(motor running)
- Riding on the wheel, or sitting behind others,
to get the benefit from drafting
is a crucial skill if you want to learn
how to ride with other cyclists.
So, here's how to do it.
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- Sitting on the wheel, sitting in, sat on, drafting,
giving a tow, are just a few of the various names
given to this crucial skill.
By sitting behind another rider,
you'll save around 30 to 40 percent of the energy
that you would use when riding on the front.
And this saving will help you get somewhere
faster and easier, or over longer distances,
it'll help you to ride even further.
Learning this skill will also make your riding
far more enjoyable, as it will enable you
to ride with bigger groups of riders effectively
and with confidence.
It can take a little bit of time
to get relaxed and comfortable
when riding close to the wheel of the rider in front,
and the best way to do this is to practice
as much as possible.
Now, to learn this basic but really important skill,
all you need at first is one other rider.
You don't need a big group.
- Yes, start by riding around half a wheel
behind the rider in front of you.
This is going to allow you the time and space
to adjust for anything like changes in speed or direction.
If you've never done this before,
you're going to immediately feel the difference in effort
and the benefit compared to if you were riding
at the same speed on the front of the group.
As you gain confidence, you're going to feel more at ease
riding closer and closer to the wheel in front.
(peppy music)
- When riding on the wheel, don't constantly stare
at the wheel directly in front of you.
Make sure you're looking up and around,
scanning the road for any hazards
or changes in direction.
Just looking at the wheel in front
can be quite dangerous, so don't let this become a habit.
- Occasionally, it is okay to check the distance
between your front wheel and the wheel in front,
but the objective here is to develop
some sort of cyclist's sixth sense
as to how close you are, and of course,
this is an ability you will hone over time
and with practice.
- [Biker 1] Try not to use your brakes suddenly
when reacting to speed changes, or changes of direction.
Instead, try to feather them gently
to shave off the speed gradually.
As your confidence grows and your skill develops,
this way of reacting will become
increasingly more natural to you.
(peppy music)
- The direction of the wind should determine
where you position yourself behind the rider in front.
If you get this right, you'll maximise your energy savings
whilst riding on the wheel.
This is especially important if you're sharing
the workload with another rider.
- So, if the wind is coming directly from the front,
a headwind, then you need to position yourself
directly behind the rider in front of you.
Now, if the wind should come from the left,
then you need to move over and position yourself
from the right, to give you shelter from the wind there,
and conversely, if the wind is coming
from the right hand side, you need to move over
and shelter yourself from the left.
Now this can take a while to master
and to build your confidence, and our advice
is to not get too close to the wheel in front
where you end up overlapping,
cause that can be a little bit dangerous.
(peppy music)
- Stopping distances.
- Yep.
- These are increased considerably on wet roads
and descents, so you need to make sure
that you drop back off the wheel in front
by a bike length or two, and that will give you
the space and time to brake safely
without crashing into the rider in front.
- In these situations, make sure that your brakes
are covered in readiness, so either on the drops,
or on the hoods.
- There are also some important things
to be mindful of when it's your turn
to ride on the front and you have someone on your wheel.
So, no sudden braking.
Insure you point out objects in the road,
like potholes, and when transitioning
from riding in the saddle to out of the saddle,
do this in a gradual, non-jerky way.
A common mistake here is that the bike
is thrown backwards and comes into contact
with the wheel behind.
Get these skills dialled, and you won't look back.
- Don't look back too much, cause you might hit
the wheel in front.
- That's a good tip actually, Tom, well said.
Anyway, for your one stop shop for all things cycling,
how about clicking on the globe, it's absolutely free.
- And, if you'd like to see a tutorial video
on another essential cycling skill, climbing,
click right there.
- Or, for the opposite of climbing, that's descending,
click just down here.
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