Is there any benefit to riders on the front of a paceline?Does drafting cause resistance to the lead rider?Does drafting cause resistance to the lead rider?What are the most significant factors affecting downhill cruising speed?Does group riding negate the aero benefit of deep rim wheels?Riding into a headwind faster than my top speed - how is it possible?Can it be estimated when it would actually be beneficial to increase drag in tailwind?How does hub diameter affect aerodynamics?What position of saddle is best?What's the best way to shield a rider from the wind in a group (most aero position in the group)?Why aren't road bicycle wheels tiny?

Why are some files not movable on Windows 10?

Why is my fire extinguisher emptied after one use?

What organs or modifications would be needed for a life biological creature not to require sleep?

Output a Super Mario Image

How do we know that black holes are spinning?

Why don't Wizards use wrist straps to protect against disarming charms?

Python web-scraper to download table of transistor counts from Wikipedia

What is this gigantic dish at Ben Gurion airport?

Why is the year in this ISO timestamp not 2019?

Why does the speed of sound decrease at high altitudes although the air density decreases?

I was promised a work PC but still awaiting approval 3 months later so using my own laptop - Is it fair to ask employer for laptop insurance?

Can a character with good/neutral alignment attune to a sentient object with evil alignment?

Has SHA256 been broken by Treadwell Stanton DuPont?

In what state are satellites left in when they are left in a graveyard orbit?

80s sci fi film with line "Paris? Bye bye!"

Make 1998 using the least possible digits 8

If I want an interpretable model, are there methods other than Linear Regression?

Which is the current decimal separator?

A Mainer Expression

Why is the Digital 0 not 0V in computer systems?

Parallel resistance in electric circuits

What do the French say for “Oh, you shouldn’t have”?

How much would a 1 foot tall human weigh?

What makes a smart phone "kosher"?



Is there any benefit to riders on the front of a paceline?


Does drafting cause resistance to the lead rider?Does drafting cause resistance to the lead rider?What are the most significant factors affecting downhill cruising speed?Does group riding negate the aero benefit of deep rim wheels?Riding into a headwind faster than my top speed - how is it possible?Can it be estimated when it would actually be beneficial to increase drag in tailwind?How does hub diameter affect aerodynamics?What position of saddle is best?What's the best way to shield a rider from the wind in a group (most aero position in the group)?Why aren't road bicycle wheels tiny?






.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;








2















You can save a lot on air resistance by drafting a rider closely, i.e. riding close to their rear wheel.



What about the rider in front? Is there a benefit, a loss, or is there no difference?



Edit - is there any way or position ensuring front cannot feel any energy loss while you enjoy resting behind or speedup ?










share|improve this question


























  • Yes, I've heard/read that the front biker has some benefit too. Can't explain it properly, so I'll let others do that ;-)

    – Terry Seidler
    9 hours ago






  • 2





    Sorry found it is a duplicate while looking if tag match question here is very similar one bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/10069/…

    – Tom
    8 hours ago











  • Strange is 2nd can fill 1st's gap sucking him back, but in practice you can see hard pedalling front and you may even not pedal at all sometimes having a bit better bike, so you feel you are pulled front by his gap ;-)

    – Tom
    8 hours ago












  • Possible duplicate of Does drafting cause resistance to the lead rider?

    – R. Chung
    7 hours ago

















2















You can save a lot on air resistance by drafting a rider closely, i.e. riding close to their rear wheel.



What about the rider in front? Is there a benefit, a loss, or is there no difference?



Edit - is there any way or position ensuring front cannot feel any energy loss while you enjoy resting behind or speedup ?










share|improve this question


























  • Yes, I've heard/read that the front biker has some benefit too. Can't explain it properly, so I'll let others do that ;-)

    – Terry Seidler
    9 hours ago






  • 2





    Sorry found it is a duplicate while looking if tag match question here is very similar one bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/10069/…

    – Tom
    8 hours ago











  • Strange is 2nd can fill 1st's gap sucking him back, but in practice you can see hard pedalling front and you may even not pedal at all sometimes having a bit better bike, so you feel you are pulled front by his gap ;-)

    – Tom
    8 hours ago












  • Possible duplicate of Does drafting cause resistance to the lead rider?

