Originally Posted by DanielS
There is not benefit in being the person in front. The stuff about turbulence above is well.... a little misinformed to say the least.
Aerodynamic drag is either created by friction between the air and your body and also by a pressure difference that exists between the front of the rider and the back of the rider.
The pressure difference exists because there is a "wake" region behind you where the the air is swirling around and creating a low pressure zone. There is no way that this wake region would be big enough that the rider behind you is taking it up, and somehow reducing the drag.
Yeah I apologize. Pardon my background in aircraft and rocketry.
I don't know about you, but I'm a fairly large object, and moving through the air at 20 MPH or greater, the "wake region" is both large enough and far enough behind me that it does make a difference if that load is taken by someone else.
Oh, and studies have been done. Tell
these people that they are misinformed. And those pesky scientists at NASA Langley that have helped several NASCAR teams.
Another thought on the subject: "...if you have ever watched a Dolphin effortlessly ride the pressure wave created by the bow of a boat as it slices through the water you can see how this might work for the rider at the front of the pelton. The group is large enough that some of the air hitting them is pushed back in front of them and tends to give the front riders a bit of a push. Not so much drafting as reverse drafting
"
Have you ever watched a bicycle race?