A Message from the Head
Referee to all age-group competitors…
Most
triathletes come to races with only a rudimentary understanding of the rules of
the sport. Indeed, few have ever
read through the Competitive Rules in its entirety. In order to minimize misunderstandings on race day, I hope
you will take the time to read the following summary of Position Violations,
which you probably know as the drafting rules.
I have
reduced the Position Rules to the following concepts, which everyone can
remember:
Ride
on the right side of your lane.
Keep
three bike lengths between you and the cyclist in front of you.
Pass on the left of the cyclist in front, never on the right.
Complete
your pass within 15 seconds.
If passed, you must drop completely out of the zone, to the
rear, before attempting to re-pass.
Remember you
are racing in a USA Triathlon sanctioned event and there are USAT certified
referees on the course to ensure fairness in the competition.
There will be NO WARNINGS if you commit a foul during competition.
Triathlon is an individual event and you must take personal
responsibility to understand the rules and avoid penalties.
At the end of the race all citations by the officials are reviewed by the
Head Referee who then decides if a penalty should be assessed.
The Head Referee’s ruling is final in the case of Position Violations
and there are no protests or appeals of Position penalties.
Officials commonly cite the following violations:
Illegal
Position or Blocking – riding on the left side of the lane
without passing.
Illegal Pass – passing on the right.
Overtaken - failing to drop
back three bike lengths after being passed and before re-passing.
Drafting – following a leading cyclist closer than three bike
lengths and failing to pass within 15 seconds.
Though
Position Violations carry a time penalty for each occurrence, if you are cited
for three violations, you will be disqualified.
Be sure that
you have a CPSC approved helmet. Many
foreign made helmets do not meet the safety standards of CPSC and are not
allowed in USAT sanctioned events. Always
have your chinstrap securely fastened! The helmet and chinstrap rule apply before, during, and after
the event. The chinstrap rule is
the easiest to follow, but some folks always seem to forget – that’s a DQ!
Remember to
treat other athletes, volunteers, and officials with courtesy and consideration.
Failure to do so is called Unsportsmanlike Conduct and you will be
disqualified.