    – R. Chung
    7 hours ago













2












2








2








You can save a lot on air resistance by drafting a rider closely, i.e. riding close to their rear wheel.



What about the rider in front? Is there a benefit, a loss, or is there no difference?



Edit - is there any way or position ensuring front cannot feel any energy loss while you enjoy resting behind or speedup ?










share|improve this question
















You can save a lot on air resistance by drafting a rider closely, i.e. riding close to their rear wheel.



What about the rider in front? Is there a benefit, a loss, or is there no difference?



Edit - is there any way or position ensuring front cannot feel any energy loss while you enjoy resting behind or speedup ?







aerodynamics






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 10 mins ago







Tom

















asked 9 hours ago









TomTom

13210 bronze badges




13210 bronze badges















  • Yes, I've heard/read that the front biker has some benefit too. Can't explain it properly, so I'll let others do that ;-)

    – Terry Seidler
    9 hours ago






  • 2





    Sorry found it is a duplicate while looking if tag match question here is very similar one bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/10069/…

    – Tom
    8 hours ago











  • Strange is 2nd can fill 1st's gap sucking him back, but in practice you can see hard pedalling front and you may even not pedal at all sometimes having a bit better bike, so you feel you are pulled front by his gap ;-)

    – Tom
    8 hours ago












  • Possible duplicate of Does drafting cause resistance to the lead rider?

    – R. Chung
    7 hours ago

















  • Yes, I've heard/read that the front biker has some benefit too. Can't explain it properly, so I'll let others do that ;-)

    – Terry Seidler
    9 hours ago






  • 2





    Sorry found it is a duplicate while looking if tag match question here is very similar one bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/10069/…

    – Tom
    8 hours ago











  • Strange is 2nd can fill 1st's gap sucking him back, but in practice you can see hard pedalling front and you may even not pedal at all sometimes having a bit better bike, so you feel you are pulled front by his gap ;-)

    – Tom
    8 hours ago












  • Possible duplicate of Does drafting cause resistance to the lead rider?

    – R. Chung
    7 hours ago
















Yes, I've heard/read that the front biker has some benefit too. Can't explain it properly, so I'll let others do that ;-)

– Terry Seidler
9 hours ago





Yes, I've heard/read that the front biker has some benefit too. Can't explain it properly, so I'll let others do that ;-)

– Terry Seidler
9 hours ago




2




2





Sorry found it is a duplicate while looking if tag match question here is very similar one bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/10069/…

– Tom
8 hours ago





Sorry found it is a duplicate while looking if tag match question here is very similar one bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/10069/…

– Tom
8 hours ago













Strange is 2nd can fill 1st's gap sucking him back, but in practice you can see hard pedalling front and you may even not pedal at all sometimes having a bit better bike, so you feel you are pulled front by his gap ;-)

– Tom
8 hours ago






Strange is 2nd can fill 1st's gap sucking him back, but in practice you can see hard pedalling front and you may even not pedal at all sometimes having a bit better bike, so you feel you are pulled front by his gap ;-)

– Tom
8 hours ago














Possible duplicate of Does drafting cause resistance to the lead rider?

– R. Chung
7 hours ago





Possible duplicate of Does drafting cause resistance to the lead rider?

– R. Chung
7 hours ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















4
















Yes, it's small but real. Aerodynamic drag in cycling pelotons: New insights by CFD simulation and wind tunnel testing Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics
Volume 179, August 2018 is an interesting paper on the subject, with both theory and experiment. The introduction is a nice summary of previous work, including simpler cases, but many of those papers are inacessible without a university login, unlike the one I've linked.



Figure 9 and Section 3.8 are most of interest, especially Fig. 9b which indicates that a reduction in drag of 4% on the lead rider is possible. Figure 22a shows a simulation leading to an even greater reduction in drag for the front rider.



