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  • (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.

  • (peppy music)

  • - 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.

  • - Give this video a thumbs up, too.

  • - And a share as well.

(motor running)

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