St. Anthony's was dangerous... here's why

Triathlon Forum
1

Disclaimer: 1) I finished Dead Last in my first multisport race. 2) I think Team in Training is a brilliant idea to raise money for an excellent cause…

Now… I was really A-1 royally pissed off about the slow people with no knowledge/respect for the rules. There were several occasions when I was forced to lean on the brakes to avoid hitting swerving cyclists. I realize that slowtwitch.com readers tend to be the most educated triathletes around… but I’m still ranting. St. Anthony’s is a national class event, simply listening at the prize giving makes you realize just how good some of the racers are. If you wanted to get the top age group competition in the early season then St. Anthony’s was the race… today the course was full of inexperienced, dangerous athletes: Breast stroking swimmers (kicked in the head), swerving cyclists, drafting packs, blocking violations galore. If you want to do an Olympic distance triathlon then go sign up for Great Clermont… even better, go do Team in Training at Great Clermont (raise money for charity). Just don’t go ruin a race with the class of St. Anthony’s.

I apologize to all the people to whom I yelled “Keep right, please!” but in my defense you need to learn the f-ing rules and learn how to follow them. I don’t apologize to the woman who I told to “F— off”… especially after she had the nerve to ride down the centre of the road and then yell at me when I passed on the inside instead of riding in the wrong lane. This was wildly unsportsmanlike and I am ashamed.

Team In Training’s 400+ novice racers spread out over the course, they should NOT be at St. Anthony’s. Go do Great Clermont, or if you must do St. Anthony’s then have your own starts after the experienced triathletes are already on the course, then you don’t ruin actual gasp competitor’s races.

On that note, I also have to question why we need a special fatass section AKA Clydesdale/Athena. This isn’t East Willow Triathlon where everyone gets a prize. This is St. Anthony’s, if you aren’t built to race a triathlon then go be a powerlifter. Too slow to be competitive at 200lbs? Lose some weight. Can’t lose weight? Then you have no business winning awards in triathlon. Why don’t we have a “Shetland” class for male athletes under 140lbs and women under 110lbs? I could rule in that weight class. After all, small stature is a severe disadvantage on the swim and ride, where our power to drag ratios can’t match larger men… and our short legs make running more difficult by requiring us to take many more steps to cover the distance than a longer legged competitor. Of course, unlike Clydesdales the “Shetland” athletes can’t just change their body type to actually go fast. Yeah, it’s stupid. So’s Team Clydesdale. Clydes can go win bodybuilding/powerlifting competitions, they have ZERO business having a special grouping in triathlon.

2,000 people on a course that feels full with 1,000. (I was in the 8th wave, and didn’t race elite because I can’t swim and had a running injury) On the bike I was holding 27-29mph on the clear sections… traffic jams often slowed me into the low 20’s and below, on the congested corners I could feel time slipping away as I tried to avoid the perilous and unpredictable cornering abilities of Clydesdales and Team in Training. I crossed the center line on the road at least 5 times when people were riding 2, 3, or 4 abreast.

That race was dangerous. I will not race it again unless there are some major changes made for 2004 and beyond.

This is not a troll. I am pissed off… and if you know me then you realize that it takes a lot to get me bent out of shape.

Alex Jones - Bermuda

2

Sorry, can’t agree. Yes, this is a course on which you need bike handling skills along with horsepower. Yes, jamming 2000 racers in there does make it crowded. Yes, it is worse when you are in the late waves since you have to work through so many stragglers. You are in the 20 to 24 age group though, so you can look forward to being in the early waves in the future. Old guys like me go to the back and stay there forever.

Everyone else in your age group had the same conditions and those are the ones you were competing against. You averaged nearly 25 mph on a twisty course, something I couldn’t do around a track. You had the best bike split in your age group. How bad could it really have been?

Yes, I wish TNT would not do competitive races like St. Anthony’s, but there really weren’t that many of them there. I guess all your complaints are valid to a point, but it is a great, fun race. I have done it four years in a row. and I will keep coming back.