You can see from the figures in the paper that behind a single rider there's a low-pressure region. You can regard this as sucking the rider backwards. By partially filling this low pressure region with another rider, its effect is reduced.






share|improve this answer



























  • In a seminar presentation 3 years ago Bert Blocken said that on a time trial just pushing a rider by a following car could make several seconds. But I didn't the latest paper.

    – Vladimir F
    8 hours ago












  • @VladimirF that's certainly possible, but I wouldn't like to try the experiment. The car would have to be much too close for the driver to react to any problems

    – Chris H
    8 hours ago











  • No, he was speaking about a normal TV or support car if allowed too close (say 10 meters). Edit: It has been published. urbanphysics.net/2015_JWEIA__BB_YT__Car_Cyclist.pdf

    – Vladimir F
    8 hours ago







  • 1





    @VladimirF that's still too close for the driver to stop or even slow down much if the cyclist has a problem, given the speeds involved. The paper discusses speeds of 15m/s and separations of 3, 5 and 10m, so the bike and car are 0.2--0.67s apart. That's less than the reaction time of most drivers, even taking into account that the driver of a TV car should be concentrating and trained. And official race cars /motorbikes have hit and killed pro cyclists in recent years.

    – Chris H
    8 hours ago


















2
















I see you're thinking of aerodynamics, but there are other advantages too.



Race-craft, or more specifically Control. If you have a team in the bunch, you can work together to control the whole group. You're in the optimal position to get on the wheel of any break-away attempt and haul it back in. Likewise, you can be in position to "block" any attempt to follow a breakaway rider, if that fits your overall tactics for this race



Even individual riders can control a bunch or paceline from the front, by edging up the average speed and attempt to stress or tire-out other riders.



View as front rider you have a lot more awareness of what's coming up. There's no other bike/rider in front of you to block your view of the road, so you can prepare for changes. It would be very nasty tactics to just skim the edge of a pothole or gravel patch and hope following riders plough into it potentially wiping out competition. Related - if you're further back there's more chance of getting caught in or behind an accident, which adds delay and allows breakaways a chance to gain ground.



Motivation is increased - I know my segment times are improved when I'm being chased/followed by other riders, or by vehicles.



Advertising minor but by being visible, any sponsor logos are also more visible. Any team gets a credibility boost when they control the race from the front.






share|improve this answer

























  • But heard will not drag you, seen funny cyclists trying to win air "race" in any case, etc. Just wanted to be sure I am not using their efforts or power resting behind...

    – Tom
    16 mins ago














Your Answer








StackExchange.ready(function()
var channelOptions =
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "126"
;
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
createEditor();
);

else
createEditor();

);

function createEditor()
StackExchange.prepareEditor(
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader:
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"u003ecc by-sa 4.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
,
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
);



);














draft saved

draft discarded
















StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fbicycles.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f64238%2fis-there-any-benefit-to-riders-on-the-front-of-a-paceline%23new-answer', 'question_page');

);

Post as a guest















Required, but never shown

























2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes








2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









4
















Yes, it's small but real. Aerodynamic drag in cycling pelotons: New insights by CFD simulation and wind tunnel testing Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics
Volume 179, August 2018 is an interesting paper on the subject, with both theory and experiment. The introduction is a nice summary of previous work, including simpler cases, but many of those papers are inacessible without a university login, unlike the one I've linked.



Figure 9 and Section 3.8 are most of interest, especially Fig. 9b which indicates that a reduction in drag of 4% on the lead rider is possible. Figure 22a shows a simulation leading to an even greater reduction in drag for the front rider.



You can see from the figures in the paper that behind a single rider there's a low-pressure region. You can regard this as sucking the rider backwards. By partially filling this low pressure region with another rider, its effect is reduced.






share|improve this answer



























  • In a seminar presentation 3 years ago Bert Blocken said that on a time trial just pushing a rider by a following car could make several seconds. But I didn't the latest paper.

