It’s a windy ride and you’re getting tired and you’d like to draft behind another rider. There is an advantage to drafting, about 20-30% more power can be achieved. But it is also a risky practice. Some of the most common accidents are from drafting and overlapping. You must be comfortable in the speed and distance that you follow someone. You need to know how to calculate your position behind the rider in front to gain the most power for the least risk.
If the wind is coming from straight ahead, position yourself directly behind the rider in front. If the wind is out of your left, position yourself to the right of the front rider. And for a wind out of the right side, position yourself to the left. The problem comes when the wind shifts and the rider will adjust his position for the best advantage. If your front wheel moves beside his back wheel and he makes a sudden move, his wheel may touch your bike and chances are that you will go down. He may not even know this happened. This is called overlapping and is always risky.
Always paying attention is critical. If the driver in front wants to stand, slow, drink, turn, stop or swerve, you must react quickly. The front rider may use verbal or hand signals that you should agree to in the beginning. It doesn’t have to be a lengthy discussion, but it is necessary to establish communication. This takes practice and experience. You also must trust the front rider. If there are potholes or debris, and you’re behind him, you may not see them. You must rely on him to warn you.
The following four videos will help illustrate the concepts mentioned in this article. The first video explains the science behind drafting. The second and third videos illustrate the dangers in overlapping. The fourth video is a good summary of the most common ways to crash your bike, one of which is overlapping (minute 6.19 of the 10.26 minute video). However watching the entire video is recommended. |
