If you’ve read my race report about the Aquabike Standard Distance World Championship last October, you might remember that several issues arose during and after the race – some of which remain unresolved. While certain matters are still pending and may have lasting repercussions (at least, I hope so), there have been some recent developments that I’d like to share.

The Ugly Issue

In my race report, I mentioned a case I referred to as “The Ugly.” If you haven’t read it, here’s a brief summary: Four athletes from the same age group discovered they had flat tires just as they were about to start the bike leg. All four were serious medal contenders, and their bikes were not placed in the same area of the transition zone – eliminating the possibility that a single hazard on the ground caused the punctures. The circumstances strongly suggest intentional manipulation.

There’s no major update on this case yet, but what was initially four affected athletes has now grown to five, as another victim has come forward. Just before Christmas, they collectively filed a formal complaint with World Triathlon after gathering all necessary data to support their case – a process that took some time. One of the athletes told me that race officials at the event appeared genuinely shocked by what had happened and took the matter seriously. So far, there has been no official response from World Triathlon, but given the nature of such investigations, it may take a while. However, the athletes involved are determined to see this through.

If you witnessed anything suspicious in the transition zone in Torremolinos before the race, please reach out!

 

The Drafting Issue

This is something I didn’t focus on much in my original race report, but it’s an issue that deserves attention. With far too many athletes packed onto a course that was much too short, both blocking and drafting became inevitable. However, one particular story from an athlete highlights that there wasn’t just “unavoidable” drafting taking place – some competitors were deliberately bending the rules.

According to this athlete, a competitor in his age group had a coach who was also racing. The coach, being the stronger swimmer, exited the water first and waited in transition to pace his athlete on the bike course – essentially serving as a personal lead-out rider and allowing him to draft. The athlete who shared this story provided official race photos clearly showing the two riding together. When confronted about it at the awards ceremony, the accused athlete simply shrugged it off, saying, “That’s just how we race.”

While individual athletes can display unsportsmanlike behavior, the real issue is that certain race setups make it nearly impossible to enforce fair play. I don’t know if any drafting penalties were issued in Torremolinos, but considering how overcrowded the course was, I can’t imagine how penalties could have been applied consistently and fairly.

 

The Finish Line Issue

Time and again, I’ve tried to raise awareness about the often inadequate finish line setups for aquabike races at international championship events—especially in Spain. With large numbers of triathletes and aquabikers starting within too short a time frame on a fast and congested course, it was clear that chaos would ensue when the finish line was placed at the dismount line. The result? Aquabikers sprinting for world championship titles while triathletes, on the same side of a narrow road, were slowing down, unclipping, and dismounting – this must necessarily end in a disaster.

Recently, I spoke with someone who attended a technical officials’ meeting hosted by the Spanish Triathlon Federation. The topic of aquabike finish line setups at future championship events in Spain – including next year’s long-distance world championships and European championships – was indeed discussed. However, rather than acknowledging any fault in the race organization, the proposed solution was… unexpected. Instead of adapting the setup to align with international best practices, officials determined that the issue was simply that aquabike athletes were “going too fast.” Their solution? Instruct aquabikers to slow down before the finish line. You really can’t make this stuff up.

Now, the upcoming races in Spain – the long-distance world championships and European championships – both feature more demanding bike courses. Therefore, the issues we faced in Torremolinos will not appear on the same scale at those events. However, in 2026, the standard-distance world championships will return to Spain.

I had always hoped that over time, race organizers would recognize these safety concerns and implement better solutions for aquabike athletes. But after hearing this, I had lost hope – at least for Spain. And given that the majority of international aquabike championship events are held there, that’s deeply concerning.

 

2025 World Triathlon Competition Rules

However, my confidence in future improvements was restored when I read the newly published 2025 edition of the World Triathlon Competition Rules earlier this week.

In previous editions, the rule regarding aquabike finishes simply stated:

“Athletes will finish the competition at the finish line at the end of the bike course. The finish occurs at the instant that the tyre of the front wheel meets the vertical plane rising from the starting edge of the finishing line.”

At first glance, this seemed to imply that the finish line should be positioned on the road before the dismount line. However, because this wasn’t explicitly stated, some organizers – particularly in Spain – took advantage of the ambiguity, placing the finish at the dismount line or even at the transition area entrance, ultimately compromising athlete safety.

Fortunately, World Triathlon has now addressed this “loophole”. The 2025 rules make things crystal clear:

Phew! A huge thank you to World Triathlon for listening to the concerns of athletes!

In fact, I’d argue the rule could be even more flexible. In Torremolinos, for instance, the finish line should have been rather 400 meters before the dismount line, as the last 300 meters were on an extremely narrow road. But I won’t nitpick – the new rule is a significant step in the right direction and will force organizers to provide a far fairer and safer setup than what we’ve seen in Torremolinos and other past events.

Now, given that Spanish federation officials were adamant about not making changes, I sincerely hope World Triathlon will enforce this rule strictly. Fingers crossed!

Update: To avoid confusion, it’s important to clarify that the World Triathlon Competition Rules only apply to international events – specifically the standard and long-distance world championships as well as the European championships in aquabike. For national and local races, the competition rules of the respective national multisport federations apply, which often do not include specific regulations for the aquabike finish.

In smaller events, it is therefore common to place the finish line at the dismount line or the entrance to T2. As the number of aquabike participants is usually much lower, this is perfectly fine for those events. Another widely used alternative is to have aquabikers run through transition and record their finish time at the regular triathlon finish line.

While this approach can be problematic in major championships – such as in 2022 World Championships, when the race was effectively decided by a long transition run, which is not in line with the original concept of aquabike – it is generally not an issue for local races. In many cases, the distance from T2 to the finish line is just a few meters, making it manageable even for athletes who switched from triathlon to aquabike due to injury.