    – Vladimir F
    8 hours ago












  • @VladimirF that's certainly possible, but I wouldn't like to try the experiment. The car would have to be much too close for the driver to react to any problems

    – Chris H
    8 hours ago











  • No, he was speaking about a normal TV or support car if allowed too close (say 10 meters). Edit: It has been published. urbanphysics.net/2015_JWEIA__BB_YT__Car_Cyclist.pdf

    – Vladimir F
    8 hours ago







  • 1





    @VladimirF that's still too close for the driver to stop or even slow down much if the cyclist has a problem, given the speeds involved. The paper discusses speeds of 15m/s and separations of 3, 5 and 10m, so the bike and car are 0.2--0.67s apart. That's less than the reaction time of most drivers, even taking into account that the driver of a TV car should be concentrating and trained. And official race cars /motorbikes have hit and killed pro cyclists in recent years.

    – Chris H
    8 hours ago















4
















Yes, it's small but real. Aerodynamic drag in cycling pelotons: New insights by CFD simulation and wind tunnel testing Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics
Volume 179, August 2018 is an interesting paper on the subject, with both theory and experiment. The introduction is a nice summary of previous work, including simpler cases, but many of those papers are inacessible without a university login, unlike the one I've linked.



Figure 9 and Section 3.8 are most of interest, especially Fig. 9b which indicates that a reduction in drag of 4% on the lead rider is possible. Figure 22a shows a simulation leading to an even greater reduction in drag for the front rider.



You can see from the figures in the paper that behind a single rider there's a low-pressure region. You can regard this as sucking the rider backwards. By partially filling this low pressure region with another rider, its effect is reduced.






share|improve this answer



























  • In a seminar presentation 3 years ago Bert Blocken said that on a time trial just pushing a rider by a following car could make several seconds. But I didn't the latest paper.

    – Vladimir F
    8 hours ago












  • @VladimirF that's certainly possible, but I wouldn't like to try the experiment. The car would have to be much too close for the driver to react to any problems

    – Chris H
    8 hours ago











  • No, he was speaking about a normal TV or support car if allowed too close (say 10 meters). Edit: It has been published. urbanphysics.net/2015_JWEIA__BB_YT__Car_Cyclist.pdf

    – Vladimir F
    8 hours ago







  • 1





    @VladimirF that's still too close for the driver to stop or even slow down much if the cyclist has a problem, given the speeds involved. The paper discusses speeds of 15m/s and separations of 3, 5 and 10m, so the bike and car are 0.2--0.67s apart. That's less than the reaction time of most drivers, even taking into account that the driver of a TV car should be concentrating and trained. And official race cars /motorbikes have hit and killed pro cyclists in recent years.

    – Chris H
    8 hours ago













4














4










4









Yes, it's small but real. Aerodynamic drag in cycling pelotons: New insights by CFD simulation and wind tunnel testing Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics
Volume 179, August 2018 is an interesting paper on the subject, with both theory and experiment. The introduction is a nice summary of previous work, including simpler cases, but many of those papers are inacessible without a university login, unlike the one I've linked.



Figure 9 and Section 3.8 are most of interest, especially Fig. 9b which indicates that a reduction in drag of 4% on the lead rider is possible. Figure 22a shows a simulation leading to an even greater reduction in drag for the front rider.



You can see from the figures in the paper that behind a single rider there's a low-pressure region. You can regard this as sucking the rider backwards. By partially filling this low pressure region with another rider, its effect is reduced.






share|improve this answer















Yes, it's small but real. Aerodynamic drag in cycling pelotons: New insights by CFD simulation and wind tunnel testing Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics
Volume 179, August 2018 is an interesting paper on the subject, with both theory and experiment. The introduction is a nice summary of previous work, including simpler cases, but many of those papers are inacessible without a university login, unlike the one I've linked.



Figure 9 and Section 3.8 are most of interest, especially Fig. 9b which indicates that a reduction in drag of 4% on the lead rider is possible. Figure 22a shows a simulation leading to an even greater reduction in drag for the front rider.