3

Up until now, I never got involved with immature remarks like those Mr. Jones feels he has to rant and rave about, but in this case, I feel a urge to say something.

Mr. Jones, you have no right to say any negative remarks about Team In Training, Clydes and Athenas. He##, the first place clydes tore you a new one w/ his run and swim. If that was an attempt at IM, You’d probably be a shriveled up waste on the side of the road complaining that you have GI distress and can’t go on. Until you sw/bk/rn a mile in a Leukemia/cancer patient’s body, don’t EVER talk trash about what it signifies and what those people do, CLUTTER OR NO CLUTTER IN A RACE. This sport is grassroots in nature, and will always have that essence about it, as it should be. If they didn’t compete, if they didn’t make it all the more possible to fill race entries, you wouldn’t even have a sport to talk idiotic trash in.

If you feel the need to rant, rant about your inability to race fast. You suck at swimming, and you suck at running. Don’t give me a line about injury-this and injury that, b/c if you can toe the line and feel like racing despite an injury, then you GO FAST- But don’t blame others if you are so slow you wouldn’t know a sub 7min pace if it came on the downhill while biting you in the a$$. It doesn’t matter if you can hit almost 25 on the bike average- If you can’t pull out a run, THEN GET OUT OF THE WAY…ON YOUR LEFT YOU LITTLE PUNK.

I am not Team in Training, I am not a Clydes or Athena. I am the one who would laugh at you ranting and raving at the finish- Because I would have beaten you. Don’t talk smack that is rude and self-centered. Don’t belittle those who give 100% to a wonderful sport. Don’t ruin a way of life b/c you’re a little man hanging on by your fingertips. DON’T DISRESPECT THOSE WHO FIGHT FOR A CAUSE…b/c it will be your a$$ next time thanking one of those 400+ T-in-T for doing a race and raising money for your health (God forbid- I wouldn’t wish that on anyone).

Despite this, I’ll still offer you a cold one when you cross the finish…Because you’re slow butt will be behind me. See you at the races.

Rob

4

Rob… I’ve run 33 minutes for 10k and have a 22 minute PR for 1500m. Please refrain from ad homenim attacks. My own abilities as a racer have nothing to do with my criticism of the race. If you would like to make any further personal remarks then please do so over e-mail at ajjones@northock.bm… Please note that I had no problem with slower athletes.

For those of you just visiting the thread, please read my original post.

5

Everyone else in your age group had the same conditions and those are the ones you were competing against. You averaged nearly 25 mph on a twisty course, something I couldn’t do around a track. You had the best bike split in your age group. How bad could it really have been?

Thanks for the civil response (really)… the problem was not wholly in the competitive aspect of my race, but rather in the safety factors. The course was crowded which prevented my cycling prowess from being fully utilized… My best guess is that the crowded conditions cost me 2-3 minutes… primarily because I have no top gear and accelerate very slowly (slowtwitch central)

The real problem was one of safety. People were being unsafe and interfering with the competition of other racers.

I watched one racer go down hard when an inexperienced woman swerved and took his front wheel out from underneath him. This is any racer’s worst nightmare. As I rode along I could see him skidding along the ground, and got to watch him sit on the road and wonder just how badly he was damaged. $100+ and a lot of training down the drain because of some idiot on the course.

It’s hard to compete when there are people blocking the road.

Cheers, Alex

6

I’ve done a couple of races with TNT folks. I think it is a great idea to raise money for a cause. I also think zinc makes some valid points. The TNT folks do seem to be the least safe riders on the course. I have seen groups of 3-5 riding side be side by side by side. I think it is an excellent program that, if it included a fair bit more than they do on bike safety and the rules, would be that much better of a program. This would make it safer for all involved. Zinc, my advice is write the RD with you concerns and include a few ideas on how it might be made to be more safe/fair. After all, unless the RD reads this board they might think all is well.

