Originally Posted by
kbarch
I'd wager that the advantage of the wedge that a peloton makes provides more advantage to the lead rider than having a straight line behind him. I'd wager it's at least double, i.e., 5-6% compared to riding solo - wouldn't be surprised if it was 10%.
The biggest contribution will be from the rider directly behind the leader. You're not going to quadruple the effect by adding riders further behind and offset from the leader.