6 Tips To Become An Expert At Drafting | Cycling Skills

Drafting is key! Super helpful on getting the hang of drafting!

first

Great tips and well demonstrated 👍

Thanks Conor and Manon, great help as always, and fun to watch

One of the best training tools is car traffic. You can practice drafting off of busses and trucks at higher speeds with a bigger assist so you can focus on skills, not the physical effort.

But... can i save 30% or more on my car insurance 🤔

Thanks Conor , Manon , and crew....how about "Dafting".....like Hank's river crossing , Ollie on the aquacycle ??? Eh?

The two most important things when riding in a pace line:
1. maintain a constant speed.
2. maintain a straight line. Don't wobble, don't drift.

It hasn't helped, im still rubbish at it🙈 Was that hank crashing and burning on that video?

Peak ahead for hazards

behind Conor I could save 80% of my energy because he is a wall big wall and behind Manon I would use 100% of my energy ... no save energy ...

Surprised Conor didn't mention braking. Hugely important if you're heavier and carry more momentum than the person you're following.

Connor = you are spot on - nothing quite like the experience of a rider breaking wind directly in front of you!

In the first half minute of the video, they are riding way too far apart. Once you know what you are doing, six inches should be enough (15cm).
Because of disc brakes, you can't notice the rear caliper of the rider in front of you move. Riders use their rear brakes to feather their speed. (minor adjustments) This made it very easy to follow someone with rim brakes, closely.

And never forget, don't break wind when you're breaking the wind

Connor looks like a giraffe on the bike 🤣😜

I ride solo and on the rare occasions with others well spaced apart, didn't realise there was so much cheating even at amateur level...so when you say you can average 40km/h that's hiding behind a load of other people(stuffing your face with gels and bars) doing the actual work....in reality you're lucky to do 28km/h?? Better off on the Kickr if all you see is someone else's wheels and arse all day and are constantly on alert to avoid a crash...that's a pothole OTB waiting to happen 😂

that said manon, dont spend too much time behind someone who breaks wind...

I'm an expert at drafting. Been doing it for a long time. No one has heard from me for years!

Breaking the wind for you tee hee

I caught up to an e-bike the other day riding solo. I could have passed him, but I stayed with him because I knew I could use his draft on the uphill ahead.
We chatted at the intersection at the top of the hill, he was cool with me taking a lift.

I’m embarrassed how many times I giggled when they kept mentioning breaking wind when following a riders wheel 😂

Learn to pick up on the rhythm of the group. For example, if everybody is taking a 30 second turn on the front try to do the same. Used to get riders who weren't used to riding in a group get to the front and start slogging for 2 or 3 minutes. That of course slowed the group and caused issues further back. Not to mention severe verbal abuse at the offending rider.

The moment young me realized the effect of drafting, I was riding in Calgary, got passed by one of the Stampeders linebackers (our pro football team) doing his cardio: he was a professional athlete on a road bike, I was a high schooler on a mountain bike, there should have been no way for me to keep up, but I tucked in behind him and got a free ride for 2 or 3km before he pulled away.

Manon looks great on that Orbea. Perfect fit and position

What type of communication do you use, vocal or hand signals?

Good tips but nothing beats a tractor and hay trailer.

Were you guys having a competition to see who could get in the most "breaking wind's"?!? 🤣

Manon and Conner are a great combo for this vibe of instructional video.

Try to find riders who ride steady and straight...nothing is worse than wild rider in a pace line...or one that ramps up the pace every time they hit the front.

Are there any tech solutions to help the one on the front keep the group together, rear light radar, head unit? I’m luckily enough to have done some big rides recently and arguably thanks to your inspiration able to be at the front of the group and be that supportive wind break, but those behind perhaps don’t want to call out if one is pacing away, also it is not always possible and it is tiring to be constantly looking over one’s shoulders. Maybe one for 5heTech Show?

Look through to the fork of the rider in front of you.

What’s the forewarning for getting out of the saddle? Never seen that signal before? Learner😮

While drafting, think on every pedal stroke, and also offset with cross winds.

You say the drafter gets the benefit “for free”, but that’s actually not true. The presence of another rider in the low pressure “bubble” reduces the energy needed to maintain said bubble; this results in a small benefit to the lead rider as well.

In the real world, the several watts saved by the leader pales in comparison to the several tens of watts saved by the follower and may easily be lost in the noise of other inefficiencies, but it is statistically significant.

How do you signal that you’re going to off saddle on your bike while leading the peloton. Is there a universaly known signal?
Also shout out to Central Roadies Singapore🎉🎉🎉

Can’t understand why everyone wants to ride behind me? 196cm tall 🤣

add some tips on drafting in crosswinds

I shave to make it easier to bandage road rash. Doesn't happen often but handy when it does. Usually Mtb rides not road.

I grew up riding from one end of Houston to the other at 35-45mph behind dump trucks, cement trucks, or buses. My fastest speeds on bicycle are 58mph on a descent but 65mph behind a truck.

Most people at the front are so focus on the effort that they forget to point the incoming dangers of the road. Please dont be that guy

Did you learn anything new about drafting from this video? 🤔