7

“on the congested corners I could feel time slipping away as I tried to avoid the perilous and unpredictable cornering abilities of Clydesdales and Team in Training”

I’m trying to figure out if you’re just a guy who’s pissed off after a frustrating race, or a complete asshole who will hopefully one day cock off to the wrong guy. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and guess it’s the former. I completely agree that anyone entering a race, regardless of ability, needs to know and abide by the rules. I’ve even got some issues with the Clydesdale division and TNT. But you’ve gone way off base by classifying all Clydes and TNTers as inexperienced racers. I’ve been around a ton of skinny ass riders that couldn’t hold a line or follow the rules to save their lives. The fact of the matter is that there are many novice racers who know and abide by the rules, and there are many Clydes that can haul ass, even on your precious bike leg. There are also novices who don’t have a clue, and Clydes who are slow.

“Team In Training’s 400+ novice racers spread out over the course, they should NOT be at St. Anthony’s. Go do Great Clermont, or if you must do St. Anthony’s then have your own starts after the experienced triathletes are already on the course, then you don’t ruin actual gasp competitor’s races.”

Who are you to decide what sort of participants should be involved in what races? You come off as an elitest who’s pissed off that he has to be around any participants who are slower and less experienced than he. If you’ve got such a big issue with TNT, I’m suprised you did this race. Their damn logo is huge on the race’s webpage.

8

I did Mrs T’s in Chicago last summer and before the race started I got some advice from a friend, who happened to be a past winner of the event. He advised me to forget about setting PRs and just take in the spectacle. He warned me that the transition area would be a joke and that the routes would be cluttered with hundreds and hundreds of riders.

His advice was right on the mark— The course was cluttered and I had to slow more times that I can remember on both the bike and run courses due to packs of slower racers.

I found that if you just relax and accept the event for what it is you can enjoy it. I think the same advice might apply for Saint Anthony’s— Forget about the crowds, just deal with them as patiently as you can. When you come up to people riding five abreast just slow down and move past them as economically and safely as possible and then go on with your race. All of your competitors are in the same boat so you are not at any special disadvantage.

-Marc

9

22 minutes for 1500M in the fishie realm puts you in the bottom 15% of all swimmers at that distance among 11-12 year old boys according to the USS motivation charts.

As for crowds, you knew it was a very full race going in.

10

Please stop attacking me… I am an athlete trying to have fun and be safe.

Look at the points I made.

  1. Not following the rules is dangerous.

  2. Inexperienced athletes are dangerous.

  3. Team in Training is mostly inexperienced, don’t know the rules and thus highly dangerous.

  4. St. Anthony’s is a National Class event.

  5. Team in Training can be equally successful without having an impact on the competing athletes

  6. Clydesdale categories are a cop out for people who aren’t as fit as they could be.

  7. There were too many racers on that course

Mrs. T’s is not St. Anthony’s… yes, I’ve done that race once and watched it twice.
Only desert dude has given a logical reply to the actual points raised. Please actually read my original post. Thanks.

11

Thats the funniest thing I’ve seen in ages.

On the subject of TNT etc etc and Clydes.

A couple of things I have seen in my first 2 years in the sport.

My first tri was Mrs T’s, I think 7000 or so people take part and the bike is a trip, people everywhere and on everything from tricked out Trek TT bikes to beach cruisers.

The funny thing is though that the fastest times in my AG were sub 2 hours and I dont think the people that set off in my wave were just lucky and somehow found a line with no people. They were just really fast and had the same issues everyone else had. Mrs T’s could well be the most crowded race in the world, small course with lots of competitors.

The Clydes in that race that won I also think went sub 2, now we can argue the toss about whether they should have their own category but in my mind when they can go that fast they have as much business being on the course as anyone else.

