The buzz around the online triathlon community these days centers on a video from an actual participant at Ironmna Florida. The video shows off the drafting that was occurring during the race. What do you expect from a bunch of Type-A, egotistical maniacs that only care about going fast and about themselves. Heck if they have any regard for the rules, especially out on the bike course. On the other hand, what do you expect when you put way too many athletes out on a flat bike course.
Drafting at Ironman Florida as well as other WTC Ironman events is a well known issue that seems to get little attention especially on the age group side. Yes these races have race marshals out on the course, but sometime they are too focused on the pro side of things. The problem is there aren't enough of them to handle the amount of participants in the race and/or the course doesn't support the number of participants well enough to limit drafting. Yes they hand out penalties to the drafting cheaters here and there but they never seem to be anywhere near were the big bike peloton's. Funny thing is, we never seem to hear anything about the problems after the race is over from race officials or organizers. The only way we usually hear about things like this is via pictures or videos from spectators and usually not from participants. NOTE: This is not only a WTC issue; it's an issue at other races as well.
I have raced at Ironman Florida and have experienced and noticed the drafting and bike peloton's first hand. At one point, there was a group of at 20-25 bikers surrounding me out on the course. While I was pissed at what was going on, I was more concerned about getting out of the pack safely and focusing on my race. My concern became reality when some dumb ass out on the far left triggered a crash, which sent all of the bikers in the peloton to the right and me almost into the ditch. What happened to our values or self-governance ("all of the necessary functions of power without intervention from any authority") when it comes to cheating / drafting in a race. Can’t we control ourselves?
Ok, now back to the video.
On one hand I commend the participant (participant name being withheld for now) for getting actual footage from the race. There is no better way to see the blatant cheating / drafting going on during that race then from an athlete’s perspective. Yes, we can relive it in our heads and tell other people what we experienced out on the course, but like the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words".
On the other hand, it's time to rip on the guy for doing what he did in what I'll call "Reckless Biking" during a race. Reckless Biking, the reckless endangerment of other participants out racing with no regard for the possible consequences caused by doing something stupid. It seems that the participant had multiple cameras hooked up, possibly one on his helmet, and two on his bike. I sure hope it was like that. In the video it also clearly shows him as having a camera as well. This guy was decked out, WOW!
Since it appears that the cameras were stationary, the only problem I have with the video is how did he turn them on and off during the race. Did he have a main switch or did he have to find his way around to find the On and Off switch while biking to get them to turn on and off?
My main concern with "gbobholmes" which the video clearly shows is the reckless use of a camera while participating in a triathlon, especially during the biking stage of the race. He had to be going at least 20 mph. Notice how fast he has to react when he gets close to an aid station. Yeah, road conditions or other bikers could cause a bike crash but have you ever heard of a dumb ass participant taking pictures during the race causing a crash? Does he not have any regard for the other participants out racing legally. Wouldn't you be pissed to find out that a reckless biker taking pictures during the race caused the bike crash? How can some one so focused on catching cheater lose focus on the task of the day, racing!
Should we be commend the participant or rip on him for being careless? You be the judge. Yes, the major issue is drafting at Ironman Florida but lets not forget about this participants stupidity!
I wonder if race officials, Ironman and/or the WTC should talk to him about his careless use of a camera during a race. Should race organizer that care about drafting issues limit the number of participants and stop focusing on the $$$? We'll just have to see...
