Road Cycling Tips

Drafting or slipstreaming is a technique in cycling where riders ride closely behind one another in order to reduce the overall effect of drag. Especially when riding in high speeds, drafting can drastically reduce the energy expenditure required to maintain a certain speed.

A large main group of such tightly packed cyclists in a race is called a peloton, while cyclists riding in straight-line formation, each drafting behind the one in front of him, is called a paceline.

Drafting can be used among competitors in a cooperative manner, in which several competitors take turns in the lead position. Or, it can be used by a rider for his own advantage by staying closely behind a non-drafting competitor, preserving him energy to perform an attack later on.