ever receive a penalty at a race?

Definitely a shame that you learned the hardway, but it would be to your benefit, and for the safety of everyone out on the course, that you gain an intimate familiarity with the rules. USAT is a good place to start:

http://www.usatriathlon.com/Events/Rules.aspx

Personally, I find it a little disturbing that you raced for five years without knowing them.

Yep.  It happens.  And it always feels harsh when it happens to you.

I received my first penalty this year when the group ahead of me started up a hill (thus slowing down).  As I hit the hill, I caught up to them before I naturally slowed down too.  The official was nearby and decided it was drafting.  I didn't agree, but there's nothing I could do about it.  Sometimes it's a subjective call.

All-in-all, I'd rather have the officials and a stricter interpretation of the rules than the alternative.

????????

Now John, don't be so harsh (despite what your title says ).  She seems conrite, even if a littled miffed about receiving two positions violations.

Johanne:

Bear has a point, though.  It is your responsibility to know the rules.  These particular rules you were cited for were more than likely in your race packet (they have been for each of the tri's I did this season) and are commonly explained at the beginning of the race (although hearing them can sometimes be difficult with folks gabbing while the RD and Head Official are speaking).

Drafting is really the same as "failure to pass", meaning that if you enter the draft zone then you must pass within 15 seconds (meaning your front wheel passes the plane of the other person's front wheel).  The other foul for position violation was probably for riding side-by-side.  I suspect that they were taken at different times of the bike leg and not from the same instance.

I too have seen pace lines at races and it makes my blood boil ... pace lines or athletes working together to draft off of one another is just plain cheating - period.  Officials cannot be everywhere and cheaters are particularly aware of their surrounding when they cheat, so sometimes it it difficult to catch them in the act.

That said, often there is an appearance of draft packs or pace lines that turns out not to be the case at all. There is a telescoping effect when you are traveling - and looking - in the same direction as a line of cyclist.  It is not until you see them from a angle that you can truly tell the distance apart.

And often in those instances, it is the normal give and take of people riding at different speeds (e.g. some are faster up hills, some on flats, other on descents) where athletes are passing one another according to the rules.

The solution to catching the cheaters is to have more race officials ... and that is the function of the race director and having more athletes volunteer to serve.

Sorry you got the penalty but hopefully it is something that can be shrugged off as a lesson learned.

Happy winter training.

Edit: Deleted comment due to removed post.

I agree with John (and don't think he's being harsh, just stating some facts).

A couple of things stood out to me as well:

1. If you were so worried about your time, why did you take the time to talk to the officials at your pit stop? Get on your bike and ride. Talk to officials about a penalty after a race. They are around.

2. Why are you talking to another cyclist? The only thing I would say to another rider if I was passing is "good job, keep it up" and that doesn't require me to slow down or take longer than the required 15 seconds to pass legally.

It seems to me that you were racing more leisurely anyway, so I wouldn't be that upset about the penalties. Live and learn.

... or racing below your LT and therefore still able to carry on a conversation.

Personally, I am in my own Private Idaho when racing and don't talk to others unless to say a short word of encouragement.

But that has nothing to do with the original post, which is word of warning to other athletes to learn the rules.

Re: the 12 minute penalty incurred by the OP

USAT rules specify that penalties in long-course races are 4 minutes for the first offense and 8 minutes for the second. Two offenses=12 minutes. Again, read, learn the rules.

http://www.usatriathlon.com/upload/pdfs/usat_rules_download.pdf

Nah, they weren't mentioned to be harsh, just to solidify your original assessment that participants should learn the rules. And learn them early, not after five years of racing. They are there for reasons, and the primary reason IMHO is safety. If you're riding alongside another rider then you are limiting the options of a faster rider who overtakes you.

I think this is an especially good post for here on beginner triathlete.  Most people starting out wouldn't think riding side by side is a violation of the "drafting" rule, since most newbies (as I did once) only think of the guys on super fast bikes with discs in a paceline as drafting. 

Good on ya Johanne for posting it and accepting your responsibility for it 

rkreuser - 2006-11-02 12:21 PM Wheeeeere's Coredump?

Hi. 

Yep.  I've received 2 penalties.  1 was a drafting call at St. Anthony's in 2005.  1 was for "illegal number modification" at a race this year.

The drafting call, it was my fault for not being as on top of my spacing as I should have been.  The course had a couple places where it bunched up due to going through a golf course area with speed bumps.  Eh.  Should have been more attentive to my position, but I wasn't, so i got a penalty.

The "number modification", that one is in dispute.  The head ref at the race won't change it ( and he nailed about 1/5th of the total field for the same call ).  Contacted Charlie Crawford ( USAT Head Official ) and got a response from Charlie that the official was wrong and I shouldn't have received the penalty.  That issue is still being investigated according to Charlie.

-C 

Well now my interest is piqued.  WTF is a "number modification" and what did you do??

coredump - 2006-11-03 1:00 PM

rkreuser - 2006-11-02 12:21 PM Wheeeeere's Coredump?

The drafting call, it was my fault for not being as on top of my spacing as I should have been.  The course had a couple places where it bunched up due to going through a golf course area with speed bumps.  Eh.  Should have been more attentive to my position, but I wasn't, so i got a penalty.

Knowing this section of the race and how close the speed bumps are together through that neighborhood, you shoudl not have been called for drafting here ... the bumps are too close together in order to have the field stretch out.

Now if it was teh long straightway leading up to this section or the straightaway on the way back after the water stop, that's a different story ...

Number modification: Isn't the criteria for that is whether the number had been modified where it is not able to be readily seen?