Managing that surging in the peloton: it isn't about wattage

When we think about cycling and achieving our goals many of us think that riding well is only about our ability to push more watts. The reality is that cycling is a dynamic sport where the strongest rider doesn’t always do the best. Ever notice the more experienced riders floating in the peloton around you, the people you think you definitely should have dropped a while back?! What do they know that you don't?!

Skills, like being able to ride smoothly and efficiently in the peloton - as the more experienced riders are capable of doing - can make up for big differences in fitness. One of the ways in which these more experienced riders are more efficient is in how they handle the surges that tend to happen when riding in the large pelotons. The same principles apply to mountain biking, the riders that can manage their pace, read the trail and be smooth are the ones that have that extra juice at the end of the ride. In cycling of all types, experience and skills count for a lot.

For this blog we will assume that everyone has a good idea of how to draft – a rough rule is to stay on the leeward side of the rider in front of you and make sure that they protect you from the wind as much as possible. Now that you are drafting properly, the next issue is how to stay on the wheel when the peloton is constantly changing speeds. Do you ride on a heavy gear and stomp on the pedals each time the group surges, putting out a max watt effort? Or do you use a lighter gear and a higher cadence to adjust your speed and stay glued to that wheel in front of you?

The simple answer is that you should be using your cadence to stay in the draft of the rider in front of you. By riding at a higher cadence, say 95-100 rpm rather than slogging along at 80-85 rpm, your ability to accelerate without putting out increasingly large amounts of power will be much improved. This is why Sans Chaine incorporates cadence workouts into the training plans.

The more complex answer regarding efficiency in the peloton is that it goes beyond simple cadence or power numbers. Those riders that have the experience are more efficient in part because they can read the peloton and better predict how it is going to move. They can move smoothly without wasting energy.

They know how the undulations in the road and changes in wind and course direction are going to affect the pace of the group and can anticipate where they need to place themselves. For instance, a good trick when riding into the bottom of a hill is knowing that the front riders always slow down more than those coming behind and that if you can get a clear run at the hill you can often coast the first part and keep your speed up, saving energy overall. Or alternately with a better understanding of how the peloton moves you don’t have to use your brakes as much, feathering them rather than jamming them on and having to re-accelerate constantly. These small changes can save a lot of energy over the course of a ride and make a difference in the finale.

Often there are riders who are very strong when training in a small group that can’t perform once they have to ride in a larger peloton. Their lack of finesse and efficiency means that they are wasting energy all the time. Next time you are riding in a peloton, find an experienced rider and follow them for a while. Make note of how they move, use their brakes, and make sure to always be in the draft. Soon you’ll be efficient as well and find things much easier.