Top triathlon star calls for DRAFTING RULE CHANGE after IRONMAN Kona CHAOS

Runaway T100 Series leader Marten Van Riel has articulated what many were thinking when watching the men’s pro race at the IRONMAN World Championship at the weekend – does the draft zone need to be extended to 20 metres?

‘Brutal’ was the most commonly used word used afterwards by the athletes to describe the race – but Belgian superstar Van Riel, who is used to draft-legal short-course racing as well as T100, where there is a 20-metre draft zone as opposed to 12 metres in IRONMAN racing, had a fascinating take on how the race played out.

Defending champion Sam Laidlow set an astonishing pace on the bike, shattering his own Kona record by nearly seven minutes.

And the three riders who arguably did the most to keep tabs on him were uber-bikers Robert Kallin and Magnus Ditlev, who were second and third into T2, and Kristian Blummenfelt.

Laidlow would blow up spectacularly on the run – his nine-minute advantage over eventual winner Patrick Lange was overhauled inside the first half of the marathon.

Kallin would fade into 23rd place, Ditlev admitted he seriously considered not starting the marathon before battling brilliantly to second, while ‘Big Blu’ suffered badly from nutrition issues and eventually limped home in 35th.

‘Group got rewarded’

In behind them was a big bike pack – less than a minute separated second to 20th in the early stages and even deep into the 112-mile route there were 13 chasing Laidlow, Ditlev and Kallin.

That group included not only brilliant winner Lange, who looked super-smooth throughout his marathon in stark contrast to virtually all his rivals, but also eight others who would finish in the top 15.

Excellent runs from others not in that group – such as Leon Chevalier, Cameron Wurf and Matt Hanson – propelled them into the top 10 so there were multiple pathways to a high finish.

But alongside a screenshot [which is embedded below] from the live coverage showing a line of riders in the chase group on the approach to the turn point at Hawi while Laidlow and Ditlev were clear up front, Van Riel said on his Instagram page: “The ones that stayed in the group got rewarded!

“The fact people have to constantly sit up and even brake not to come in each other’s draft zone on a straight highway just doesn’t sit great with me.

They are saving at least 30-40 watts, if not more. This is not the individual sport triathlon should be.

“The races – and especially World Champs – get more competitive every year, so this will only get worse. We need the 20 meters rule in Ironman WC!

“This is one of the reasons I prefer doing T100 over Ironman.”

An overhead shot from the 2024 race in Kona [Photo credit: Ezra Shaw | Getty Images for IRONMAN]

What are the IRONMAN drafting rules?

The RaceRanger draft-detection system is now used in virtually all the biggest middle and full-distance races.

And the official IRONMAN press release to announce its implementation for all IRONMAN Pro Series races explained its role as follows: “The RaceRanger devices will not replace race officials, rather they will be a tool to assist referees with rules enforcement and maintaining clean and fair racing. The devices will also help athletes make more accurate in-race decisions on their bike positioning. Drafting penalties will remain a judgement call by the referees.”

But there are two key differences between the T100 Series and IRONMAN; the distance it polices, 20 metres (T100) versus 12 metres (IRONMAN) and the length of the penalty, 60 seconds (T100) versus five minutes (IRONMAN).

Drafting penalties were thin on the ground on Saturday, though it should also be pointed out that until the last two T100 races in Ibiza and Lake Las Vegas, there hadn’t been a single drafting sanction.

That had raised an eyebrow or two but has now changed as Alistair Brownlee will testify after collecting 60-second penalties in both those races.

And for clarity, here’s the wording in the athlete guide for Kona:

Absolutely NO DRAFTING of another bike or any other vehicle is allowed.

Athletes must keep six bike lengths of clear space between bikes except when passing. Failure to do so will result in a drafting violation.

A pass occurs when the overtaking athlete’s front wheel passes the leading edge of the athlete being overtaken.

Overtaking athletes may pass on the left for up to 25 seconds, but must move back to the right side of the road, after passing. Failure to complete a pass within 25 seconds will result in a drafting violation. Athletes may not back out of the draft zone once it is entered (drafting violation). Athletes must make continuous forward progress when passing (drafting violation).

Marten Van Riel’s post on Instagram