limerick duathlon series 2010 marshalls!

garminguy

hi, i went into limerick today to cheer on the folks who were competing in the last duathlon in st. endas this morning.

while watching the bike leg i observed one of their more senior members who was on marshalling duty shouting excessively at competitors.
it was actually bordering on aggressive roaring about things like crossing over the middle white line on the road and shouting at them to get off their aerobars etc.

normally this wouldn,t bug me but this is the same member who along with his partner often turn up for weekend club spins on his tri bike with tri bars which is forbiden in the clubs rules.

it seems a case of do as i say and not as i do!

Huff n Puff

Sorry garminguy, but that is one pathetic post. If you have a grudge against him, then be man enough to say it to his face. He is giving his free time to help organise a race and help enforce race rules and you have a problem with that? I think it is obvious to everyone at the race who you are talking about and that is just a low blow. To be honest we need more of this type of marshalling to ensure that the triathlon cycling legs are kept safe and honest.

Plenty of cycling clubs, including my own, allow cycling with tri bars in training (not in races though). If it is in the rules of your club not to allow them, then then why don't you just have a talk with him about it like he would with you?

too much trifle

why are aero bars not allowed in a duathlon, is this normal?

shotgunmcos

garminguy wrote: »

hi, i went into limerick today to cheer on the folks who were competing in the last duathlon in st. endas this morning.

while watching the bike leg i observed one of their more senior members who was on marshalling duty shouting excessively at competitors.
it was actually bordering on aggressive roaring about things like crossing over the middle white line on the road and shouting at them to get off their aerobars etc.

normally this wouldn,t bug me but this is the same member who along with his partner often turn up for weekend club spins on his tri bike with tri bars which is forbiden in the clubs rules.

it seems a case of do as i say and not as i do!

Are you for real?! If you have an issue with someone using Tri bars on club spins then say it to them or bring it up in front of the group after the spin or before the spin. What good will it do to moan about it online ?

Secondly regardless of what you feel about someone, they had given up their time to volunteer to ensure the safety of competitors. I'm assuming you were standing somewhere around st endas gate. Lets get something clear. Its at the bottom of a downhill section so cyclists should be on the brakes. The turn in the gate is tight and over a footpath. there are cars on the road (although the Gardai are watching that), runners coming out of the same gate and spectators standing around the verges of this area.

Most of the cyclists are approaching too fast and have to brake hard, often running too wide and close to the path of the runners. Also if they are on their aerobars they don't have their hands on the brakes!!!!!

In the last Duathlon somone crashed at this very point. Its probably the most dangerous point on the course (bar the 4elms crossroad) and so I take my hat off to the guy who roared instruction at everyone, its because of the likes of him that there were no incidents!!

tunney

I echo most of the sentiments - if the OP has a problem then they need to man up and say it to the person themselves.

However, if I want bike handling tips I'll get a coach.

garminguy

hi guys,
just to be clear, i have no personal issues with the guy, in fact he is a top athlete, its just the manner of shouting,
remember its adults that are competing ,not teenagers!
the tri bar on training runs is not a big issue ,bit it is equally as dangerous as crossing the white line
i am sure the athletes know when to get up off their tri bars, that not really what he is there for.

on a different note, well done to colm turner who kicked ass yesterday!

hunnymonster

garminguy wrote: »

remember its adults that are competing ,not teenagers!

you've giving the average competitor too much credit there. I've found (from marshalling and ref'ing hundreds of events over the years) that when people put their game face on, their comprehension of simple instructions goes down to almost zero. it would be lovely if everyone read and obeyed the instructions before the race but the reality is that a lot of shouting has to take place some of it quite "direct". If that's what is needed to achieve a safe and fair race then that's just the way it is.

I can totally see your point that it might sound a bit aggressive I don't imagine anyone likes yelling unnecessarily and the marshal is best placed to see what is needed.

mloc123

Last week in Naas they made sure to mention crossing white lines at junctions in the briefing. Apparantly TI are trying to clamp down on it, based on this I presume the marshalls were told to be quite strict about it.

Somebody ended up with a 5 minute penalty in Naas for crossing the line at a junction.

tunney

mloc123 wrote: »

Last week in Naas they made sure to mention crossing white lines at junctions in the briefing. Apparantly TI are trying to clamp down on it, based on this I presume the marshalls were told to be quite strict about it.

Somebody ended up with a 5 minute penalty in Naas for crossing the line at a junction.

Technically its dangerous riding and should be a DQ.