waterrockets 

I had the best dump truck draft ever yesterday for the two major legs of my commute. On the first leg, I averaged 45mph. On the 2nd leg, the speed limit was lower, and we had two lights, but we still averaged 26mph up a grade.

54mph max. 141rpm.

The cool thing is a 45mph average with a 229W average

Here's the first leg. This usually takes me more than 3 minutes.

timmhaan

holy crap that does not sound safe. but probably hell ass fun.

Hickeydog

Almost as fun as drafting ambulances. You don't have to worry about rocks and dust and crapola coming out of the back and they sit lower to the ground.

Doggus

I was cured from that stuff when we saw a mud truck kick up a flattened cardboard box off the road that no one saw coming. That thing went up in the air behind the truck, opened up and started gyrating wildly till it hit the pavement again.

For some reason we let that one go or else it would have taken out several of us. We still have a couple that will take off after SUVs and big trucks - it's dangerous enough out there for me without adding to it. But I always wuz a skeerdy Kat.

Pharmr

could have used a few dump trucks today.....15-20mph headwind for half of my ride....but dude, 45mph average??...that's sweet!!

Terex

I love cement trucks - and the way they leave little lines of cement at the crux of really steep hills. I usually see them just about the time I feel like hurling.

wolfpack 

so, waterrockets, how you draft a dump truck?? seriously. i've been passed by such and would like to have a draft from them or other vehicles, but guess i don't know how to do it

AEO

damn, that sounds fun...

divineAndbright

I dont know what all those numbers mean but yeah, drafting things never becomes boring. Its amazing how fast you can get up a hill behind a dump truck. I havent been able to do that much lately being winter and riding outside is pretty much a commuting thing only. I used to be able get behind the school buses on my way home from work when I finished at 3pm, thats really scary when you see what the roads are like during the winter time here, I had one of those "this is a really bad idea" thought moments last time I did it, luckily I managed to slow down enough just in time when the bus started slowing to a stop rather than plowing into the back!

BackRoadsBiker

Yeah that sounds like a blast! How do you do it though? Does it work with SUVs too?

JaRow

What's the name of the program you're using?

Road Fan

Waterrockets, the ride sounds like a scream, but .... what is that software????

ya know, engineers ....

Road Fan

joecool2727

It's just like drafting another cyclist, except much faster and much more draft. SUV's would work but would be harder since they tend to accelerate much faster. I dunno how waterrockets goes about getting in the draft, but it's easiest for me when the truck is stopped at a light and im still coasting, i then proceed to get up to speed at the same rate as the truck and then get in its draft.
Staying in the draft is the easy part, a lot of the time you wont even have to pedal. The hard part is when the truck/bus is getting up to speed. This is why bigger vehicles usually work better, not so much cuz the draft is so much bigger but because they tend to accelerate so much slower.

damnpoor

On the roads around here in farm land, especially this time of year, every time I try drafting a car I end up getting hit with mud clods or small rocks

garysol1 

The software he is using is called Cyclingpeaks WKO.

waterrockets 

Yeah, it's TrainingPeaks WKO+ (they changed the name from CyclingPeaks with the last version). Really the best power analysis software.

Anyway, the way I draft vehicles, I pretty much need to find them at lights, or just when they're turning onto my road. Match their speed as soon as possible to minimize the sprint into their draft. Then you just maintain. Every 15s or so, edge out on one side so you can see what's ahead. SUVs and cars are ideal because you can see through their windshield, but the accelerate much faster, so you'll burn your matches just hanging on for that and won't have much left for the follow.

This one was the perfect storm because the driver wasn't in a hurry, and we started a bit up a hill, so I was able to accelerate downhill for the first bit. Then we leveled off at 50mph, and I just did some stabs at the cranks every so often.

The closer you can follow, the better.

HokieHooWVU

I watched Breaking Away the other day because I kept seeing people on here mention it. When I saw him traveling at those insane speeds behind the 18-wheeler I thought it was BS, but I guess that really is possible.


Pretty impressive.

BarracksSi

Yellow line = watts (how much oomph he's putting out)
Green line = pedal RPMs
Blue line = road speed

I think it's hilarious. A couple of the fastest bits are when there's no pedaling at all.

venturi95

Sorry, but I feel I have to tell everyone this: A friend of mine years ago told me someone he knew swung out behind a dump truck to catch a draft. The truck was towing a trailer with those long ( 15 feet?) tubular steel tounges. Blammo, one less rider.

rollin

Great ride profile.

