Benefits of Drafting..
11-24-15, 09:10 AM
#1
pan y agua
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Benefits of Drafting..
A truck.
Activity | TrainingPeaks
939 watts to catch the draft.
223 watts to sit in the draft at 39mph.
Unfortunately the fun was short lived when we came to the end of the development.
Activity | TrainingPeaks
939 watts to catch the draft.
223 watts to sit in the draft at 39mph.
Unfortunately the fun was short lived when we came to the end of the development.
__________________
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
11-24-15, 09:24 AM
#2
Senior Member
A truck.
Activity | TrainingPeaks
939 watts to catch the draft.
223 watts to sit in the draft at 39mph.
Unfortunately the fun was short lived when we came to the end of the development.
Activity | TrainingPeaks
939 watts to catch the draft.
223 watts to sit in the draft at 39mph.
Unfortunately the fun was short lived when we came to the end of the development.
11-24-15, 09:25 AM
#3
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11-24-15, 09:57 AM
#5
Senior Member
Child's play.
https://youtu.be/iO7_Fq56g2c
https://youtu.be/iO7_Fq56g2c
11-24-15, 11:25 AM
#6
pan y agua
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Also helps to get over to the side occassionally where you can look up the road. and keep very careful watch on the brake lights.
__________________
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
11-24-15, 01:10 PM
#8
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I have a seen a youtube video of riders behind a truck going very fast. Looks like it could be fun but my fear of life-threatening stunts would keep me from ever trying it.
11-24-15, 01:34 PM
#9
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Right. You could be the guy on YouTube doing 55 on the flat on his bike, or you could be the guy slamming into the back of a truck at 55 mph on a bike. Risk >>>reward.
11-24-15, 02:26 PM
#10
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1986 Plymouth Horizon with hatch back up and wife driving in Rotonda West, flat as a pancake and 45mph+ back in 1987 on 1983 Paramount. It was fun.
11-24-15, 02:41 PM
#11
pan y agua
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Child's play.
https://youtu.be/iO7_Fq56g2c
https://youtu.be/iO7_Fq56g2c
Fastest I've gone motor pacing is 55 behind a tractor trailer.
The 39 mph in the link I posted is no big deal.
The point the data illustrates which is somewhat striking, and why I posted it, is how big the aero advantage is. With no draft, 39.1mph under the conditions prevailing would have required around 1400 watts.
Instead my peak power was 939, which was mostly accelerating into the draft as the truck past me, and then it only took around 220 watts to hang out in the draft.
__________________
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
11-24-15, 02:45 PM
#13
pan y agua
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Never done a Davis Phinney impersonation. Worst thing that ever happened to me was double pinch flat hitting a massive pothole that the SUV I was drafting stradled.
Learned form that to only do it on roads I'm familiar with and have good pavement.
__________________
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
11-24-15, 03:56 PM
#14
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I wanted to try it on the 7-mile bridge in the Florida Keys but my aversion to dying always seemed to get in the way...
__________________
Today, I believe my jurisdiction ends here...
Today, I believe my jurisdiction ends here...
11-24-15, 09:57 PM
#15
Senior Member
I've been grabbing free rides for 40 years, when opportunity presents.
Never done a Davis Phinney impersonation. Worst thing that ever happened to me was double pinch flat hitting a massive pothole that the SUV I was drafting stradled.
Learned form that to only do it on roads I'm familiar with and have good pavement.
Never done a Davis Phinney impersonation. Worst thing that ever happened to me was double pinch flat hitting a massive pothole that the SUV I was drafting stradled.
Learned form that to only do it on roads I'm familiar with and have good pavement.
The only time I had a problem drafting a semi was when I was inattentive and following too close in a car and didn't notice the semi swerving around a 4x4 laying across the road. Hit it with my front wheel and cracked the rim but didn't lose air in the tire. A $400 mistake but could have been worse on a bike
11-24-15, 10:16 PM
#16
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Jose Meiffret used this bike...
...to draft a Mercedes 300SL on the Autobahn...
...and achieved 200KPH (127MPH).
Date with Death
...to draft a Mercedes 300SL on the Autobahn...
...and achieved 200KPH (127MPH).
Date with Death
11-24-15, 10:42 PM
#17
On a group tour last May, another guy and I wanted to go visit a place that was about 25km away, while everyone else relaxed after a day of climbing a mountain, but we were afraid we couldn't get there, look around, and get back in time to clean up for dinner. So the guy who drove the van escorted us the whole way. We didn't go particularly fast, and we probably didn't stay as close as we should have to get the best advantage, but it worked out well - he was a very good and careful driver, and we made great time without breaking a sweat.
11-25-15, 07:08 AM
#19
Senior Member
You travel 7.3325 feet in that 1/4 of a second at 20 mph. You hit the truck before you move your hands to the brakes. At only 20 mph. There's no chance of not hitting the truck. Most people don't get this either. If you glance at something else the reaction time is much longer.
I'm not saying I never draft a vehicle, or that it's likely the truck slams on the brakes. But it's good to know the risk. If the truck slams on the brakes, you have a really bad day.
Last edited by 2manybikes; 11-25-15 at 07:17 AM.
11-25-15, 07:47 AM
#21
Advocatus Diaboli
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I don't see the benefit. Isn't the workout obtained by exerting 900 watts a better workout than from exerting 200 watts?
11-25-15, 08:07 AM
#24
Senior Member
Highway scene:
https://vimeo.com/50872582
It's a good movie to watch if you want to learn how to repair a tubular on the side of the road
https://vimeo.com/50872582
It's a good movie to watch if you want to learn how to repair a tubular on the side of the road
11-25-15, 08:08 AM
#25
Serious Cyclist
Still, I've drafted trucks/vans before when they've passed me on relatively quiet roads, but only on the edge of the draft where I can still lean out and see what's ahead, and swerve off to the side if they do try to panic brake for some reason. It just seems unnecessarily risky to sit in a blind spot unless you know/trust the driver of the vehicle and know the road surface.
