Drafting -- Cheating vs. Illegal with Penalty

No. You throw a gel-pack on the ground, its a rule violation and a time penalty but not cheating. You're not gaining time or speed by this as you could have tucked it in your jersey or shorts.

Riding behind someone gains you time, which puts you closer to winning. Thats cheating to me.

I agree with Haley. 

And just to throw fuel on the fire...if you're caught doing a 'non-time-enhancing' violation (gel pack littering, etc), a time penalty is appropriate. 

On the other hand, if you get caught cheating (trying to improve your time/position by drafting or hindering someone else's time), I think the penalty should be a DQ.  The current drafting penalties are ineffective. 

It is like golf. You're in the woods and your ball is in a hole. No one will see you move your ball six inches over......so do you do it? Is it cheating? Hell yes.

Some sports by the nature of the size of the "field of play" and the lack of officials require some self policing and morale integrity. Golf and Triathlons are two perfect examples of such sport. It all comes down to the character of the participant. Those who lack character will draft until caught, those who don't are people I want to race or play golf with.

You can't compare a sport like football or hockey to triathlon. The rules in the former sports are mostly up to interpretation and preception of officials where triathlon and golf rules are very black and white.

The the point was that it was clear that he got relief. Wether or not they can figure out where to drop the ball due to probably a unique condition is up to the tournament director. But everyone knows it within a club length or two from the point of entry no closer to the hole.

Rules are used to discourage certain activities during events whether it be in football, basketball, running, triathlons, or any other sport. Just because someone uses the rules as a strategic move, doesn't make them a cheater. They understand the rules and the repreccusions that come with breaking those rules. If the rules aren't strict enough thats another issue.

 Basketball is a great example because it's used so frequently. Fouls at the end of the game are used almost every game as a strategic move, but it's not cheating. The benefit of being penalized can help the team, obviously at the expense of the penalty. I agree, being deceitful about breaking the rules is an integrity issue. However, if you knowingly break the rules understanding the penalty that you will take. That could be strategic.

With my lack of tri knowledge or experience, if a rider decides that drafting on a certain leg of the course would benefit them even with the penalty then more power to them.

The more they want to deter the action the stronger the rule. If they really want to do away with it....and if it is considered cheating. Make the penalty so severe that there would be no way of using it to an advantage.

 Just my .02.

Good insight on why Monty has never won any of the "Big Ones". He lack the mental toughness the game demands. But I guess that discussion is for another form.

One of my favorite sports to compete in was rugby. It is one of the most violent and dangerous sports to play....yet they only have one official. Yet you rarely saw someone take a cheap shot or someone purposefully break the rules. If a player did commit a "rough" or overtly cheating foul and got away with it, it was very likely that player would get mutiple "legal" boots to the head during the next ruck.

I guess it has no bearing on triathlons but the self-policing policy on the pitch did have a nice simplicity to it.