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What is Drafting in Cycling?

June 22, 2019 by Sarah Lauzé

Drafting in cycling is one of the many benefits to riding in a group. You can go faster than you would otherwise on your own with much less effort. You get the rush from the speed as well as the motivation from all the other riders around you.

Some riders do nothing but group rides where they consistently get to draft, while other riders ride on their own. In terms of what’s more fun; that’s your personal preference. However, getting to experience both can go a long way in making you a better cyclist.

What is Drafting in Cycling?

A group of cyclists will ride in a close line one behind the other, taking turns riding up front (pulling) before peeling off and latching onto the back. When you draft like this, by tucking in close behind another rider, you expend less energy, with up to 27 percent less wind resistance.

The Physical Benefits

You may think that all sitting on a wheel does for you is to allow you to pedal easier. While this is true under certain circumstances, such as sitting on a wheel for an endurance or easy ride, you can also ride much harder while drafting when the group is going full-tilt. You will have more periods of time where you are soft pedaling or coasting, but that will then be followed with pedaling harder than you otherwise would.

If you have a power meter, your power profile will look like your heart beat profile; spiky up followed by spiky down. If you have been riding on your own a lot and then hit up a local group ride or race, you will be able to tell that your legs aren’t used to the high/low effort. In addition to the spiky profile, you will also most likely be spinning at a higher cadence.

The more you ride in a group the more your muscles are going to get used to this type of riding. In addition to getting used to it, you are also going to generate more speed in your legs. You legs will simply be used to pedaling faster. When riding on your own, this translates to faster speeds. Your muscles adapt to the load that they’re placed under. If you ride at a steady effort all day, then your legs will get really good at that but when you try and go harder, your legs aren’t used to the effort and can’t do it again and again. Building the muscle fibers to be able to handle the up and down efforts will help your cycling all around.

The Psychological Benefits

Drafting in cycling on group rides or in races also plays tricks on your mind. Have you ever gone out and ridden on your own, perhaps to a group ride, and felt like you couldn’t push yourself? And then when you get on a group ride, you feel like superman or superwoman? This is because 90% of riding is mental.

Your brain tells your body what to do and your brain tells you how your legs feel. The other people in the group, along with the speed and rush, gives your brain an added jolt of adrenaline and epinephrine which gives you an extra edge along with feeling good mentally. This psychological switch when you’re riding in a group is very difficult to simulate on your own. Up-beat music can get you part way but riding with others will always bring out your best performance.

Should You Include Drafting in Cycling Training?

Because drafting in cycling has such a large psychological and psychological affect on your body, it is recommended that you incorporate it into your riding at least once a week and up to three times a week if you are really looking to excel in group rides and races. If you are training more seriously and doing intervals, they have an important place, but in-conjunction with group rides. You are going to push yourself harder and go deeper than you ever would be able to on your own during intervals regardless of how mentally tough you are. Simply when you start to get tired your body no longer wants to push as hard as it’s capable of but on a group ride you will make yourself go cross-eyed even when you’re past being kaput.

While riding on your own can improve metal toughness and the ability to push through on your own, riding in a group brings out what you never knew was there. Riding around other people in such close proximity at high, adrenaline inducing speeds, allows you to push harder than you ever thought possible. Taking advantage of training on your own while in conjunction with group rides at the right times, even if your particular event is done solo, can bring additional benefits to your training.

To Draft Or Not To Draft While Training For Triathlon

December 28, 2015 by Dyani Herrera

Have you ever finished a group ride with the thought “Wow! I just finished riding at X mph! I can’t believe I could ride that fast!” However, this thought is quickly overshadowed by the realization that you achieved this high speed by the draft in cycling while behind someone else throughout the ride. This leaves the question to draft or not to draft in your training for triathlons?

From the moment I picked up cycling I’ve always enjoyed training alone or with a partner, rather than participating frequently in group rides. Many times when I’m out on my rides I’ve watched cycling groups that contained roadies and triathletes. It made me ponder the topic of drafting while training, especially from a triathlete’s perspective where drafting is not legal in most races. Although there are some perks to drafting when in a group of similar fitness level, I firmly believe training without drafting is more beneficial in the world of triathlon. There are several advantages one may experience with this training philosophy that will aid in making you a better cyclist overall.

To Draft or Not to Draft – Train Like you Race

If you’re used to drafting as a triathlete and have little experience pulling yourself, you’ll face a rude awakening on race day when you have to maintain a legal distance between yourself and the cyclist in front of you. In non-drafting races it’s better to train learning how to pull so you can become used to different cycling situations that could alter your speed. When riding without drafting you’re forced to learn when to change gears, how to approach hilly terrain, and the elements. Training in this manner will also make you stronger physically because you’ve faced all the elements and terrain ALONE during training, pushing your body to adapt. Additionally, your leg muscles will adjust to pulling and thus, become more efficient as well as powerful.

Conversely, as a roadie who participates in draft-legal races, it is beneficial to have a few training sessions a week where you’re pulling the whole time. If you grow accustomed to riding by yourself and reap the aforementioned benefits, then it’ll make you that much stronger when drafting on race day. You’ll have an edge over the other cyclists who have trained only drafting in groups with intermittent pulling.

