The RaceRanger data, published for the first time last year, is having an impact: at this year’s DATEV Challenge Roth, racing was cleaner than ever before. This year’s analysis just published provides clear evidence of this. Virtually all key statistics relating to drafting activity fell significantly, even with the mandatory minimum distance between athletes increased from 12 to 20 metres.
After DATEV Challenge Roth 2025 became the first triathlon in the world to publish complete RaceRanger data, the DATEV Challenge Roth team, in collaboration with RaceRanger, has continued this initiative in 2026.
Average drafting time fell by 53 per cent
RaceRanger’s analysis shows a clear trend towards even fairer racing compared with the previous year. The average illegal drafting time per professional fell from 2 minutes 40 seconds to 1 minute 15 seconds – a decrease of 53 per cent. The median figure is even more striking: while in 2025 half of all professionals spent at least 1 minute 10 seconds illegally in the draft zone, in 2026 this figure fell to just 16 seconds; a reduction of 77 per cent.
Figure more than halved: only 14 per cent of all professionals spent over 2 minutes in the draft zone
The number of so-called ‘yo-yo’ manoeuvres – where athletes enter the draft zone but do not complete the overtaking manoeuvre and drop back again – also fell significantly. On average, this figure fell from 23.4 to 7.9 per athlete, representing a reduction of 66 per cent.
At the same time, the proportion of professionals with more than two minutes of illegal drafting time halved from 35 to 14 per cent. By contrast, the proportion of completely clean races with zero seconds of drafting time rose from 22 to 29 per cent.
This development is all the more remarkable given the permitted drafting distance was increased from 12 to 20 metres in 2026. The professionals therefore had to maintain two-thirds more distance than in the previous year. Despite this, all relevant drafting metrics fell significantly.
Men and women show significant improvement
The data shows clear progress for both men and women.
Among the men, the average illegal drafting time fell from 3 minutes 15 seconds to 1 minute 43 seconds. At the same time, the proportion of athletes with more than two minutes of illegal drafting time fell from 44 per cent to 19 per cent.
The women were already competing at a very high standard of fair play last year and yet still managed to improve significantly. The average illegal drafting time fell from 58 to just 25 seconds. 60 per cent of all female professional athletes completed the bike with no illegal drafting time at all. The previous year, the figure was 41 per cent. In 2026, the median stood at 0 seconds for the first time.
Almost flawless racing at the front
The development at the front of the race is particularly impressive.
While in 2025 there were still individual athletes in the top ten with several minutes of illegal drafting time, the picture in 2026 is almost flawless.
In the men’s race, the average illegal drafting time for the top ten fell from 1 minute 47 seconds to just 23 seconds; that is a reduction of 78 per cent. Particularly impressive: winner Sam Laidlow set his world-record time of 7:21:04 hours with just 18 seconds of illegal drafting time over a bike split of just under four hours.
The lead group also improved significantly in the women’s race. The average illegal drafting time of the top 10 fell from 1:49 minutes to 38 seconds.
RaceRanger: “A major step forward for triathlon”
“The figures speak for themselves. Although the professionals had to maintain a significantly greater distance of 20 metres this year, drafting activity has decreased markedly in all key areas,” says James Elvery, founder of RaceRanger. “At the very top of the field in particular, the athletes are setting a good example. This is a major step forward for fair professional sport. The openness with which Roth publishes this data is unique worldwide and provides a significant boost to our sport.”
“Transparency creates fairness”
“Last year, on the initiative of Sam Laidlow, we decided to make the RaceRanger data public. This year’s results impressively demonstrate that transparency works,” says race director Felix Walchshöfer. “The permitted distance was increased from 12 to 20 metres at the request of the majority of the professionals; the rules were therefore significantly stricter than in the previous year. We are delighted that riders still competed fairly despite this, and it shows that fairness and transparency go hand in hand in professional sport. That was precisely our aim.”
Walchshöfer also emphasises: “Of course, the following still applies: the on-site race officials always have the final say on any potential rule breaches. RaceRanger is a technical tool that supports our referees, but does not replace them.”
Adjusted data analysis
To ensure the analysis was as relevant as possible, the data – as in the previous year – was adjusted to exclude sections of the course with particularly high spectator numbers (Solarer Berg, Kränzleinsberg and Kalvarienberg), the first and last 500 metres of the bike course, and all aid stations. These areas were already made exempt from the drafting rules by the Referees’ Panel in the run-up to the event and correspond exactly to those in place in 2025.
RaceRanger is an electronic distance-measuring system for triathlon races that objectively identifies unauthorised drafting. The technology assists athletes and race officials in complying with the drafting rules and contributes to greater fairness and transparency in the sport of triathlon.
The full data is available on the DATEV Challenge Roth website – www.challenge-roth.com.