After RaceRanger Sees Age Group Success, Has Drafting Been Defeated?

Good morning everyone,

I’ve been in Florida for just over a week now. But instead of getting stuck into a big block of training, I’ve had to take a step back due to injury. An awkward stumble resulted in a broken big toe :(

As far as injuries go it could be a lot worse. I’m still able to do some swimming, cycling, and gym. However, the reduced intensity has forced me to reshuffle my schedule and I’ll no longer be competing at 70.3 Oceanside.

• It’s definitely a bummer! But on the bright side, I still have plenty of ways to train, maintain fitness, and still work on my tan 😎🌞

In today’s edition:

• 🤠 After RaceRanger Sees Age Group Success, Has Drafting Been Defeated?

• 💓 How to know you’re in zone 2.

• 🚨 And are nutrition companies lying to you?

Thanks for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

Have a triathlete in your life who can't stop swimming, biking, or running? Fire this off to them. Forwarded from a friend? Sign-up for free.

ONE BIG THING

After RaceRanger Sees Age Group Success, Has Drafting Been Defeated?

What is it: RaceRanger, the innovative drafting detection technology that uses lights to indicate whether athletes are drafting was used for the first time at this past weekend’s Challenge Wanaka.

• In an Instagram post, RaceRanger announced that over 270 athletes were a part of the successful trial.

Uncharted territory: Although RaceRanger has been successfully implemented in over 40 high-level professional races, there were questions about whether the system would ever work in a large-scale amateur competition.

Initial insights: In an email to The Tempo, RaceRanger CEO James Elvery explained that the many athletes he spoke with enjoyed knowing what their following distance was and having peace of mind that the referees would be seeing the same thing.

• And the Triathlon New Zealand officials who worked the race all agreed the trial was a success, with many saying they “can’t imagine going back to the old way.”

Elvery also remarked his surprise that athletes of all experience levels and abilities made an effort to use the technology as intended. His initial belief was that many wouldn’t find value in an anti-drafting system, however, among the racers it was universally appreciated!

Next steps: According to Elvery, athletes won’t be seeing RaceRanger in the age group field again for some time. Instead, the drafting detection technology will continue to see widespread adoption in the professional field in 2025 including at the IRONMAN Pro Series and T100 Triathlon World Tour events.

In the background, Elvery and his team will continue to work on improving the devices to deploy RaceRanger in fields of up to 3000+ athletes eventually. Some of the most pressing issues include:

• Adapting the devices so athletes can self-install,

• Establishing a cellular connection from each device (improving unit monitoring, enabling real-time live tracking and crash detection).

• Consolidating devices down to one rear unit.

Tempo’s take: Although it was only limited to 270 athletes, this successful trial of RaceRanger in an age group race shows proof of concept that not only is it possible to bring this technology to the age group field, but the vast majority of the athletes truly want to compete with it!

So…has drafting really been defeated?

Although RaceRanger has won this battle, the war is far from over. The team behind the technology isn’t quite ready to scale up to a full age group field yet…

• But more resources always help, and RaceRanger is still looking for investors interested in financing the future of the sport. Interested? Contact the team at [email protected]!

TEMPO TALKS PODCAST

Should You Be Training Like Lionel Sanders?

Does a 70.3 sellout signal industry strength?

And how band-only swimming will make you a faster athlete!

All this and more in episode one of the Tempo Talks podcast! 

Together with The TriDoc, we’ll bring you the biggest stories in Triathlon,

• Training tips to make you faster,

• And breakdowns of the latest in sports science and performance!

Don’t miss a moment, listen to Tempo Talks here!

