Riding in a peloton is the most energy efficient locomotion – research (2018)
I got the chance to ride in a pretty large and fast formation during an otherwise casual charity ride a few years back. Really enjoyable and a bit nerve wracking at the same time being in close quarters like that. When in the middle of the pack, it was pretty amazing how little energy it took to maintain speed--just a few half-hearted pedal strokes every few seconds. Any more and you&#x27;d start creeping up on the rear tire of the person in front of you.<p>edit: Forgot the best part. The formation ended when someone near the front swerved to avoid a hole in the trail. Person behind them--taken by surprise--abruptly braked. Chaos ensued. Chaos propagated upstream and eventually got to me. I ran over a downed bike and flew over my own bike landing on my handle bars--broke a rib (though didn&#x27;t know it until a few days later). Why would the organizers of a casual charity ride allow formation riding, you ask? They don&#x27;t.