Road Bike Racing - Drafting?

This is a question I've been wanting to ask all you road racers for a while. When you are in the pack do you notice the effects of drafting cyclists a great deal. I've never done any road racing but I have occasionally drafted tractors going at about 40 kph, I notice that I have to hardly push the pedals at all, it feels like I'm going downhill with no wind. Is that what riding in a peloton is like?

Also if its much easier riding in the peloton I assume you would average much faster speeds then riding alone. How much faster? For example on a flat I can get along at around 30 - 40 kph with no wind, how much faster would I be able to go if I was in a peloton?

Thanks, any answers would be appreciated :)

Absolutely! Except in cycling, it's called a paceline. And not just racing, any ride with two or more riders can take advantage of the draft.

It depends on the terrain and the size of the group. For instance, one day I managed to hook up with the local training ride that includes pros, cat1, and cat2 racers. That day I think there were well over 100 riders and I was sitting in the pack soft-pedaling at 26-28MPH where I would normally have been doing 22MPH by myself. Probably could have kept up on the flats at well over 30MPH if I had the gears to do it! Wasn't gonna happen with a high of only 52/12.

... then they hit the hills and I sat up and said "Adios" to their backsides.

i forgot the percentage but i think it's about 20% easier to go a certain speed while drafting behind another cyclist... of course, the faster you go, the more of a difference it makes...

i'm a little off on my numbers now that i've been riding km/h for the last year, but my time trails were usually in the 22mph average while my averages for criterium races were in the 28 to 30mph range...

in a co-operative paceline riders share the lead so that the whole group can go faster -- each rider rides at the front until he tires and then oulls over and the next guy 'pulls' -- doing this the group can usually ride 6-10mph faster for the same effort!

if you watch criteriums or especially track racing, you will see how important drafitng is. in track sprints with 2 riders, no one wants to lead b/c the rider who drafts and then sprints around has the advantage - actually this is where the term "track stand" comes from: in track sprint races, the racer who could stand still the longest would get to draft and usually win the race!

Mmmmmm.... you should try it behind a truck!! (before anyone jumps up and says how dangerous, its a mate driving). Seriously the advantages of drafting in a pack are amazing!!

I'm a petite 5' female and I can stay with the A grade boys on their slow ride untill the hills by sitting right in the middle of the pack, although I often get them to ride 3 across so I get a 40% advantage by sitting on a wheel 5th from front and having someone either side and behind!!! Thanks Guys. Cause theres no way I could sit with them in a normal pace line, not enough pull/ wind blocked!!

A good paceline can make a real difference to your average speed. Each year our club does a 100 km team time trial, with teams of four riders. Two years ago, the team I was riding with had a great ride, we completed the course in 2 hours and 26 minutes. Riding in a fast pack, I have done centuries in just over four hours.

I have not done any road races but I have rode with groups before and when you can draft some one, especially a group, and be good at it (i.e. knowing what direction the wind is coming from), it makes the ride much easier. Unfortunatly I allways get to be out front since I can keep a high pace and because of my size I create a much bigger air pocket then your average roadie. But when I do get to draft it's a blast. I love drafting some one and pulling out and blowing by them.
Slainte
Matt

40% less effort in a pack. The faster you go, the easier it is to sit in. Of course, you must learn pack ettiquette or else you could cause or be in a accident.
If you're in the accident, you'll be scrubbing road rash. If you cause an accident, someone will be scrubbing your face into road rash.
Seriously, it is fun and good training to ride in a pack.

Hi all,
This is what Dylan Casey (USPS) wrote about the flat stages at Tour De France:

"Another thing we don't get to see is how hard the teams work to keep their leaders out of the wind. Now it might look like everyone is just riding in the bunch behind the team that's pulling, but let me reassure you that there is a ton of work being done behind the front. I can tell you that Eki, George, Floyd and Pavel are doing a majority of the riding right now to keep Lance out of the wind and near the front - on top of getting bottles and food throughout the day. The course always zig-zags around the countryside going through small towns and this always creates crosswinds and total chaos in the bunch. So don't be fooled into thinking that it's just an easy flat day with a hard sprint at the end.
In fact I can remember some of the hardest days I've had on the bike were those "easy flat days". "



//ArcSpin