Drafting vs the open road

[screenman]

I enjoy company and have no problems with group or chain gang rides, but I did have a good teacher back in 1970.

 

[vickster]

I don't like cycling close to anyone or having anyone riding close to me. I'm not especially bothered about my pace or anyone else's

I also don't want to be close enough to be able to hear or see someone hoiking a snot rocket

 

[screenman]

I should add that I start most rides solo but often meet a complete stranger on a bike and enjoy a few miles together, if they want too that is.

 

[Broadside]

90%+ of my riding is solo but I love a good chain gang with experienced and predictable riders. With inexperienced people it is an accident waiting to happen in which case I will dip out.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I was a club rider for about 25 years, liked the company and was OK with riding in a group. But as time went on I stopped enjoying it and did more and more solo rides. These days I haven't got the pace to stay with a fast moving group and much prefer to ride solo, though once in a while I may join a slower moving group, my old club has a beginners group, moves at an average around 13 mph, and if I'm stopping at a cafe they're using I'll sometimes ride back with them.

 

[stephec]

Solitary cyclist here too, even been known to stop to light a roll-up if someone is drafting me.

It'd be impressive if you sat up, rolled the spiff, then offered it behind whilst nonchalantly whistling away.

 

[raleighnut]

It'd be impressive if you sat up, rolled the spiff, then offered it behind whilst nonchalantly whistling away.

I tend to roll those before I leave home, it ain't too bad dropping a bit of baccy in the gutter but I would hate to lose a bit of ganga.

 

[Tin Pot]

@Heisenberg71 thread made me realise: I hate chain gangs.

I famously didn't complete LEL2013. That's a 1400km ride, where I got through 1100 (ok, 1164) km before running out of time. I mostly rode it on my own, or in a small ever-changing pack. Very little drafting. At one stage I got "drafted" into a chain gang, where I was somewhere in the middle. I couldn't wait to get out. It's too long ago to remember the details, but I doubt I stuck with it for even an hour. I just hated being boxed in like that. Someone told me something was a bit iffy with my kit (mudguard, maybe? That thing was rattling like a mothafuka) and I used it as an excuse to leave the group. If I could stick with chain gangs, maybe I would have finished.

But I love cycling. The freedom, the wind in my hair. The changing landscape on long rides. The details you never see from a car.

But in a bunch? Staring at someone's arse, concentrating on keeping your line, setting your pace based on keeping the group together rather than your needs/feelings/wants at the moment. It's the antithesis of what I love about cycling.

Opinions? The pack works for a lot of people, it is essential in some events. Happy to hear from the drafters. Happy to hear from the people who would rather blaze their own .... no, not trail .... jetstream.

No, not a fan - hence my preference for tt, triathlon and solo rides.

There is one exception. After hours of riding, having a lady cut in front of me does perk my effort up a bit and distract me from the pain.

 

[Dogtrousers]

The usefulness of drafting goes up with speed. Possibly exponentially or something like that, which is why it has such a big effect on racers but, as @Pale Rider says, less so at normal mortal speeds. (Unless of course the wind is in your face and your overall speed relative to the surrounding air is increased.)

I'm probably way wrong here, as this is an uninformed guess, but I'd guess that less than about ~30kmh/~20mph the advantage is pretty slight - apart from the not insignificant psychological effect.

This is why I've never ridden any distance in a "chaingang" I just don't go fast enough. I've ridden in groups, and I've ridden close-ish to people's wheels, as they have to mine, but at 20-odd km/h I don't think this is likely to really count as drafting.

Sometimes, when out with a friend who is a competitive duathlete and a very strong cyclist I've actually been on his wheel at speeds over 35km/h and noticed a difference. It made an exciting change. I've also discovered the advantage of drafting on the Saturday morning charge over the Graveny Marshes at similar speeds, but these are rare and occasional diversions, and they involve additional effort to get up to the useful speed. More effort than I normally like to expend.

So in answer to the OP, drafting can be fun. But I don't do it very often.

Riding into a headwind is a different matter, as the break-even speed for drafting comes down dramatically.

 

[bonsaibilly]

@Heisenberg71 thread made me realise: I hate chain gangs.

I famously didn't complete LEL2013. That's a 1400km ride, where I got through 1100 (ok, 1164) km before running out of time. I mostly rode it on my own, or in a small ever-changing pack. Very little drafting. At one stage I got "drafted" into a chain gang, where I was somewhere in the middle. I couldn't wait to get out. It's too long ago to remember the details, but I doubt I stuck with it for even an hour. I just hated being boxed in like that. Someone told me something was a bit iffy with my kit (mudguard, maybe? That thing was rattling like a mothafuka) and I used it as an excuse to leave the group. If I could stick with chain gangs, maybe I would have finished.

But I love cycling. The freedom, the wind in my hair. The changing landscape on long rides. The details you never see from a car.

But in a bunch? Staring at someone's arse, concentrating on keeping your line, setting your pace based on keeping the group together rather than your needs/feelings/wants at the moment. It's the antithesis of what I love about cycling.

Opinions? The pack works for a lot of people, it is essential in some events. Happy to hear from the drafters. Happy to hear from the people who would rather blaze their own .... no, not trail .... jetstream.

I guess the whole discipline and focus and matching your riding to the close group you're in is an attractive skill/type of riding for plenty of people. Me, I'm one of those open-road, freedom-to-choose types.

BB

 

[User482]

I like both. A solo exploring the lanes over the Mendips was a fine way to spend last Sunday afternoon, but the week before I spent two hours doing this:

Which was a total riot. Until my legs gave up, anyway.

 

[Globalti]

I enjoy a close draft when I'm on the road track or out for the Wednesday night hooligan ride with my son and my buddy; the last mile home is flat and usually turns into a mad sprint for the end of my buddy's street.

I've been out with a local club a couple of times and disliked the constant acceleration and braking as the line springs apart then closes. I also disliked the aggression shown by a couple of club members towards drivers.

Otherwise I'm happy to pootle alone, stopping where I feel like it.

 

[Markymark]

One the one hand it does save a bit of energy. On the other hand, I dislike being around tree-hugging-hippy-cyclists so stay away form them.

 

[Milkfloat]

One the one hand it does save a bit of energy. On the other hand, I dislike being around tree-hugging-hippy-cyclists so stay away form them.

iPhone 7 broken? Your autocorrect seems to be on the blink.

 

[Fab Foodie]

But in a bunch? Staring at someone's arse ....

On reflection, we used to chaingang around Didcot ... staring at someone's arse was better than the scenery ....