then, it was a backwards race and very small. Maybe 100 people and you did the run first, then bike and finish by swimming in the weeds in Pine Lake.
i have been a volunteer moto-riding draft marshal for a few years now in out local tri. i find the numbers of hobbyist racers willing and seeking to go out, pay scads of money on ridiculously specialized equipment, and then cheat like douchebags to be, as spock oftentimes said - fascinating.
FWIW i tell my new marshalls to look for 2 main types of people who, in my experience, cheat way more than average as group.
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females. in particular, fit looking females. in-shape females draft waaaaaaayyyyyy more than any other demographic out there. they will actually watch the moto’s, and make a game of it.
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dudes with “oufits” that are colour-coordinated with themselves, helmets, bike, etc.
take those two demographic grousps outta tri, and the numbers of douchbag drafters would fall by 80%, based on my time on the moto with clipboard in hand - no joke. somebody should do a thesis on the phenomenom. follow one of those profiles for abit in a tri and chances are very good you will bag one. it’s fun.
I don’t get it either, and you never know what you’re going to see. Last weekend I went to watch a small local race that has been around for 20+ years. Saw not a lot of drafting, but enough so that I yelled some choice comments to a few racers. Most of the drafting I saw was from male racers in places ~8-~40 (200 racers). Then yesterday I did a different small local race (out and back bike course), but with a lot of the same racers, and I didn’t see any drafting except for a couple of back of the packers on mountain bikes who seemed to know each other and were obviously riding together. In that case I really don’t have any issue as they’re not out there “racing”, just “doing a race” and getting some exercise.
The difference between the attitude of the two races…the first has a reputation for not caring about drafting. It’s been around for 20+ years. I stopped doing it back in 1996 after having packs roll by me 3 years in a row. The second the race director made a big deal at the prerace meeting with nearly 100% of the racers present about some things he’d observed the past few races he produced like people riding through the transition zone, taking corners too fast, etc, and said he’d be giving penalties and DSQ’s for these actions. As he was talking he turned to the timing crew and officials who were next to him and asked them if they were clear with his intentions.
Maybe it’s like Grandma’s Marathon policing headphones…If it comes from the top you can make the rules work.
You are freakin awesome.
I can see your perspective of not worrying about drafting cheaters to some extent.
I’m so slow that I only compete with myself. However, when I put in some decent training, improve my performance significantly, go faster, and so on, and I see my placing overall, or in my AG, I get really p*ssed off that I rank further down the list, simply because of cheating drafters.
I also try to remember that in a million years, none of this crap will matter 
(until then however, I get pretty annoyed some times)
“I’m so slow that I only compete with myself. However, when I put in some decent training, improve my performance significantly, go faster, and so on, and I see my placing overall, or in my AG, I get really p*ssed off that I rank further down the list, simply because of cheating drafters.”
I’m in the same boat. I compete with myself and I’ve never won a race. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if I’m in 38th place vs 45th place.
“I also try to remember that in a million years, none of this crap will matter”
BINGO! Sometimes folks here take it just little too seriously. Drafting is bad, but getting all worked up because other people are drafting is worse.
I’ve seen a lot of drafting in races as well. I’ve wondered about the difficulty in rigging either a FMV camera or a standard camera to my bike somehow to easily get shots of it while not putting myself at danger.
oh, the look on their faces when they get caught and dq’ed from a race…that’s priceless
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you want some cheese with that whine?