You can see from the figures in the paper that behind a single rider there's a low-pressure region. You can regard this as sucking the rider backwards. By partially filling this low pressure region with another rider, its effect is reduced.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 8 hours ago

























answered 8 hours ago









Chris HChris H

27.4k1 gold badge42 silver badges125 bronze badges




27.4k1 gold badge42 silver badges125 bronze badges















  • In a seminar presentation 3 years ago Bert Blocken said that on a time trial just pushing a rider by a following car could make several seconds. But I didn't the latest paper.

    – Vladimir F
    8 hours ago












  • @VladimirF that's certainly possible, but I wouldn't like to try the experiment. The car would have to be much too close for the driver to react to any problems

    – Chris H
    8 hours ago











  • No, he was speaking about a normal TV or support car if allowed too close (say 10 meters). Edit: It has been published. urbanphysics.net/2015_JWEIA__BB_YT__Car_Cyclist.pdf

    – Vladimir F
    8 hours ago







  • 1





    @VladimirF that's still too close for the driver to stop or even slow down much if the cyclist has a problem, given the speeds involved. The paper discusses speeds of 15m/s and separations of 3, 5 and 10m, so the bike and car are 0.2--0.67s apart. That's less than the reaction time of most drivers, even taking into account that the driver of a TV car should be concentrating and trained. And official race cars /motorbikes have hit and killed pro cyclists in recent years.

    – Chris H
    8 hours ago

















  • In a seminar presentation 3 years ago Bert Blocken said that on a time trial just pushing a rider by a following car could make several seconds. But I didn't the latest paper.

    – Vladimir F
    8 hours ago












  • @VladimirF that's certainly possible, but I wouldn't like to try the experiment. The car would have to be much too close for the driver to react to any problems

    – Chris H
    8 hours ago











  • No, he was speaking about a normal TV or support car if allowed too close (say 10 meters). Edit: It has been published. urbanphysics.net/2015_JWEIA__BB_YT__Car_Cyclist.pdf

    – Vladimir F
    8 hours ago







  • 1





    @VladimirF that's still too close for the driver to stop or even slow down much if the cyclist has a problem, given the speeds involved. The paper discusses speeds of 15m/s and separations of 3, 5 and 10m, so the bike and car are 0.2--0.67s apart. That's less than the reaction time of most drivers, even taking into account that the driver of a TV car should be concentrating and trained. And official race cars /motorbikes have hit and killed pro cyclists in recent years.

    – Chris H
    8 hours ago
















In a seminar presentation 3 years ago Bert Blocken said that on a time trial just pushing a rider by a following car could make several seconds. But I didn't the latest paper.

– Vladimir F
8 hours ago






In a seminar presentation 3 years ago Bert Blocken said that on a time trial just pushing a rider by a following car could make several seconds. But I didn't the latest paper.

– Vladimir F
8 hours ago














@VladimirF that's certainly possible, but I wouldn't like to try the experiment. The car would have to be much too close for the driver to react to any problems

– Chris H
8 hours ago





@VladimirF that's certainly possible, but I wouldn't like to try the experiment. The car would have to be much too close for the driver to react to any problems

– Chris H
8 hours ago













No, he was speaking about a normal TV or support car if allowed too close (say 10 meters). Edit: It has been published. urbanphysics.net/2015_JWEIA__BB_YT__Car_Cyclist.pdf

– Vladimir F
8 hours ago






No, he was speaking about a normal TV or support car if allowed too close (say 10 meters). Edit: It has been published. urbanphysics.net/2015_JWEIA__BB_YT__Car_Cyclist.pdf

– Vladimir F
8 hours ago





1




1





@VladimirF that's still too close for the driver to stop or even slow down much if the cyclist has a problem, given the speeds involved. The paper discusses speeds of 15m/s and separations of 3, 5 and 10m, so the bike and car are 0.2--0.67s apart. That's less than the reaction time of most drivers, even taking into account that the driver of a TV car should be concentrating and trained. And official race cars /motorbikes have hit and killed pro cyclists in recent years.