FAVORITES

🏋️‍♂️ A perfect exercise? No single gym exercise will get you that new PB, but this one might help improve your mobility, stability, and strength! [Fit and Well]

🩱 New suit goofin: Having trouble getting back in the pool? A fun new swimsuit from Blueseventy could be all the motivation you need to jump back in! And don’t forget to use code “TEMPO20” for 20% off at checkout! (Also available in the U.K.)*

🚨 A fueling crime: Are nutrition companies lying to you? According to a recent study they might be! It found that there was a gap between the carbohydrates listed on popular gels and what they contained. Straight to fueling jail for them! [Canadian Cycling]

💓 Zone 2 for you: You’ve been told Zone 2 training is crucial for your endurance performance and longevity. But how do you actually know when you’re actually in Zone 2? Is it heart rate? Lactate? Something else that ends in “ate”? According to this video, the answer is quite simple! [Peter Attia]

🏭 Pollution puzzle: The world isn’t exactly getting cooler, and pollution levels aren’t plummeting anytime soon. So how can you manage your training while in hot or polluted environments? This article explains how to overcome those tricky stresses! [ABC]

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REEL TIME

The only option when you forget to start your watch? Do it all over! 😂

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QUICK NEWS

Bahrain beginning: The Vice President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee recently hosted the new President of World Triathlon, Antonio Arimany. Is a World Triathlon Championship Series race in Bahrain far behind? [BNA]

A letter: A triathlete with terminal cancer has written an emotional letter to himself. It’s an inspiring lesson on the power of sport, and the fragility of life. [Press Democrat]

Inspiring the future: Multiple Olympic medalist Jonny Brownlee recently spoke at Kildwick primary school - right after finishing a 105km bike ride! [Keighly News]

Lanzarote triathlon: There’s a new triathlon in Lanzarote - the Magma Yaiza Lanzarote Triathlon will feature Sprint and Olympic distance races! [Gazette Life]

Winter warriors: Champions were crowned at USA Triathlon’s Winter National Championships in Breckenridge, Colorado which featured athletes skiing, cycling and running! [USA Triathlon]

RACE WEEKEND

World Triathlon Championship Series Abu Dhabi

What is it: This weekend the World Triathlon season kicked off with the first stop of the Championship Series in Abu Dhabi featuring individual Sprint and a Mixed Team Relay.

Women’s race: After a promising lead out of the water, the early break of Bianca Seregni (ITA) and Jolien Vermeylen (BEL) was quickly swallowed up by the field, and with most of the top-ranked athletes in attendance, it would come down to the run.

Four athletes - Lisa Tertsch (GER), Leonie Periault (FRA), Nina Eim (GER), and Laura Lindemann (GER) managed to separate themselves from the field in the final stages of the run, setting the stage for an epic four-up sprint finish.

Watch: Lisa Tertsch breaks through with a massive sprint for gold!

In the end, Tertsch was at the pointy end of an incredible German sweep of the podium!

• 🥇 Lisa Tertsch (GER)

• 🥈 Nina Eim (GER)

• 🥉 Laura Lindemann (GER)

Full women’s results

Men’s race: An interesting mix of men hit the start line in Abu Dhabi looking to set the stage for a big season. Matthew Hauser (AUS) led the athletes out of the water and even instigated an early breakaway! But it was short lived.

• Most of the field started together on the run, and early on Hauser, Hayden Wilde (NZ), and Vasco Vilaca (POR) established a podium-earning gap.

With about a mile to go, it was only Wilde and Hauser together. In the end, Wilde was able to gap the Australian and take a decisive first win of the season.

• 🥇 Hayden Wilde (NZ)

• 🥈 Matthew Hauser (AUS)

• 🥉 Vasco Vilaca (POR)

Full men’s results

Mixed Team Relay: A mixed bag of mixed relay teams provided plenty of drama to start the season. After the first leg, Switzerland, Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, and The Netherlands established a devastating gap to the rest of the field.

• But fortunes dramatically changed as the Swiss athlete crashed into the barrier, taking out the entire front pack.

This allowed Germany, the USA, and Italy to return to the front of the race where they would battle it out for the podium.

• 🥇 Germany

• 🥈 United States of America

• 🥉 Italy

Full Mixed Team Relay results

YOU SAID

Plenty of Tempo readers said they would be racing short course events this year!

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