Newbie question about Drafting/Cheating
18
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1221 days
rob88 posted 1 year ago.
At the distance I usually race at, Olympic, I really haven't seen much cheating at all. In one race I saw a group obviously drafting off eachother :mad: , but they got caught and were all penalized :D In larger races it sometimes is hard to really get away from everyone and on your own - but as long as nobody is trying to draft there is usually enough spacing to be found. Give it a tri for yourself, I think you'll like it.
3354
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1404 days
RV posted 1 year ago.
It certainly isn't the majority that cheat. But there are certainly some that do. But I wouldn't let that stop you from participating in this great sport.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
834
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1363 days
JamieM posted 1 year ago.
Not many draft and very few do it intentionally. You may get caught in a crowd at points, but usually everyone spreads out and finds their own space.
2438
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1322 days
Triguy98 posted 1 year ago.
Its not the majority... at most races, anyway. I have only seen a couple sprints in which there was obvious drafting- and they were poorly marshalled- and thats when problems pop up. The honor system doesnt work well.
IMs and 70.3s on flat ground fare the worst. Its just the dynamics or a race like that. Theres nothing to seperate people with similar abilities. They then get clumped, a pack forms, and your drafting.
The blatant cheaters are few and far between at the races I have done.
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
560
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1591 days
Riverbrady posted 1 year ago.
I've managed to race all my races clean. Sometimes you have to make little modifications, but generally it's simple to do.
You'll often find that drafting/cheating falls in the same line and most any other complaint and the like...you always hear a lot more about the bad stuff happening than the good stuff happening. Just because it's more vocalized doesn't mean that it's rampant and drowning out the good part of racing...far the opposite in most cases.
"Care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible."
2937
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1359 days
Anton posted 1 year ago.
I've only seen it a few times...and those folks got spanked for it...I don't think it's a problem thats too rampant but race enough and you will see it.
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://agingsuperhero.blogspot.com
13
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1893 days
johnny_Toronto posted 1 year ago.
The important thing to remember is that there are some basic rules to help make races safe and fair for everyone:
-no drafting on the bike (though sometimes hard to avoid on a busy course; remember you CAN and SHOULD draft on the run and in the swim!)
-don't cross the centerline; we had a head-on bike/bike last year and one guy was nearly killed.
-careful with the waterbottles; athletes can be disqualified or penalized for "abandoning equipment". I wouldn't go back to pick up a bottle I dropped, but think of the hazard that represents for the guy behind you! Just be darned careful not to drop one.
Those are the big ones. The only other rule is "HAVE FUN!". Most people don't understand that racing in three sports is fun, but man do I ever love it!
Johnny T
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787 days
jeffg posted 1 year ago.
Thanks for the responses. Seems like the cheating is not as wide spread as I feared. I'll be looking forward to my first tri next spring.
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1718 days
beads1985 posted 1 year ago.
The "honor'' system works for those who abide by it.
Race your race and follow the rules to the best of your abilities.
In the end it is a race againsy yourself.
Don't worry if others cheat, they are cheating themselves.
Go out there and have fun.:D
Nothing to it, but to do it
1040
Member
1387 days
Tikal Dog posted 1 year ago.
beads1985;57717 wrote:
The "honor'' system works for those who abide by it.
Race your race and follow the rules to the best of your abilities.
In the end it is a race againsy yourself.
Don't worry if others cheat, they are cheating themselves.Go out there and have fun.:D
I second beads on this one!
One of the things I love about this sport is that you are basicaly competing against yourself.
Go out there and have fun!!!
Hyperactive Trifueler!!!! (I refuse to let the status go :p)
78
Member
920 days
mdittfurth posted 1 year ago.
Amen to Beads as well. It is "you against you" ultimately. From my vantage point, I think most folks are "trying" not to draft. There are knuckleheads in every sport that either don't know the rules or don't care...lots of them get caught...I have never found the drafters be a serious problem...have fun...Tri folks are generally great people.
marvin
I've been reading a lot on different forums about the seemingly rampit cheating that takes place in tri's. I've never done a tri yet but am planning on doing some in 2007. However if this drafting/cheating issue is as common as it sounds I'm not sure if I want to do something that you have to cheat at to place well. Is this problem really that bad? If so maybe I'll go back to trail running. Part of the appeal of triathlons is the time trial format of the bike leg. I love time trials. Do a majority of triathletes cheat?