How to Draft in Cycling

Video Transcript

KEVIN LIVINGSTON: Hi, I'm Kevin Livingston. I'm going to talk about drafting in this shot. Drafting is when you ride behind another rider or in a group of riders to get the benefit of the airflow, so you're working less. So essentially, you're getting, they say, anywhere from 20% to 30% advantage of being in the wheel of drafting off the riders in front of you. Always start at a safe distance that you're comfortable with. I would suggest anywhere from one to even two feet to start. Now what you want to learn to do is gauge your distance from the bike in front of you, from the tire in front of you, by more with your focus being in front of the rider. So you're almost looking as if--if it's even one person you're drafting off of, you want to learn to focus beyond them one to two riders or one to two, let's say, people in front of them, and then you're going to learn to where your bike is in relation to that so that you don't have to stare down at their tire because that can be dangerous. You need to be looking ahead. Another tip is always ride slightly off to one side of their wheel, either the left or the right, or you could gently move back and forth while trying to hold their wheel. This will avoid if they were to stand or suddenly slow down, you won't hit their wheel across your wheel. Another tip is never cross a wheel. If you cross a wheel and they come over on you, this could cause you to crash. Finally, the more practice you have at this with a good riding partner, the better you'll get and the closer you'll find yourself drafting off the wheel in front of you and getting the most benefit.