In the middle of a peloton, racing cyclists experience only 5 to 10 percent of the air resistance they have when cycling alone. That is about 10 times less than was previously assumed. This is shown by calculations and wind tunnel research on a peloton of 121 cyclists by TU Eindhoven, KU Leuven, software company ANSYS and CRAY supercomputers. The results may explain why so few escapes in road cycle races are successful: the assumptions contained in the calculation models that race teams use to determine their strategy are incorrect.



It is well known that in the middle of a cycling peloton you ride 'out of the wind' and therefore experience less air resistance. But how much less has never been well researched. From previous research with small groups of riders, estimates have been made of 50 to 70 percent of the air resistance that you experience as an individual rider. But professional riders suggest that in a peloton you 'sometimes hardly have to pedal', so the air resistance must be much lower.