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I am excited by the prospect of joining these guys
So that I can do more of this:
Because riding like that is easier, more fun and reduces the chance of being hit by one of these:
The Peloton – a blur of colour
In the lead up to this year’s Tour we are looking at some of the key people and aspects of thr Tour. Today we are going to look at one of the most important and practical aspects of competitive road cycling: the peleton.
The peloton is one of the most interesting and most confusing aspects of the Tour. The peloton is the massive group of riders that makes up the main body of the race. From the outside the peloton looks like a blur of colour as it rides past you, but on the inside you will find lots of contact! There is regular contact between handlebars, knees, hands and elbows, so much so that many accidents have been caused this way! The peloton is highly politicised; there are deals constantly being made between the riders, “you help me out today and I will help you tomorrow”.
Where you ride in the peloton is also extremely important. If you ride at the back you use far less energy - you slipstream the riders at the front (you can save up to 40% of your energy!); however if there is a nasty crash then you will most likely get caught in it, while the riders at the front can just keep on riding! You usually see the race leader with their team at the front as they want to steer clear from any possibility of crashes, the other teams will happily stay back letting the leaders burn all their energy. You can start to see why there would be deals being made between different teams!
Moreover, being closer to the front means that the rider can react to attacks and changes in position with less effort. Gaps sometimes form in the peloton, and being closer to the front also reduces the risk of getting caught in the rear group when the peloton breaks form. On most stages there will be a group of cyclists who will attack and ride ahead of the peloton before they get pulled back in by the speed of the peloton, riding at the head allows to get into these break away groups. Being at the front of the peloton also means dictating the tempo to some degree, and some teams or groups of riders may prefer different speeds as part of their tactics. Being at the front of the peloton is also advantageous when initiating a breakaway.
Tactical factors also apply. Teams generally attempt to cluster their members in the peloton in order to maximize their ability to affect the pack as a whole. For example, if a team member is currently in a breakaway in front of the peloton, it is advantageous for the remaining members to slow the peloton as much as possible in an attempt to avoid catching the breakaway. This can be particularly effective in tight turns or narrow roads, where a single team can block the progress of the pack if they are in a favorable position. A similar situation occurs at the end of the race when teams will cluster in front of their sprinter, blocking the wind as long as possible while still leaving an open path in front for the sprinter to break out near the finish line.
The shape or formation of the peloton changes according to many factors. A strong headwind or a hard effort tends to spread-out or string-out the riders, while a slow tempo or tailwind tends to bunch up the peloton into a wider formation. Side wind forces the peloton to form into echelons (diagonal lines) in the direction of the wind. This effect allowed for a spectacular break away in last year’s Tour de France that left many of the key riders left behind!
Finally on a long uphill climb the peloton will spread out as slipstreaming becomes less important at the slow speed.
The peloton will also spread out on a quick downhill descent for obvious safety reasons.
This article first appeared in September 2009 in the Beginners guide to the Tour series
I posted recently on the peloton in which I briefly mentined the dangers of riding in the middle or the back of the peloton - namely the danger or big crashes! The video below illustrates this really well, its from Stage 4 of this years Vuelta a Espana (the Tour of Spain), which is currently being held.
Enjoy!
The Peloton - a blur of colour
I have started blogging a series called “A beginners guide to the Tour de France” that is designed to introduce people to the Tour that they may appreciate it and therefore enjoy watching it. The last post was on the history of the Tour, if you missed it you can find it here.
Today I want to look at one of the most interesting and most confusing aspects of the Tour, the Peloton. The peloton is the massive group of riders that makes up the main body of the race. From the outside the peloton looks like a blur of colour as it rides past you, but on the inside you will find lots of contact! There is regular contact between handlebars, knees, hands and elbows, so much so that many accidents have been caused this way! The peloton is highly politicised; there are deals constantly being made between the riders, “you help me out today and I will help you tomorrow”.
Where you ride in the peloton is also extremely important. If you ride at the back you use far less energy - you slipstream the riders at the front (you can save up to 40% of your energy!); however if there is a nasty crash then you will most likely get caught in it, while the riders at the front can just keep on riding! You usually see the race leader with their team at the front as they want to steer clear from any possibility of crashes, the other teams will happily stay back letting the leaders burn all their energy. You can start to see why there would be deals being made between different teams!
Moreover, being closer to the front means that the rider can react to attacks and changes in position with less effort. Gaps sometimes form in the peloton, and being closer to the front also reduces the risk of getting caught in the rear group when the peloton breaks form. On most stages there will be a group of cyclists who will attack and ride ahead of the peloton before they get pulled back in by the speed of the peloton, riding at the head allows to get into these break away groups. Being at the front of the peloton also means dictating the tempo to some degree, and some teams or groups of riders may prefer different speeds as part of their tactics. Being at the front of the peloton is also advantageous when initiating a breakaway.
Tactical factors also apply. Teams generally attempt to cluster their members in the peloton in order to maximize their ability to affect the pack as a whole. For example, if a team member is currently in a breakaway in front of the peloton, it is advantageous for the remaining members to slow the peloton as much as possible in an attempt to avoid catching the breakaway. This can be particularly effective in tight turns or narrow roads, where a single team can block the progress of the pack if they are in a favorable position. A similar situation occurs at the end of the race when teams will cluster in front of their sprinter, blocking the wind as long as possible while still leaving an open path in front for the sprinter to break out near the finish line.
The shape or formation of the peloton changes according to many factors. A strong headwind or a hard effort tends to spread-out or string-out the riders, while a slow tempo or tailwind tends to bunch up the peloton into a wider formation. Side wind forces the peloton to form into echelons (diagonal lines) in the direction of the wind. This effect allowed for a spectacular break away in this year’s Tour de France that left many of the key riders left behind!
The peloton spreads out on steep descents
Finally on a long uphill climb the peloton will spread out as slipstreaming becomes less important at the slow speed. The peloton will also spread out on a quick downhill descent for obvious safety reasons.
