Tri Etiquette - what are your pet peeves?

Littering makes my blood boil during races/training rides anytime. It just really pi$$es me off to see people leave tubes on the side of the road and treat someone's field/yard as their personal garbage can. I flatted during a June race and carried a tube jammed into the back of my jersey for 20 miles until I could drop it at an aid station....

At my last race, on the bike, there were two people riding together who decided to pass me. One passed on the left and the other on my right...SIMULTANEOUSLY! Freaked me out! My other pet peeve is when the "fast people" are done with the race and us slowpokes are in T2. I have have many people not aware that there are still racers. They are in post-race, do whatever I want mode, while the BOP are trying to get around them. That's no fun.

Rack hogs are my pet peeve.  Especially when you get back fron your bike, and some tosses their bike on your spot.  Ughhhhh.  I had a friend, who came back from the bike and someone took her rack spot and in the process knocked her transition all over the spot, she got mad and just layed her bike on top of his transition.  I dont have the guts to do that, but I found it assuming. 

OHHHHH...... AND........ People who are passing, screaming at the top of their lungs "LEFT!!!!!!!!", I mean, you feel the snot and rage scream, no need for that. 

Last but not least, people who snag 10-15 items from the finish line and shove it their bag as "free nutrtition" for training later when the race isnt even finished.  Leaving some racers with no fuel after their race. 

Sometimes that's the only way to get their (your?) attention. Which brings me to my pet peeve: people who don't know the rules, especially those who don't know to stay to the right.

This user's post has been ignored.

People who scream "LEFT LEFT LEEEEEFT ON YOUR LEEEEEEEFT" and I am all the way to the right-hand side with no one else in sight. Seriously. I hear you. Continue being fast and passing me while I continue to hug the gutter. No need to scream like a banchi and imply that I'm doing something wrong when I am clearly not.

At an Oly I spectated last weekend the bike course was 4 loops. A lady just beginning her 1st loop came up to the "intersection" where the riders were beginning their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th loops and she starts screaming "GET OUTTA MY WAY!!! LEFT LEFT LEFT!!! MOOOVE IT! OUTTA MY WAY!" I actually said "get over yourself" as she passed. No one was doing anything wrong on this multi-loop course. I think she was just mad she was so far behind everyone else. But it was soooo not called for.

Transition "camp sites" - it's a race, not an overnight jungle expedition.

Drafting - no need to expound.

Not knowing the rules - see Bear's post above.

Thank you, exactly what I meant!!!!!!!!

I don't think I'm adding anything new...


Rack hogs/setting up a campsite in transition
litterbugs (which is technically against the rules)
rule breakers - drafting and headphones bug me the most.  Would I like to wear headphones during an HIM or IM.  You BET I would.  But I don't because it's against the rules, but I see it all the time.

Just going to play devil's advocate on this one...  I will tell people I'm on there left even when they are all the way on the right NOT to get them to move more, but to let them know I'm there so the don't move to the LEFT and move into me.  Especially if I'm passing at a much higher speed than them.

HOWEVER, there is a rude way to yell at people and a 'nice' way to yell at people.  Sounds like both of your stories were the rude way.

I did that once, I was in T2 getting my bike to go home, taking my time, and I look back and I was blocking someone trying to get thier bike after they finished the run (it was a reverse tri) I did feel pretty bad.

x2  There is no reason to litter your tubes, gel packs, bar wrappers, etc. all over the place.

Um other side of the coin here, Last race at least two people came up and passed me with out saying a word and very close. I was literally on the edge othe pavement and one scared me so much I almost went off the road.

-Elitists or ppl that make fun of triathletes. They're out there, busting their butts racing...no need to make fun of them
-Getting swam over, even though there is nobody to your left or right
-Getting chicked (haha, ok, not really)
-Garbage thrown on the trail (gels, bars, etc)

And Breast Strokers who start in the front of the wave and they know they are going to breast stroke right from the start.  Nothing like getting frog kicked 10 seconds into your swim. 

People snatching other people's things in the transition area!

At this weekends tri I came in from the swim and threw my goggles, ear plugs, and swim cap down on the towel in my transition area and then went on with race. After the race I went to pack up my things and everything was there...except my goggles and swim cap.

Really pissed me off! There was only one person around me that had already packed up their stuff....so I guess he could have somehow accidentally packed up just those two things that were on the top of my stuff......right......but his transition area was on the other side of the bike rack....so I doubt it.

Edited by stuarbc 2009-09-23 12:02 PM

Even worse  - getting old ladied!  Feeling admiration and embarrasment at the same time.

Nothing new here: Drafting and not staying to the right.

People who swim over the top of me when we are in wide open water and virtually alone.  I was in the middle on a turn in the canal at tri Indy actually at the outlet basin, when some chick, who started in the sprint distance, put her hand square on my head and shoved me to the bottom.

For the love of God, how did she navigate that far down the course if she couldn't see any better than that.  I swam around a bunch of people in my swim and was able to keep from dunking anyone.

I am not a fast swimmer, so this has happened to me on 3 occaisions in the 8 triathlons that I have done in the last 2 years.  It peeves me, but since it seems there will likely always be people who are not to be bothered by going around, I guess I just need to swim faster

I know that people drift out left by accident, I start yelling "LEFT!!!" perhaps like a banshee (I have never heard a banshee yell left,,,,, or a banshee at all for that matter,,,,, so I must assume that is how I am yelling it )   Particularly when coming up on turns as the worst for me when I am trying to preserve my momentum is to have to jam on the brakes because someone has elected to get left for a pass in a turn and then freeks and jams on the brakes.

Usually a good warning that I am approaching like a BOOH is quite helpful.  If it doesn't work out, oh well at least I tried, and besides, I understood that yelling Left was SOP?   I guess you could take a tone with it and I have had a very few people have to yell left at me, as I usually have so many people to pass when I get out of the water, that I can not believe there were any fast bikers left still in the water, but I always say sorry, when they pass, just so they know I wasn't trying to block,,,,, am I too nice?

I have a few:

1. clueless a-holes in the TZ.  Last Saturday at Redman someone left a bloody wet towel on my towel.  maybe he had a bloody nose...had I seen him drop that in my area good chance he would have!  also, I've had guys leave a wetsuit or rack their bike in my spot.  totally rude and not necessary!

2. littering...don't leave your crap in the road.  you have pockets...use them!

3. people on the swim that think they need to get overly aggressive...c'mon

4. clueless people on the bike (riding too far left)

Edited by rayd 2009-09-23 12:15 PM

Sometimes that really is what needs to be done! Maybe Andy Potts would have missed a stay in the hospital if he would have made sure that the person on the right new he was there. Its happened to me several times even after I tell them I am passing, someone swerves right in front of me.