I’d suggest instead of just assasinating these two groups publically you suggest to the RD that everyone has to attend the course meeting i.e. you cant pick up your packet until you have been through the meeting and that you also suggest that TNT spend some of their time going over the rules with their racers.

12

Firstly people may have taken issue with you given the way you chose to express your points that said.

*1. Not following the rules is dangerous. *

Correct, as many experienced athletes do this though to take advantage, simply look at drafting, you cant single out inexperienced athletes for this.

*2. Inexperienced athletes are dangerous. *

Fine, so how do you propose athletes get experience, I assume you were an expert in your first race. Have a little heart I know you know it all at 24, but prehaps trying to help someone instead of telling them to "Fk off" might be a little more constructive. I saw some asshole like you call a woman a “Cnt" at Mrs T’s because she was riding on the right (its the opposite at Mrs T’s), granted she was wrong but calling her a "Cnt” get a grip man its a race, not cancer.**

  1. Team in Training is mostly inexperienced and thus dangerous.

So, why not do something to correct this, go volunteer and teach them differently instead of bitching about it. Secondly, back to point 2, how else should they get experience.

  1. St. Anthony’s is a National Class event.

So what? the Chicago marathon and London marathon are world class events, we should not let people that cant break 2.18 in? Mrs T’s is a world class event, they should limit the size? If you have a beef about this, you should have raced the ITU qualifier, although that might not have worked out so well for you as Lessing was out of the water in 17 and change…but at least you’d have had a clear run…

5. Team in Training can be equally successful without having an impact on the competing athletes

Absolutely no offence but for a 2.13 finish your arrogance is astounding, did you beat every single TNT’er?

  1. Clydesdale categories are a cop out

On this we might agree but as they dont detract from where you finish and might in some cases allow you to finish higher than you did in reality why are you getting worked up about it?

  1. There were too many racers on that course

To many for you AND everyone else, everyone had the same disadvantage so the playing field was level, you need to move on, its not like someone died.

13

Correct, as many experienced athletes do this though to take advantage, simply look at drafting, you cant single out inexperienced athletes for this.

Blocking was the major issue. Riding 2-4 abreast for long periods of time (Dangerous). Drafting is a whole other ball game and has been beaten to death.

I assume you were an expert in your first race

My first race was Mrs. T’s Sprint distance Chicago in 2000. I made sure to learn the rules first. This isn’t about me, however. It’s about the 1,000 dangerous people on that course. The woman I told to F— off had yelled at me for passing her on the inside when she was riding virtually on the line in the centre of the road leaving no room to pass on the outside. This was an isolated incident of someone being nasty to me.

why not do something to correct this (Team in Training)

See my suggestion on saving the last 2 or 3 waves for Team in Training athletes

*Absolutely no offence but for a 2.13 finish your arrogance is astounding, did you beat every single TNT’er? *

I’m pretty sure I didn’t beat every TNT’er… but I went really slow. I did manage to almost get hurt by a large number of TNT’er’s… would it matter if I had gone 1:53 and won the race? The point is the same.

why are you getting worked up about it? (Clydesdale categories)

Principle. If someone’s the best overall… they’re the best… if they’re the best their age then that’s something they can’t control. If they’re the best guy who’s too heavy? WTF? That’s something that an athlete can change to become faster. If you don’t know how to do that then please e-mail me and I can suggest some programs to lower weight.

its not like someone died.

Not this time. Some people walked away with severe road rash. I watched one go down. Hard.

veryone had the same disadvantage so the playing field was level

Everyone was racing on the same dangerous race course. This is a level playing field but I would say that it’s far from optimal.

14

Correct, as many experienced athletes do this though to take advantage, simply look at drafting, you cant single out inexperienced athletes for this.

Blocking was the major issue. Riding 2-4 abreast for long periods of time (Dangerous). Drafting is a whole other ball game and has been beaten to death.

