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. We want 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.
All that being said, I hope you have a great race, lots of fun, and achieve all your goals.
USAT Wet Suit Policy
If you are planning to wear a wet suit, please note the following:
4.4 Wet suits. Each age group participant shall be permitted to wear a wet suit without penalty in any event sanctioned by USA Triathlon up to and including a water temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water temperature is greater than 78 degrees, but less than 84 degrees Fahrenheit, age group participants may wear a wet suit at their own discretion, provided however that participants who wear a wet suit within this temperature range shall not be eligible for prizes or awards. Age group participants shall not wear wet suits in water temperatures equal to or greater than 84 degrees Fahrenheit. The wetsuit policy for elite athletes shall be determined by the USAT Athletes Advisory Council.
KPC Sprint Triathlon will post the water temperature at 6:30 a.m. race day.
Handle Bar Plugs
USAT rules require handle bars to be plugged securely as a safety measure. If you have questions, please contact bike support sponsor Summit Bicycles and Fitness at james@summitcitybikes.com.
