Originally Posted by Cadillac
When two riders (or more) are drafting each other, it is acknowleged that those who draft behind a front rider have cycling advantage.... But if a rider stays in front, does he/she get any advantage over riding solo? Why?
My understanding is that the rider in front does not gain any real / noticeable mechanical advantage when they are pulling. There may be a small boost, but iirc it's too small to reliably determine via ordinary subjective means (e.g. perceived effort).
The overall advantage of the paceline is that the riders who are drafting are expending less energy to ride at a higher speed. Since in theory you are all taking turns up front, the individuals can ride a little harder when you're pulling, and then rest while drafting.
If you have one person pulling the entire time, then that individual gains none of the
mechanical advantages to riding in a paceline.
However, there are numerous psychological issues involved as well. Some people might get a mental boost by pulling the whole time, either because they're showing off, or enjoy "lending a hand," or just ride at that pace normally anyway. Conversely, if only one person pulls, that rider may dislike the idea that someone is benefitting from their effort without contributing. Mental conditions like these can easily alter one's perceptions and subjective experiences of taking a long pull at the front.
Does that make sense?