So, there’s no difference, both are cheating. Drafting can be equally dangerous if some asshole touches wheels…

I assume you were an expert in your first race

My first race was Mrs. T’s Sprint distance Chicago in 2000. I made sure to learn the rules first. This isn’t about me, however. It’s about the 1,000 dangerous people on that course. The woman I told to F— off had yelled at me for passing her on the inside when she was riding virtually on the line in the centre of the road leaving no room to pass on the outside. This was an isolated incident of someone being nasty to me.

So, she shouts at you, you tell everyone to F**k off? As to the rule breaking, you just passed on the inside, if you want to take the moral high ground I suggest you dont break the rules.

I dont disagree that people SHOULD know the rules but obviously you KNEW them and INTENTIONALLY broke them, and have publically admitted it and tried to justify it, to be honest I dont see the difference. Ignorance of the rules and breaking them is not a valid justification and knowing the rules as you obviously did and intentionally breaking them makes you even more culpapble (sp?).

You might want to think about calling others out about breaking the rules as you seem to think they dont apply to you when it suits you.

You might also want to think about reacting to people that are rude to you, you think telling the woman to F**k off was constructive?

why not do something to correct this (Team in Training)

See my suggestion on saving the last 2 or 3 waves for Team in Training athletes

How about you volunteer to teach your local TNT group the rules, you get to help a charity, and do something constructive as I am sure that their are TNT’s that could hand you your ass on a plate, I’m also sure their are Clydes that race as clydes and as AG’ers that could also hand you your ass but more on that later…

*Absolutely no offence but for a 2.13 finish your arrogance is astounding, did you beat every single TNT’er? *

I’m pretty sure I didn’t beat every TNT’er… but I went really slow. I did manage to almost get hurt by a large number of TNT’er’s… would it matter if I had gone 1:53 and won the race? The point is the same.

“I’m pretty sure I didn’t beat every TNT’er…but I went really slow”

Dude do you know how f**king conceited you sound? just reread that statement.

The point is you need to work on your communication skills, to that woman and posting here in a f**ked up, conceited manner.

My heart bleeds for you that your race was hurt, I’m sure that the guy’s that finished 1, 2, and 3 in front of you are crying in to their beers right now.

why are you getting worked up about it? (Clydesdale categories)

Principle. If someone’s the best overall… they’re the best… if they’re the best their age then that’s something they can’t control. If they’re the best guy who’s too heavy? WTF? That’s something that an athlete can change to become faster. If you don’t know how to do that then please e-mail me and I can suggest some programs to lower weight.
I have a serious weight problem as the several people off here who know me and met me will appreciate, any advice on losing weight would be greatly appreciated.

I dont necessarily agree their should be a Clyde cat but again I dont care because I dont feel bitter about the fact that someone else gets to participate and feel good about themselves. I could argue the toss about this and get wound up, but for gods sake why do you care if someone wants to take part and it makes them feel better about themselves? Why? It does not affect you, get over it.

n.b. I think 3 of the top 20 at IMMooo were over 200lbs.

its not like someone died.

Not this time. Some people walked away with severe road rash. I watched one go down. Hard.

Its a race and accidents happen, I think you ought to worry a little more about yourself and a little less about everyone else. It is fairly apparent from the first post until now that you are very bitter about what went down, have you ever considered that your attitude might be an issue here?

Everyone had the same disadvantage so the playing field was level

Everyone was racing on the same dangerous race course. This is a level playing field but I would say that it’s far from optimal.

How about they change the rules for next year so that the top 3 in each AG get to start in a wave of their own? Look the truth of the matter is that if you swam 17-19 mins you’d have come out of the water 2-3 waves in front given average swim times, putting you in more open space.

If you read your posts in their entirety they come off as a bitter tirade of a race, from telling the woman to F**koff to finishing fourth because you were injured, to not beating all the TNT’ers because you were’nt trying hard.

While we might agree on the Clyde’s I’m not going to lose sleep over the fact that they get to race, while beginners make mistakes because they dont know the rules I am not going to send them to the purgatory of a seperate wave start.

