The problem with drafting ...

The bike splits achieved by triathletes in races can be fast. Some of this is because many triathletes are also excellent cyclists and some have a background in time trialling. If you look at the Strava feeds of those who put in the top bike leg splits in any given triathlon you will find a solid basis for the times achieved. But as you run your finger down the bike leg times you regularly come across surprises. You think to yourself: “how did x bike that fast when he’s never come near it in training, club time trails and, indeed, in other races”. You look at how bunched together a number of the competitors’ bike times are and you can’t stop yourself from thinking: “drafting” or “working together”.

If you are a strong biker in a race, it is difficult not to be frustrated by the extent of drafting and the number of groups of two or more who are working together. In race after race you can’t understand why more penalties are not handed down by Triathlon Ireland officials. Indeed, you watch as officials on motorbikes warn riders during a race, but don’t penalise them. In cycling, the benefits from drafting are huge; the benefits from working as a group, even more substantial. It is hard to understand how, in race after race, this problem cannot be addressed.

Category 1 races are to admit defeat entirely and move entirely to draft legal, but National Series races will remain non-drafting. In my view, there is a problem here. Having removed all of the fastest triathletes from National Series scoring, the National Series standard has evened out. There are now a large number of triathletes capable of getting into the top ten of these races. Based on my experience during 2015, this has led to more drafting than ever in these events. Long trains of bikers could be seen in all races this year. Amusingly this was illustrated in race photos published by Triathlon Ireland, but unlike rugby, triathlon does not cite competitors after an event.  

Drafting is especially bad during the larger races where wave after wave of bikers will be on the same course at the one time. Bryan McCrystal has questioned whether waves should be used in national championship events and, based on the bike splits being achieved by some average bikers in later waves of such races, it is hard to disagree. Those in later waves benefit from more of a drafting effect than those in the earlier waves. In theory a triathlon is a time-trial, but bike drafting means everyone’s bike leg time trial result increasingly depends on the amount of drafting and sharing of the work they can achieve without getting caught.

All of this is teaching bad habits to those coming new into triathlon. Drafting and working in groups has become routine for many triathletes. Some avoid smaller races because they will not be able to do this. People are claiming bike split times which they couldn’t otherwise achieve.

The only way for Triathlon Ireland to address this is to take a zero tolerance approach. If you are caught you are caught. There should be no warnings. Everyone knows the rules but some people will sit around 8m behind you for as long as they can get away with (I had someone on me for 40kms during one race earlier this year). Others will keep passing you and then dying immediately in front of you making you go past again and dragging them along time after time. This needs to be stamped out. You are either a strong biker or you are not. Using other people to improve your bike split is not clever, it is cheating.

“Why is nothing being done?” I hear you ask. In 2014, TI did put out notices to try to clamp down on drafting, but they failed to grasp the extent of the problem. TI wrote: “It has to be said that those intent on cheating are a relatively small number and the vast majority of athletes were racing within the rules and the spirit of fair competition”. In my experience this is not true. The lack of effective policing has meant it has become routine for most triathletes. TI also added: “It also has to be taken into consideration that due to the number of athletes on the road in some races bunches occurred with people “blocking” and as such it was difficult for some to actually overtake”. This is bollocks. If someone is capable of over- taking, they will overtake. Can you imagine any genuine podium contender sitting at the back of a group claiming blocking meant they couldn’t get past? Mixed in with these points were softly worded with sentences such as: “is important to remember that it is the responsibility of the athletes to race by the rules”. Of course, but self-regulation is no regulation.

Two TI actions were meant to reduce drafting.

The first action - multiple waves in any given event and ideally divided into age groups - I disagree with. I think this actually encourages drafting within each wave as riders of similar ability are grouped together and, as for all but the first wave, there are already riders on the course, the opportunities for drafting are increased above those of a single wave event. A single wave or multiple waves does not reduce drafting.

The second action is the only solution. This is more rigid application of the rules and an enhancement of the rules with an increase in the time of a penalty and disqualification for repeat offences within a single race. In my view, the penalties for drafting should be sufficiently draconian to ensure riders play by the rules. In this way there would be less of an incentive to draft even take the risk of getting caught.

Finally, TI set out how it would keep a log of offenders and would review this at the end of the season to see whether there is a high degree of repeat offending and decide if a cumulative penalty is required for some offenders. It clearly is. This needs to be introduced. Points should be removed for repeat offences and, for a certain number of offences in a season; the person should be removed from the National Series.

Enforcement is the key to stamping out drafting. In one race this season I only saw a TI motorbike once and this was filming the event. TI motorbikes need to be highly visible. Every engine noise should cause riders to think the TI motorbike is watching them. There would be no harm in having a number of checkpoints where TI officials are standing and in a position to take down race numbers of those who are in groups (trains as frustrated triathletes call them). Finally, there seems to be no reason why TI officials cannot wear a GoPro or other camera such that footage can be reviewed for drafting after an event and, where appropriate, penalties applied. Having a technical race official whose job it is to review such footage and to apply penalties would add a fear factor for those contemplating drafting.

To all those who have experienced dragging other bikers around a bike leg, you have my sympathies. Hopefully this will occur less and less in the seasons to come.