– Chris H
8 hours ago





@VladimirF that's still too close for the driver to stop or even slow down much if the cyclist has a problem, given the speeds involved. The paper discusses speeds of 15m/s and separations of 3, 5 and 10m, so the bike and car are 0.2--0.67s apart. That's less than the reaction time of most drivers, even taking into account that the driver of a TV car should be concentrating and trained. And official race cars /motorbikes have hit and killed pro cyclists in recent years.

– Chris H
8 hours ago













2
















I see you're thinking of aerodynamics, but there are other advantages too.



Race-craft, or more specifically Control. If you have a team in the bunch, you can work together to control the whole group. You're in the optimal position to get on the wheel of any break-away attempt and haul it back in. Likewise, you can be in position to "block" any attempt to follow a breakaway rider, if that fits your overall tactics for this race



Even individual riders can control a bunch or paceline from the front, by edging up the average speed and attempt to stress or tire-out other riders.



View as front rider you have a lot more awareness of what's coming up. There's no other bike/rider in front of you to block your view of the road, so you can prepare for changes. It would be very nasty tactics to just skim the edge of a pothole or gravel patch and hope following riders plough into it potentially wiping out competition. Related - if you're further back there's more chance of getting caught in or behind an accident, which adds delay and allows breakaways a chance to gain ground.



Motivation is increased - I know my segment times are improved when I'm being chased/followed by other riders, or by vehicles.



Advertising minor but by being visible, any sponsor logos are also more visible. Any team gets a credibility boost when they control the race from the front.






share|improve this answer

























  • But heard will not drag you, seen funny cyclists trying to win air "race" in any case, etc. Just wanted to be sure I am not using their efforts or power resting behind...

    – Tom
    16 mins ago
















2
















I see you're thinking of aerodynamics, but there are other advantages too.



Race-craft, or more specifically Control. If you have a team in the bunch, you can work together to control the whole group. You're in the optimal position to get on the wheel of any break-away attempt and haul it back in. Likewise, you can be in position to "block" any attempt to follow a breakaway rider, if that fits your overall tactics for this race



Even individual riders can control a bunch or paceline from the front, by edging up the average speed and attempt to stress or tire-out other riders.



View as front rider you have a lot more awareness of what's coming up. There's no other bike/rider in front of you to block your view of the road, so you can prepare for changes. It would be very nasty tactics to just skim the edge of a pothole or gravel patch and hope following riders plough into it potentially wiping out competition. Related - if you're further back there's more chance of getting caught in or behind an accident, which adds delay and allows breakaways a chance to gain ground.



Motivation is increased - I know my segment times are improved when I'm being chased/followed by other riders, or by vehicles.



Advertising minor but by being visible, any sponsor logos are also more visible. Any team gets a credibility boost when they control the race from the front.






share|improve this answer

























  • But heard will not drag you, seen funny cyclists trying to win air "race" in any case, etc. Just wanted to be sure I am not using their efforts or power resting behind...

    – Tom
    16 mins ago














2














2










2









I see you're thinking of aerodynamics, but there are other advantages too.



Race-craft, or more specifically Control. If you have a team in the bunch, you can work together to control the whole group. You're in the optimal position to get on the wheel of any break-away attempt and haul it back in. Likewise, you can be in position to "block" any attempt to follow a breakaway rider, if that fits your overall tactics for this race



Even individual riders can control a bunch or paceline from the front, by edging up the average speed and attempt to stress or tire-out other riders.



View as front rider you have a lot more awareness of what's coming up. There's no other bike/rider in front of you to block your view of the road, so you can prepare for changes. It would be very nasty tactics to just skim the edge of a pothole or gravel patch and hope following riders plough into it potentially wiping out competition. Related - if you're further back there's more chance of getting caught in or behind an accident, which adds delay and allows breakaways a chance to gain ground.



Motivation is increased - I know my segment times are improved when I'm being chased/followed by other riders, or by vehicles.