Prehaps you need to do one of two things

  1. lighten up and go teach TNT’ers the rules and prehaps be a little more accepting of beginners

or

  1. Get faster and race the ITU race and get a pro card (although I have strong opinions on how ez those are to get you might be better off seperated from the other AG’ers)
15

Please stop bashing Zinc for his time (2:13), his swimming (25:39), and his running (43:34). It makes guys like me who had a terrific race (2:34), his best swim yet (28:00), and his first run that wasn’t totally putrid (51:35) feel like we are over 40, over weight and out of shape.

Oh, wait, I am over 40, over weight and out of shape. Forgot.

Never mind then.

16

Zinc At 6foot four inchs 200 pounds is just a reality It has nothing to do with being fit,i might even go as for and say i could beat your ass on the bike,as far as the body buildind,no way i am to skinny
.

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The problem I have with TNT and other organizations is they seem to be transforming triathlons from races to events. IMO a lot of this is the race director’s fault. When the race director sets aside large blocks of slots for organizations, with mostly first timers, they basically have changed the race to an event. It seems many more people’s goals in these organizations are to just finish a triathlon, rather than actually competing in it. A way to fix this would be for race directors to do away with age group starts and instead do them by ability or predicted time. Many of the dangerous situations that occur on the course (Mostly the bike), could be eliminated.

19

I agree that they should have a last wave at all the large triathlons for First Timers (Team in Training & any others). This would keep them out of the way of the people truly racing. I too did St. Anthony’s and thought it was a fantastic well organized race, but had to go around team in training members about four times who were blocking the whole right lane. (Yeah I crosed the yellow line but that was the only way to get around! I had no choice.). Anyway, maybe if we all e-mailed the race directors & made this suggestion they might consider it for next year & make it less nerve wracking on the racers!

20

Someone really needs to explain to me why there is so much animosity towards the clydesdale class. Are awards removed from other classes to give awards to the clydes/athenas? No. So who cares if the bigger folks want to compete against each other, get trophies, etc? Who is it hurting? Upset that you won’t get a five dollar trophy in the under 140 weight class like the 200 lb. guy who wins the clyde class? Grow up. If the 5 dollar trophy is what motivates you, you’ve got issues.

My first season I raced clydesdale. Why? Gee, I saw there was a weight class for those over 200 lbs and figured that I qualified. So there you go. I don’t anymore, and the only reason I don’t is that USAT doesn’t rank people who compete as clydes. I’m curious as to how I compare, so I compete as AG.

As far as comments for those who “are not as fit as they could be”, again you are misinformed, and could use a little growing up. At 6’4", 208 lbs (8% body fat), I’d say I am reasonably fit, wouldn’t you? Yeah, I only run a 20 minute 5k, and my PB TT is 22.3 mph, so I guess I really am not competitive. With times like those, I’ll never win an AG OR Clyde division. That isn’t why I do these things. But you know what, when I see some 260 lb guy pounding down the road to the finish line, I give him respect, because he has enough guts to try something that maybe he isn’t cut out for. Maybe his body type or genetics will never make him waif-like enough to satisfy your high standards. Or maybe it is just that he really is fat and out of shape. That is even better, because that was me three years ago. If he feels better knowing that he is competing against folks his size, and that keeps him doing this long enough to get fit, lose some weight, reduce his risk of diabetes/blood pressure/heart disease, then this can only be a good thing.

In the water, instead of complaning about the benefits those powerful guys reap, get in their draft and enjoy the ride. On a hilly course, where you reap the benefits of your size, you don’t hear the clydes complaining, do you? No, they are probably enjoying their size at 60 mph on the back side of the hill. And as far as the run goes, again, it is all about power to weight and if you are one of those gifted people who can do a 30 min 10k, good for you! Who the hell cares what is going on ten or fifteen minutes behind you? Does the big guy with the 20 minute swim, 22 mph bike ride, and 8 min/mi run somehow take away from your big victory when they get the five dollar trophy? If it does, I feel sorry for you.

