Beware of the peloton effect…

During lockdowns and deconfinement periods, cyclists are asked to ride alone. Unfortunately, very few of us know how to do it. For the majority of cyclists, it’s in a peloton or nothing at all…

By Bruno Cavelier / Cyclosport magazine n°143 – Photos: pxhere.com / pixnio.com / pixabay.com / DR

While runners, although they appreciate big events like the Paris Marathon or other mass races, generally prefer to train alone, probably for the sake of freedom – to encounter nature and themselves – for cyclists, it’s exactly the opposite. We saw this again on the last Sunday of November, the day when the 1 km and one-hour activity limit was extended to 20 km for a duration of 3 hours. The latest decree authorized: “Travel, without changing place of residence, within a limit of three hours daily and within a maximum radius of twenty kilometers around the home, related to the following outdoor activities: a) Physical activity or individual leisure, excluding any collective sports practice and any proximity to other people; b) Walks with only the people grouped in the same household…”

However, on this sacred day of liberation, we saw meeting points blossom on social networks and encountered pelotons on the road – admittedly reduced – but nevertheless cyclists riding in groups; not to mention those who preferred to extend the use of their mountain bikes to gather in the forest to avoid potential controls…

Sheltered!

The peloton effect – it’s well known – is the sheltering phenomenon. As the Druid – Cyrile Guimard, the reference in terms of cycling training – repeats, “cycling is sailing”. Unlike a runner whose speed does not allow them to fully benefit from the slipstream of the person in front, a cyclist at the back of a group can achieve about 30% energy savings compared to those leading the way. Is this really why at least 80% of cyclists do not conceive of their practice individually?

The mini-race…

Something tells us no. One only has to observe the proud and slightly detached look of the one who arrived first at the top of a climb where the group eventually broke up under the repeated attacks of the strongest riders. Then the question of a guy finishing with difficulty, his gaze already admiring towards the one who will answer “it’s me”: “Hey guys, who arrived first?”

By riding alone, you remain master of your body and mind.

Because the peloton effect is the mini-race effect; by that, we mean the wild Sunday morning race or other meeting day for thousands of cycling groups throughout France. There is always “the champion,” the one who is above the rest – not necessarily the most unpleasant, by the way, because he is sure of his strength – the cohort of aspiring champions, the proudest of whom is often the one who now makes others suffer, while last year he was the one struggling, and all those who follow or try to do so as best they can, sometimes jealous, sometimes supporters of their big-thighed colleagues. In reality, riding in a peloton is a way to gauge oneself, to calibrate oneself, to prove oneself, to shine; but not only that…

A social bond

We all need social connection, and not just through social networks: in the flesh. The peloton is also that: a mini-society with its codes, a subgroup of society as a whole, with different codes. In a peloton, cycling attire redistributes the rules. The company director rubs shoulders with the employee, the worker, the shopkeeper, the artisan, the unemployed, etc. Goodbye polished shoes and tie, the blazer that magically makes nascent corpulence disappear. The boss is the one who knows cycling and who pushes hard on the pedals, if possible with a certain charisma, leader of the pack, capable of everything expected of a leader; bringing order. And when you ride alone, you don’t have that…

So, how to do it?

Simply tell yourself that riding alone is freedom. This freedom that we have necessarily felt deprived of for several months, by the constraints and obligations imposed on us to finally overcome this pandemic that has been weighing down our daily lives since last March. Just tell yourself that you’re going for a ride because you love cycling. Alone, goodbye appointments. You go out for a ride at the time that suits you, if you really want to, depending on the weather. You choose your route according to the mood of the day, you determine your own pace, the intensity of your effort; you are not subjected to anything. By riding alone, you remain master of your body and mind. Isn’t that true freedom? And if you are a competitor, you are free to test yourself on your favorite climb – Strava is very good for that – to follow a training program – which is almost impossible during group rides – and thus, to maintain control of your form and your progress. So, riding in a peloton is good, but in moderation; you will appreciate it all the more.

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