This was an interesting weekend. Here we are, in the depths of November, and still racing full-tilt.

I spent my weekend sport-spectating, and it was mostly triathlon I was watching. Interesting -- isn't it? -- that though watching a triathlon on TV is like watching paint dry, there's something oddly compelling about watching an 8hr or 9hr race unfold on the internet. I'm captivated. Go figure. I ask myself this: other than midterm elections what other all-day-long sporting event keeps my rapt attention?

So I virtually "watched" Clearwater on Saturday, and provided the coverage myself on Sunday for the Silverman Relay. I enjoyed both thoroughly and will offer some thoughts, chiefly on our sport's newest world championship.

One thing about the Silverman, you didn't have any drafting out there. Okay, part of that was due to the paucity of cyclists, but part was due to the difficulty of the terrain. Add some topography to the course, the cream rises. Good cyclists can get away from bad ones.

Contrast that to the Clearwater race, and what we see is what most old-timers in fact predicted: all you need is a somewhat slower swimmer who can hammer the bike; that's the detonator needed to set off a nuclear draftfest. And that's going to happen in just about every wave of every well-populated championship race held on a flat course. Fast bikers can't get away. The slower ones glom on, like velcro, one after another, and then you have a pack.

When this happens, it's not the fault of the athlete. It's not the fault of the officials. Like a hurricane formed by a confluence of atmospheric events, packs happen when the conditions encourage them, and there's not a lot you can do about them.

Packs are not the fault of the RD either, and I don't think there's a race organization that's going to put on a better championship than WTC. If there is, it's WTC's blood-brother IMNA. The question is, how much can any organization do when the race begins with two arms tied behind it's back -- those two arms being "flat course" and "championship field?"

My next door neighbor, Mark Montgomery (Monty) was set to go to Clearwater, and in fact chose to be my Silverman spotter instead. But he was amped all year long to do the 70.3 championships and, in fact, had qualified and bought his airline ticket. But he kept asking me the same rhetorical question in the weeks leading up: "Do I ride clean even though I know there's going to be big packs rolling up behind and through me, or is it going to be a case of, 'When in Rome ride as the Romans?'"

He must have brought this up a half-dozen times. He was legitimately conflicted. We both knew what was going to happen. Look, we're not stupid. We've been doing this sport a collective 53 years. Clearwater was never going to not have a big drafting problem.

But I can see WTC's point. Clearwater is a more than willing host. It's a November event, and where can you stage a race this time of year except in the Southern coast? It's close to WTC's headquarters, and it's nice to have a hometown event. That makes a lot of sense. Still, if it's me I might consider changing things up a little.

If I'm God, I go ahead and have the race next year. Except, I'd consider making it the kick-off for the subsequent season, not the championship event. I'd make this the first qualifier for the following year's championship. Because it's not a championship, it won't have the parity-of-field issues that cause 38-year-old mortals to ride 26mph average speeds while discussing the recent trends in Fall fashions with each other.

I would hold the championship event in September when, in fact, championship events should be held (a big championship in November makes for a long season).

If it's me and I'm God, I'd love to hold the championship race in the mountains of Northern Georgia or Western North Carolina. There's Lake Chatuge, it's on the border of these states, and it's the closest place to Tarpon Springs you can domicile a championship bike course. It's Penticton of the South. There are other lakes close to it. There's a lake right in Waynesville, NC. There are lakes all over, on the coastal side of the Great Smokey Mountains, and some of the best riding I've ever done is right in this area. American cycling's grand tour used to be here. Mountain bike world cups are here. It's God's country and, if I'm God, I want a hometown race.

The problem is, September is right smack dab in the middle of hurricane season. How inland is enough inland so as not to be as hurricane-affected as a coastal area? Mid-November is on the hurricane season's shoulder, but Clearwater is hurricane-exposed. Tough call. As an old timer, I remember a Hilton Head USTS Nationals that had to be delayed a month because of a hurricane, and a Boca Raton Sprint Nationals that had to be canceled because of one.

Fortunately, this one's above my pay grade and the good folks at WTC will make their choice wisely. They are not inured to the problem of drafting, and if they choose to keep the race in Clearwater they'll make changes between now and next year that'll lessen the drafting.

Just the same, I'm constrained to ask: if this was a world championship bike race, would it be on a flat course? If not -- and the answer is a certain no -- then isn't it reasonable to expect a world championship triathlon to have a similar element of topographical difficulty? It's not just about the issue of controlling drafting. It's a championship, and that typically means some hills to climb.