does gluing cause faster deterioration of the jersey? I read somewhere that's the case.

yea I saw the rules too. but I it's not like before every race, they go through a 200 page document to make sure that everyone is in compliance. I've shown up late to races, and we've only had one number pinned on. my teammate once had one number held by one corner, and it was flapping around in the wind. he won the race, and never got flack for it. but he's also very noticeable. If the side number needs to be seen, i'll leave it alone and make life easier for the officials. other than that, I'm going to make life easier for me.