Alistair Brownlee‘s chances of victory at T100 Ibiza were dealt a massive blow when he was handed the first-ever T100 drafting penalty – and he would eventually finish fourth.
Things had looked to be going smoothly for the two-time Olympic champion – he was in the lead group in the swim and then in the same position on the bike as six athletes pulled clear of the rest.
But then at around 50km into the 80km bike leg came the sensational news that he’d been hit with a 60-second penalty for drafting.
Drafting penalties in T100
The lack of drafting penalties had been one of the big talking points of the T100 World Tour.
The RaceRanger system has been used whenever possible, with the technology assisting referees with determining whether or not an athlete is drafting during a race.
Brownlee was shown a blue card, with the one-minute sanction to be served at the next penalty box.
That came just after the 60km-mark and meant that he then found himself detached from the leading group, which was now down to five – Fred Funk, Sam Laidlow, Rico Bogen, Mika Noodt and Marten Van Riel.
When he was allowed to return to the race he more than held his own as the gap between him and the front five after 70km (and with 10km to go until T2) was down to 56 seconds.
He would start the run just over a minute back but battled on brilliantly to eventually take fourth place, 45 seconds off the podium as Van Riel ran out the winner.
‘No complaints’
But it was a hammer blow for Brownlee who had said beforehand he felt he was getting back into top form as he seeks his first victory since IRONMAN Sweden back in August 2022.
This season he’s devoted his efforts entirely to the T100 Tour, with fifth place at T100 Miami in March previously his highest-placed finish so far.
It’s not his first T100 penalty though as he was also hit with one for fractionally overstepping the dismount line at the end of the bike in Singapore.
Just as he did in Singapore though, he took the penalty on the chin. Speaking afterwards, he said: “At 50km I got a drafting penalty and it was fair enough to be honest.
“I’d rolled into the draft zone and the light came on and I didn’t come out of it quick enough.
“It was a fair decision and I then rode the last lap on my own and ran just trying to catch people – and I was pleased to feel good right to the finish.”
