stapfam

Just come in from a day at work on the road. There I am going down the road at 60mph. and there is this slower moving vehicle in front me. It is a small moblile crane and it has flashing orange lights on top of it. Queue of traffic in front of me and we were trying to overtake this thing with traffic coming the other way. Had a small truck in front of me and it had to sit behind the crane and the crane was going well-35mph up a slight incline of about 3% The truck was behind the crane for about 200 yards and then he pulled out to overtake.

I could not believe my eyes. 6" off the back of the crane and going for it was a cyclist. He was getting a full slipstream and was hardly turning the pedals. Rider was youngish but the bike was a Full Time Trial machine.So what vehicles do you slipstream to get up to speed?

maddmaxx 

Golf carts. But thats just me.

Seriously, I try to stay away from vehicles, they are just too unpredictable.

p8rider

A big garbage truck one morning, really fast clicking along at 30+, but the odor left a little something to be desired!!

Terex

My buddy's Parlee.

bikingshearer 

Tandems. Every chance I get.

I jumped on the wheel of a couple of kids on a moped once - that was fun and they got a kick out of it.

The dumbest thing I think I ever drafted was a motor home, along with a group of about 8 other riders. The motor home was a support vehicle of ours that we were using on a supported multi-day ride, and the driver kept it at a perfectly even pace, and the road was straight and flat, but it was still a really dumb thing to do, as there was absolutely no view at all of anything ahead of us, like potholes or speedbumps, or cops or . . . . It worked out fine, as none of the possible disasters befell us, and it sure was fun. It also got us through a deadly dull stretch of countryside a lot quicker that we otherwise could have gone.

crtreedude 

I once saw a person "drafting" a sugar cane truck up a hill. I am not sure the term is correct since the cyclist reached out and grabbed a well anchored cane and let the truck drag him up the hill.

Didn't seem to have to use the pedals either.

stonecrd

I've done a backhoe and a couple of trucks at lights. You have to be pretty carefull but you can still get a nice pull even a few feet back. I've glided along at 30+mph doing this but I don't make it a habit, kind of cheating on your exercise.

Big Paulie

When I ride up "The 101" between Ventura and Carpinteria, the flow of 70 MPH traffic provides a great slipstream, even while riding on the side of the road. However, whatever speed benefits there are to be had are negated by the sheer terror of being passed by 18 wheelers!

Monoborracho

Here's my own story

https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plus-50/266189-he-dropped-me-like-plow.html

serotta

I have drafted logging trucks and dump trucks before. Logging truck was okay to around 40, then my legs got tired. The dump truck was another story. A fine draft well into the 40's. The problem began when I chose to leave the draft and fall back to the group that missed "getting on". Coming out of a draft from such a big tall truck was unnerving. The turbulence 30 to 50 feet behind the truck was scary. My drafting days are over.

Big Paulie

This had been posted before, but I'll repost it since it's relevant...

https://www.canosoarus.com/08LSRbicycle/LSR%20Bike01.htm

leob1

A city bus, but the deisel fumes where a killer.
and a Porche 911, down a hill at 45 mph.

Jet Travis

No slipstreaming here.

I reckon I've already used up eight of my nine lives.

Velo Dog

I saw John Howard go 152mph on a bike behind a streamliner at Bonneville:

https://ici.cegep-ste-foy.qc.ca/profs...ges/152mph.jpg

I was working for Hot Rod magazine at the time (1973 or '74), and covered Speed Week. This run was a bonus.

DM4

I draft anything I can as often as I can. Whenever I can catch a vehicle that accererates slowly in traffic or from a stop I will try to motorpace it.

I one motorpaced my son's schoolbus. I was the talk of his classroom for a few days.

I have been in excess of 60MPH a few times while motorpacing. Fast is Fun

Velo Dog

Oops, sorry for the double John Howard. But I WAS there...

Little Darwin

Amish buggy.

Big Paulie

That's how Floyd Landis got his start...

Big Paulie

I know, I know. Amish and Mennonite are different religions...

europa

Not sure what you do sliptream but I understand that it's unwise to slipstream a truck full of cattle

Richard

Artmo 

I used to do that in my youth - behind buses and trucks, picking them up at a traffic light and having a blast to the next town, 7 miles away and doing the same to get back. Exhilarating!!

Beverly

I just noticed your link to the LiveStrong ride.

I'm hoping to do my second one this year in Philly. I did the ride last year and loved it. I guess you're used to those hills I chose to do the 40 miles (which really was 45) because I was driving back to SW Ohio after the ride. Maybe I'll plan on doing a longer ride this year and drive home the following day.