I’m not sure which forum this belongs in, so please move as appropriate.
I don’t watch much sport, the sport I do watch, I watch because my friends watch it and I like to drink beer with my friends.
I was in a bar, waiting for a friend to come, and was idly watching some cycling race, live. Two things interested me.
The race leaders, about 6 of them, were well ahead of the pelaton, about 100m I’d guess. Three were from one team (black) and the rest were assorted colours. They rode in single file, very close to each other - but always single file.
However, occasionally the leader would swing out, and the 2nd would take the lead. The former leader would drift back until all were in line again. This happened many times, and regardless of the team - it it not like “team black” were dominating the lead.
So I have two questions:
- given the fairly poor aerodynamics of humans and bicycles, is the practice of riding single file (drafting, I believe is the term) significantly rewarding in that the lead rider experiences measurably more wind resistance than the person following?
I imagine that within the pelaton, the numbers of riders probably means that there is an advantage, albeit small. In fact, “team green” was following the same tactic but from within the pelaton. I can’t believe that there is much to be gained from tail-gating a single rider.
Assuming that I am wrong, and there is a decent amount to be gained by drafting,
- As the lead 6 were not on the same team, by taking turns to lead, and therefore presumably investing more effort by taking the lead, means that they were giving an advantage to the other teams. In the case where I was watching, because three leaders were from “team black” they took half of the lead time, which presumably helped their team
But the other team members up in front would be sacrificing their efforts and only really benefiting “team black” by taking the lead.
Why do this?
FWIW it seems to be a short race (50 to 60km) on hilly terrain if that makes a difference.