Advertising minor but by being visible, any sponsor logos are also more visible. Any team gets a credibility boost when they control the race from the front.






share|improve this answer













I see you're thinking of aerodynamics, but there are other advantages too.



Race-craft, or more specifically Control. If you have a team in the bunch, you can work together to control the whole group. You're in the optimal position to get on the wheel of any break-away attempt and haul it back in. Likewise, you can be in position to "block" any attempt to follow a breakaway rider, if that fits your overall tactics for this race



Even individual riders can control a bunch or paceline from the front, by edging up the average speed and attempt to stress or tire-out other riders.



View as front rider you have a lot more awareness of what's coming up. There's no other bike/rider in front of you to block your view of the road, so you can prepare for changes. It would be very nasty tactics to just skim the edge of a pothole or gravel patch and hope following riders plough into it potentially wiping out competition. Related - if you're further back there's more chance of getting caught in or behind an accident, which adds delay and allows breakaways a chance to gain ground.



Motivation is increased - I know my segment times are improved when I'm being chased/followed by other riders, or by vehicles.



Advertising minor but by being visible, any sponsor logos are also more visible. Any team gets a credibility boost when they control the race from the front.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 5 hours ago









CriggieCriggie

49k5 gold badges83 silver badges167 bronze badges




49k5 gold badges83 silver badges167 bronze badges















  • But heard will not drag you, seen funny cyclists trying to win air "race" in any case, etc. Just wanted to be sure I am not using their efforts or power resting behind...

    – Tom
    16 mins ago


















  • But heard will not drag you, seen funny cyclists trying to win air "race" in any case, etc. Just wanted to be sure I am not using their efforts or power resting behind...

    – Tom
    16 mins ago

















But heard will not drag you, seen funny cyclists trying to win air "race" in any case, etc. Just wanted to be sure I am not using their efforts or power resting behind...

– Tom
16 mins ago






But heard will not drag you, seen funny cyclists trying to win air "race" in any case, etc. Just wanted to be sure I am not using their efforts or power resting behind...

– Tom
16 mins ago



















draft saved

draft discarded















































Thanks for contributing an answer to Bicycles Stack Exchange!


  • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

But avoid


  • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

  • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.

To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




draft saved


draft discarded














StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fbicycles.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f64238%2fis-there-any-benefit-to-riders-on-the-front-of-a-paceline%23new-answer', 'question_page');

);

Post as a guest















Required, but never shown





















































Required, but never shown














Required, but never shown












Required, but never shown







Required, but never shown

































Required, but never shown














Required, but never shown












Required, but never shown







Required, but never shown







Popular posts from this blog

Invision Community Contents History See also References External links Navigation menuProprietaryinvisioncommunity.comIPS Community ForumsIPS Community Forumsthis blog entry"License Changes, IP.Board 3.4, and the Future""Interview -- Matt Mecham of Ibforums""CEO Invision Power Board, Matt Mecham Is a Liar, Thief!"IPB License Explanation 1.3, 1.3.1, 2.0, and 2.1ArchivedSecurity Fixes, Updates And Enhancements For IPB 1.3.1Archived"New Demo Accounts - Invision Power Services"the original"New Default Skin"the original"Invision Power Board 3.0.0 and Applications Released"the original"Archived copy"the original"Perpetual licenses being done away with""Release Notes - Invision Power Services""Introducing: IPS Community Suite 4!"Invision Community Release Notes

Canceling a color specificationRandomly assigning color to Graphics3D objects?Default color for Filling in Mathematica 9Coloring specific elements of sets with a prime modified order in an array plotHow to pick a color differing significantly from the colors already in a given color list?Detection of the text colorColor numbers based on their valueCan color schemes for use with ColorData include opacity specification?My dynamic color schemes

Ласкавець круглолистий Зміст Опис | Поширення | Галерея | Примітки | Посилання | Навігаційне меню58171138361-22960890446Bupleurum rotundifoliumEuro+Med PlantbasePlants of the World Online — Kew ScienceGermplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)Ласкавецькн. VI : Літери Ком — Левиправивши або дописавши її