Making Adjustments

When you’re drafting behind others, you’re forced to follow whatever the riders ahead of you do with the added benefit of increased speed. In doing this, it hinders you from truly experiencing the elements of headwind, tailwind, extreme temperatures, etc. Each element and terrain calls for a specific adjustment in gears. When facing a headwind you learn to play with your gears, downshift, and switch to high cadence. In contrast, when experiencing a tailwind, you learn to shift into the big chain ring and take full advantage of the added help from nature. These changes also apply to riding on flat versus hilly terrain. You also learn which gear to use in each situation according to your fitness level rather than another riders. Through trial and error you can find the gear that allows you to stay at a high pace but not explode during a race. Essentially, finding that “sweet spot” in each of these situations can best be discovered when training alone or leading the pack. It will make you a more knowledgeable cyclist and build confidence in your riding skills instead of a false sense of ability.

Mental Toughness

One of my favorite elements of riding alone includes the benefit of building mental toughness. Facing all the challenges of the road solo enables you to build mental folders that you pull from when suffering during training sessions. You don’t have a partner yelling words of encouragement or pushing you beyond your limits, it’s only you and the pain just as it would be on race day. These sessions aid in building confidence and positive self-talk which are vital to success. They also force you to be accountable for reaching your own goals within that training session. These are the sessions that help you realize all the success you aspire for is within you, and not dependent on anyone else, therefore a stronger work ethic is created as well. Consequently, you slowly begin to prove all those negative thoughts wrong that trick you into thinking you can’t achieve this goal. As a result, you’re faced with a level of strength you likely didn’t realize you possessed.

So to answer the question, to draft or not to draft in training for triathlons; each of us have different goals we’d like to achieve within the cycling. We can use strategies, advice, and tactics from others to become a stronger, overall cyclist. I don’t believe there is only one right way to train. Each type of training serves their purpose and yields a particular advantage. It is crucial to incorporate a variety of training sessions to your program.

Tips For Biking In Large Groups

September 18, 2015 by U.M.

Biking alone is actually much easier than biking in a large group. The tips in this article will list some general rules for biking in large groups for fun and not as a race. Group rides and races are two separate events and require two sets of skills. Keeping that in mind, here are some tips for biking in large groups.

1. Do Not Start A Race

When you begin riding, do not try to muscle your way into a position. Group rides are not the time to strain your muscles and show your strength. You’ll more than likely cause a wreck or make someone upset. Here you are trying to create friends, not enemies.

2. Bar-To-Bar Alignment

The safest formation for a group ride is by pairs (also known as a double paceline). Each pair should line up their handlebars and maintain a speed that is comfortable for the both of them. Pairs that will not tire easily should stay in the front of the group.

3. Moving To A Back Position

If you or your partner start to feel tired, the best thing you can do is move to the back of the pack. This will keep you from slowing down the riders behind you and getting in their way. The best way to accomplish this movement is for the both of you to ease to the side. The riders behind you will ride forward in-between you. You and your partner should then slow your speed and come together again where there is ample room. If you think you’ll have to be careful to get into a space, assume the space is too cramped and dangerous to try to move into. Always err on the side of caution in order to avoid accidents.

4. Being Second Is Equally Important As First

If the front pair moves to the back you have to be prepared to lead the group. If you don’t think you can handle this physically, keep to the middle and back of the pack. You can maintain your position by letting others have the right of way and rejoin the group in front of you.

5. No Gaps!

Good riding formation does not allow for any gaps. Don’t ride tire to tire but don’t leave glaring holes either. If you spot a gap, ease up to fill it. Try not to change your pedaling speed too much as you can throw off the balance of the group.

6. No Sudden Movements

The worst thing you can do when biking in large groups is to make a sudden move or turn. Also, never suddenly change your speed or slam on your brakes. When moving positions, filling in gaps, or steering to avoid road damage and obstructions, always move gradually. This will give the person behind you time to notice and react to your movements.

This tip also requires that you pay close attention to what’s going on around you. Look ahead in the road, follow the movement of the person in front of you but look well ahead of them to see upcoming obstacles, and do not wear headphones in case you need to hear someone shouting a sudden warning.

7. How To Signal

Except in an emergency, group cycling etiquette calls for hand signals over verbal signals. This is because a shout can be easily missed but to someone paying attention, a hand signal is mostly unavoidable. Signals should be simple and agreed upon by all riders before the group starts out.

8. Obstacles

If you’re in the front, your primary responsibility is to spot trouble coming your way. As a rule, if you don’t think the obstacle can cause damage to the people and bikes behind you, don’t bother pointing it out. If the obstacle isn’t immediately in front and can’t be hit when people change positions, don’t bother with it either. Basically, keep an eye out but don’t be annoying.

Biking in large groups requires some practice. If you’re nervous, stick to the back of the pack and really watch the people around you and how they maneuver. Just keep going, keep calm, pay attention to your group and surroundings, and, most importantly, enjoy yourself!