I prefer Cinzano trucks myself

grolby

With a 52-14 top gear, 60 mph behind anything pretty much is BS. Especially if you're actually in the small ring! But a fun scene nonetheless.

carpediemracing 

As a big fan of drafting vehicles there are a few tricks to this.

1. Always check what you're about to draft (I never heard of anyone getting taken out by a trailer like that but this would prevent that from happening). I normally check where the next car is, since pulling out in front of a (much faster) car is never a good idea. I also wait for trailers and such.

2. When you draft a big vehicle, you can get a significant draft while still on the fringes of the "drafting area", i.e. you can be just behind and outside of the outer rear wheel and still get a huge draft. Since a dump truck (or similar) is so big, you'll find yourself either coasting or pulling out into the wind to slow down. WR's power spikes and valleys seems to reflect that. I do this to check for unknown or new road obstacles. However I've double flatted twice at 45 mph or so when I miscalculated where a known manhole cover or pothole was, both on clinchers, and both were a bit scary to bring under control (one was on a bend and I barely made it). I prefer tubulars when setting out on a drafting mission since they basically don't pinch flat and they also are lighter and wind up faster. I drive to my drafting mission rides so I make equipment choices before I leave.

3. To draft a smaller vehicle (car, a hatchback or wagon is better), you get close enough that you can see through the front window. Even little ole me is taller than a driver in a car so I can see through both the rear and front window and over the hood. I tried to draft a Lotus Espirit once but my body was over the roof of the car. lol. Most cars are nice to draft because you can see the driver, any passengers, and make a judgement on how they'll drive. An ex-pro friend had a 93 Civic hatchback (I've since bought it from him and still have it). The rear bumper is gouged with tire burn marks from motorpacing workouts. The Civic is nice because you can pop the glass up so it forms a little windscreen for the rider/s behind. The USCF in the 80s would use the Campy Buick wagon for similar workouts - they'd open the rear hatch and blast the heat on cold days so the riders would be training in a little pocket of heat.

4. I don't like drafting SUVs or minivans because they're too high to see through, too small to draft to one side (you really have to be behind them), and they tend to be driven by people who are least likely to know how to drive or are the most distracted. I can't even see into most of them so I have no idea what the driver is focusing on - kids, phone, looking for a store/street, etc.

5. To catch a truck, it has to be going slower. Even in Breaking Away the truck starts out at 35 or 40 mph (since he holds out 4 fingers after a bit). I normally latch on when they pull away from a light or if they're in slower moving traffic (35 or slower). Someone with a good jump should be able to accelerate smartly to 35+ mph from a 15-25 mph cruising speed, and if the truck is going 30-35 mph, that's all you need. If it's at a light and you are there too, then you'll wait about 4-5 shifts before it gets going more than 18-20 mph, but then you hang on because they can accelerate for a while.

Personally I can't go faster than about 50 mph so 54 mph is very impressive I also run out of breath after about a minute or so. I run a 53x11 - you need the big gears to go fast.

6. Finally, although I've drafted police cars (at night, on my favorite sprint loop in SW CT), some don't appreciate the drafting thing. I got pulled over once for drafting a dump truck (I was swinging in and out of the draft and I think the cop thought I was losing control, plus we were going 10-15 over the limit). I also got verbally reprimanded at a light for not having a bright front headlight (batteries were dying). The cop let me draft for about a mile but then pointed out he could barely see me. Since many of the officers in that city bought winter cycling gloves (they fit inside of trigger guards), they knew who I was, so it sort of helped.

can't wait to go do some Thursday Night Summer Street Downtown Sprints,
cdr

TRaffic Jammer

City buses are fun too. Nothing says draft me like a soccer mom in a Volvo wagon though. It's hoot when the kids in the back notice you and you wave and smile, give a thumbs up to mom checkin' you in the mirror to let her know it's all cool. 54?... niiice

scotch

54mph behind a dump truck. that takes some shiny brass onions, imho.

Ryleeryno

on the small chainring at that. He was spinning so fast that a 60Hz TV made it look like a lower cadence.