- The Tempo
- Posts
- As RaceRanger Hits The Age Group Field. Will Drafting Be Solved?
As RaceRanger Hits The Age Group Field. Will Drafting Be Solved?
RaceRanger's age group debut, the best value sports drink, and three pro-proven cycling tips!

Good morning everyone,
It’s been devastating to see the damage from the Los Angeles fires. If you are an athlete, or know any athletes who have been affected please let us know as we would love to try and help in any way we can! Just reply to this email and we will be in touch.
In today’s edition:
👮 RaceRanger arrives in the age group field. So will it finally solve drafting?
🚴 Three pro-proven tips to improve your cycling.
🏅 And, what is the best value sports drink? The surprising answer here.
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
RaceRanger Hits the Age Group Field. But Will it Finally Solve the Drafting Problem?

RaceRanger
What is it: RaceRanger, the innovative drafting detection system that has been used at professional World Championship races will, for the first time ever, be used in an age group competition at next month’s Challenge Wanaka in New Zealand.
According to the press release, RaceRanger will work as it does in the pro field with athletes shown a series of colored lights from the rear of the bike in front of them to indicate their following distance.
A scaled start: According to RaceRanger CEO James Elvery, “In Wānaka we’ll be looking to get hands-on with a good number of age-group bikes, to understand in detail the subtle differences in set-up between them and what we see with the pros.”
He continues, “With the higher numbers, it will also clearly highlight to us which parts of our back-end processes won’t scale to the thousands, and need redesigning to make the step across.”
A two-tiered future? According to Elvery, “In the future, we can see a world where an age group field might be separated into a competitive wave and a more general entry group.”
The competitive wave might start together from a gun start…the general entrants might be set off on a rolling start basis.
Drafting lights would be activated for the competitive athletes. For the general entry group, the focus can be more on safety and their enjoyment of the event.
According to Elvery, the RaceRanger units could also provide better live tracking and a more engaging spectator experience for supporters.
Tempo’s take: This is a great first step in trying to solve the issue of drafting in the age group field. By at least having some units out in the field they will be able to collect meaningful data that can inform future decision making. This thorny issue is by no means going to be solved after this one race, but it’s a great start.
Elvery’s suggestion of creating two separate waves of racing was also intriguing and could allow for the RaceRanger to be incredibly effective in a less crowded field. Race directors might also be interested in a new tier of racing that could command more of a premium in price! 🤷🤑
On a side note, RaceRanger is in the midst of a funding round to help accelerate its scaling goals. Interested in investing? Drop them a line at [email protected]
Do you think RaceRanger will work in age group races?Would you like one at your race? |
Kickstart your morning routine
Upgrade your day with award-winning DIRTEA Coffee Super Blend. For people seeking sharper focus, a calm mind, and lasting energy:
Over 1,000mg of Lion's Mane per Cup
80% less caffeine than regular coffee
Made with the highest quality Organic Certified ingredients.
FAVORITES
Metabolic madness: Are you efficient at burning fat AND carbs while training and racing? If not, you could be leaving your best performance on the table. This illuminating article explains how to improve your fat-burning while consuming carbs to help you race and train longer AND stronger! [Triathlete]
Your strongest legs: Sam Long says he has the “strongest legs in triathlon” and he certainly backs it up on the course (I know all too well!). So can you ride like the strongest cyclist in triathlon? Yes! Sam drops his top three tips to improve your cycling in this video. And number three is especially key! [Sam Long/YouTube]
Best value sports drink: There are plenty of sports drink mix options available, and with an astonishing range of carbs, electrolytes, or both! But which one truly is the best value? Save your money by reading this insightful sports drink mix industry report! [Carbs Fuel]
Female athlete nutrition: Dr. Stacy Sims is a renowned expert in female-specific nutrition and exercise, and in a recent podcast interview, she explained the importance of vitamin D3, omega-3 fatty acids, and iron supplementation for female athletes. So what are the right iron levels for women? Find out this and much more in this article! [IOL]
Participate in running research with The RunDot Project.
This annual research initiative includes 2 free months of run training for qualified participants and gives you an opportunity to reach your true athletic potential with optimized training protocols.
REEL TIME
The images coming out of the Los Angeles fires have been devastating. And it’s been truly devastating for the Tower 26 triathlon community as shown in this reel.
QUICK NEWS
Supertri E World Championships: The exciting and innovative Supertri E World Championships are once again returning to the London Aquatics Center on Saturday, April 5th. World Titles will be on this line as the athletes give it their all in a blend of real and virtual racing. And kids can watch their heroes compete for free! [Supertri]
T100 fights back: After losing recent battles in the triathlon talent war, the T100 has fought back with the announcement of more contracted athletes for 2025 - including the inaugural IRONMAN Pro Series champion Gregory Barnaby! [T100]
Triathlon spending: The World Triathlon Grand Final in Andalucia-Torremolinos generated an impressive €44 million economic impact for the region. [FETRI]
Kids tri success: The popular children’s triathlon series I Tri’d the Tri is set to resume this week in Palmerston North. The series has grown over the years from 100 athletes to over 750 at each event! [The Post]
New performance boss: After an extensive search, former triathlete and Olympic-medal-winning cycling coach Dan Proulx has been named the new high performance director for Triathlon Canada.
TEMPO EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE
Why this sports psychologist wants you to celebrate the small wins!
Build it, but will they come? The crazy story of the triterium.
Why you need to train faster (not harder!) Vol. 1
LATEST EDITIONS
Which muscles actually help you cycle faster? The surprise answer here!
A Kona announcement and much more, here’s what to watch for in 2025!
Bike speed killers, and ten running strengthening exercises!
What did you think of today's newsletter? |
Reply