Newsflash: The VAST majority of triathletes are MOP or BOP and are not in as good shape as they could be because they have other things going on in their lives. These are the people whose dollars allow the races to be put on. These are the people who the races are put on FOR. Not for the top 20 who the rest of us strive to be like. Yeah, I have to slow down too to get around the beginners, the people with poor bike handling skills. Why get bent out of shape? You re just raising your blood pressure needlessly and raising the amount of stress in the world. We were all there once. Take a chill pill and enjoy the day.

Philbert

21

I am surprised by so many of the comments here against poor Zinc. I am a MOPer and would be thrilled with a 2:13 Oly race, and a 22:00 swim (I’m working on it…). So would MOST triathletes, if you’ve ever looked at race results for most olympic races - so I guess we can chalk up the comments about him being slow to those who prefer personal attacks to constructive conversation.

I didn’t do this race, but what was described on the bike course is, plain and simple, dangerous. If anyone, including TNTers, want to complete their first race, part of completing that race is to abide by the rules - i.e. no drafting, keeping to the right at all times when not passing, etc. In an ideal world, anyone who could not do those things would be DQed on the spot. In my very first race, I took the time beforehand to learn the rules. That only requires a little bit of reading, so I don’t buy the “inexperience” excuse for not following the rules. One would think that a group that is training for a triathlon would make it their business to learn/teach the rules of the sport - if not, they don’t belong there.

I have total respect for anyone who has encountered an illness or is competing with a disability, etc. - but some in this forum seem to believe that the “right to the experience” for a less-competetive triathlete trumps the competetive aspect for others - and I think that is plainly wrong. For the vast majority, triathlon is racing, even toward the back of the AG pack. Every race I do, I am trying to beat my PR and my AG competitors. TRI said it well above - that “races” are being turned into “events.” There are a whole set of dangers and problems that can arise among competetive athletes - those are not the subject of this thread - but if the first-timers and others who are doing the “event” just to finish would respect the rules and those who are competing, people like Zinc wouldn’t get so frustrated.

I don’t get to race nearly as often as I’d like to, so when I do, I hope for the best. I agree that telling an inconsiderate woman riding on the wrong side of the course to F-off is probably not a productive way of dealing with the situation, but, frankly, I don’t blame Zinc, either. This is a race, not a Sunday morning ride in the park, so she should be following the rules, and riding on the right. In the same situation, I probably would have yelled (yes, “yelled”) “Move to the right”, and, if she failed to do so, passed her in the safest way possible. I find it laughable that someone commented above that Zinc knew the rules, and broke them (and admitted it), when he passed this woman on the right. What else was he to do? Slow down to 14 mph and stay behind her for the rest of the bike leg or until she moved over (probably never)? I am not a USAT official, but I bet the woman would be penalized, and not Zinc, in that situation - her actions forced him to go around her.

Others commented that since everyone in Zinc’s AG had the same course (& obstacles) to deal with, it is a level playing field, so he shouldn’t complain. I disagree. Poor race conditions, even if everyone must endure them, are still poor race conditions - which is especially frustrating when they are caused by the inconsiderate attitude and actions of other participants. Above all, it is about safety, but I don’t think some inconsiderate actions by those who may be in it “for the experience” should be allowed to destroy the “race” for someone else.

Finally, I’ll say that I have been fortunate not to be in any races with one large training/fundraising group behaving as has been described - though I’ve seen plenty of individuals riding on the left and otherwise being inconsiderate. But this is not the first time I’ve heard people say that participants from this particular group have acted this way in a race. While it would be super-nice if Zinc or others who were able would help the group out in teaching rules, etc., it is certainly not his responsibility. That responsibility lies solely with the group ands it membership. Apparently, this is an issue it needs desperately to address.