We recently had a USAT official speak at our club meeting. The presentation he gave the club was very informative and some of the more common rule violations were surprising. To avoid penalties and to keep your race experience safe and fun, please observe the following�

� Nudity: Triathlon is a somewhat immodest sport, but it is also a family sport. Many participants do bring their families to these events. The things you see in the transition area and on the race course are often surprising. It may seem like common sense but public exposure or urination is not allowed and is a variable penalty.

� Helmet Rules: We all know you have to wear your helmet on the bike, but USAT now requires a helmet be on your head ANY time you are on the bike (chin strap buckled). This means before, during, and after competition. They are taking this rule very seriously due to injuries and it will result in immediate disqualification.

� Blocking: One of the more common rule violations is blocking other participants on the bike. You must stay to the right and once you have entered the draft zone of another racer you have 15 seconds to overtake them. The definition of the draft zone is as follows �a rectangular area seven (7) meters long and two (2) meters wide surrounding each bicycle. The longer sides of the zone begin at the leading edge of the front wheel and run backward parallel to the bicycle; the front wheel divides the short side of the zone into two equal parts.� You can pretty much assume if you are not making forward progress in the draft zone, and you are passed by a course official, you will be penalized.

� Being Overtaken: When someone passes you, you should speed up and try to stay with the right? Wrong. When you are overtaken you must drop 3 bike lengths back and out of the draft zone. This is especially frustrating for women that bruise the fragile egos of the men they are overtaking. Commonly the men speed up and jump in front of them only to slow down again as they are out of gas. If you can't hold the pace, get out of the way!

� Drafting: As participation in multi-sport grows and races become larger, the bike courses are becoming more crowded. At speed, 70-90% of resistance comes from the air around a cyclist. Drafting offers a huge advantage and put simply it is cheating. Any placement or entrance to a future race an athlete gains through drafting takes it away from another that legitimately earned it.

� Abandoned Equipment. I attended a race in which the first place finisher received a penalty for leaving transition with her helmet on and discarding it. This knocked her out of first place. You must return your equipment to your designated transition spot. This means if you drop a water bottle in transition or even on the race course you must go back and retrieve it. I once observed an athlete crash after contacting a discarded water bottle.

� IPods : Everyone has one, but leave it home on race day. Not only is it a safety hazard it does offer a slight competitive advantage. If you are observed with it you can assume you just finished slower than what is on the timing clock.

� Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Leave the officiating to the officials. If you observe a rules violation remember the athlete's race number and report it later. Show the race officials respect and courtesy; they are not doing it for the money and deserve your gratitude.

For a complete listing of the rules visit http://www.usatriathlon.org/Rules_Officials/rules.htm#3.4