![]() ![]() ![]() If it seems unsatisfactory, it’s also the only way. The point being, it is always going to be a judgment call: Cross the centerline and you’re in the hands of the officials. Is Brownlee allowed to drift to the left of the right hand side of the road? Should Von Berg should sit up until there is clear road to pass? Messick argued it was a racing incident and was fine. Reliving it play-by-play with Von Berg in the pro briefing, Messick argued that rightly no penalty was given, that Brownlee took a racing line through the corner, and Von Berg had to cross the centerline to make the safe pass. Von Berg, brought up on these those roads and knowing them like the back of his hand, crossed the centerline as he flew by. In the days before the race, video was dredged up of Rudy Von Berg overtaking Alistair Brownlee at 70.3 Worlds in Nice in 2019 on the descent. To some it was as clear as mud – Wurf chuckled along at the front, throwing back the occasional heckle saying the rules hadn’t changed.īoth sides had a valid point, but what the Aussie understood – and what doesn’t translate well written down in a rulebook – is that while we all want clarity, like a triathlon tourist deciding whose right of way it is to cross the road in Nice (try it sometime!), it’s open to interpretation. We started with a definition of the centerline – “the midpoint of two lanes” and a clear “do not cross” message, followed by, “but if you do, you might get a yellow card (1-minute penalty), be disqualified or get nothing at all” the determination would be made by an official based on safety or whether they believe the athlete is trying to obtain an unfair competitive advantage. The broader point is that Ironman’s tactic of getting ahead of the game is one they’d do well to repeat. George last year with a similar result/aftermath to the Sanders debacle in Finland. The centerline rule took focus in Nice, but in the future it might be another issue where a course or conditions make flashpoints more likely – think Sam Long’s contentious drafting penalty in 70.3 Worlds in St. After head referee Daniel Palladino had run through the familiar mandatories, the ante was upped when Messick himself chimed in with the first question: “Can you clarify the centerline rule?!”įrom the wise-cracking Cameron Wurf at the front to those pros genuinely concerned about how exactly they were being asked to tackle tricky corners on the sweeping descents in the daunting Maritime Alps, it didn’t take a genius to spot the “plant” in the room.īut Messick’s modus operandi was a clever one: As he admitted to Triathlete upon leaving the room, better to slug it out beforehand than after the race. It wasn’t exactly pure theater, but a bucket of popcorn wouldn’t have been out of place. Instead, with a view to transparency and to cut any post-race “he said, we said” disputes off at the pass, Ironman decided to fling open its doors to wider parties than just the athletes, including select media. The organization’s president and chief executive didn’t want a repeat of what happened to Lionel Sanders at the Lahti 70.3 World Championships: the Canadian disqualified, confused, and emotional after crossing an imaginary centerline in the road during the race.Ĭue social media meltdown and obligatory Ironman pile-on. When Ironman took the decision to open up the inner sanctum of the pro briefing ahead of the men’s 2023 Ironman World Championship, Andrew Messick was making a smart play. Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
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