Did drafting kill triathlon?
Britspin
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It seems as a spectator sport (which tri isn't great for anyway IMHO), then a drafting race is a bunch of folks swimming fairly fast, goiing for a nice bunch ride around for a bit, followed by a 10k running race, if I watch tri on TV I only watch the last stages of the run..dull, dull, dull. So yes I agree drafting kills tri & a drarting race isn't a tri..
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The people are really feel sorry for in the elite groups are the good cyclists, who if it were draft-illegal could have a shot at winning, and were they to take part in an age-group event would be hot favourites.
However, can you imagine if the olympic race had been draft-illegal? With that group coming out of the water at the same time it would have been chaos!
On watching the london triathlon though I was so pleased that Julie Dibens pushed on the bike, got herself a healthy lead then maintained it on the run, which will hopefully show that is possible in some circumstances to push on the bike and still win the race, shame it didn't work for the french geezer [;)]
Drafting will always exist even in none drafting races,It will not kill Triathlon,the sport and the athletes should adopt policies to reduce the effect drafting has.
My view is that drafting is cheating(although I did enjoy my 35mph cruise behind a tractor yesterday).
But yeh you are right jon, the point I was clumsily trying to make above about the olympic race was about their similar ability making it impossible not to draft, so it has to be allowed.
In Australia the draft zone for a vehicle (not bicycle/motorcycle) is 35 metres by 5 metres, I expect it something similar inthe UK.
FW
I drafted a van during Bala last year, but didn't have an option really as the only other choice was try and overtake it (!) or ride on the inside of it. So I thought it was better to take my chances in its draft for the few minutes respite. What would the 'draft-box' be on a van anyway?!?! The other side of the road..? Better not give the BTF ideas....
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Conehead it does state in BTF competion rules that drafting behind a motor vehicle is illegal. I did a race at Ripon (i think it was) where somebody got a time penalty for drafting behind a tractor!
The debate about drafting/non drafting has been going on for years now, you can imagine the furore that happened when it was first introduced.
At the end of the day its not triathlon as us age groupers know it but it is triathlon as the elites know it and I imagine they train accordingly.
Now I realise tactics do play a part but I dare say the appeal for many groupers is to beat their PB ... and perhaps get a place on the podium. How can you beat a PB if your pace is then dictated by someone in front of a peloton? The appeal for me particularly on a wave start is that I am racing against myself and the clock until I cross that line. I say this even though by positioning myself in the middle of a pack in a draft legal tri I could actually match someone who is a better cyclist as my forte is the run.
As has been mentioned there is drafting in the swim and bike for the elites and there are ‘clumps’ of abilities so all we see are blobs of swimmers, blobs of runners and the only all out racing appears to be on the 10K run. I suppose the only good thing about drafting is that for TV purposes it allows the cameras to focus on a small group instead of a procession of riders.
One of the elites reckoned at some Ironman events that if you were first on the bike you could get behind the press van and gain a good advantage from its draft.
As the number of entries increases it is will inevitably lead to drafting but at HIMUK in 2003 I was told to catch up to the group ahead by one of the Draft Marshalls.
In conjunction with the thread about Tri teams for/against perhaps if the teams of three were allowed to draft amongst their own team and penalised heavily if they or any other team/competitor drafted with them ,might make a more interesting race,with the team time being taken after the last team member crossed the finish line.Just a thought.
My memory is fading with the passage of time,but I now remember that in 2003 some Americans used drafting to get someone in the Olympic team,I think it was either Potts or Kemper.
Drafting, or riding closely behind another cyclist to reduce wind resistance, is a common tactic in competitive cycling and triathlons. In a cycling race, drafting can allow riders to conserve energy and ride faster, while in a triathlon, drafting is allowed in the cycling leg of the event.
There have been some concerns that drafting in triathlons can lead to a more dangerous and less fair race, as it allows riders to save energy by drafting off of others, potentially leading to a less challenging and less exciting race. However, it is not accurate to say that drafting has killed triathlon. Triathlons continue to be popular and well-attended events, with thousands of participants competing in races around the world.
It is important to note that drafting is only allowed in triathlons during the cycling leg, and that rules and regulations regarding drafting vary depending on the race and the organization. Many triathlons have strict rules in place to ensure that drafting is done safely and fairly, such as penalties for drafting too closely, or disqualifications for riders who are caught cheating.
It is not clear if drafting has killed triathlon, but it's a matter of opinion and perspective. Some people think that drafting is a key element that makes triathlons more exciting and challenging, while others think it is unfair and takes away from the individual effort of the athletes.
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