This past weekend there was a bike race that did not involve teams in Sebring, Florida. In otherwords, the only racers were solo racers.
There were several race events and formats. There was a 12 hour race that allowed drafting and two 24 hour race events. One 24 hour race allowed cyclists to draft one another, the other did not.
Solo Racing:
It is an oxymoron to do a solo race and then allow the racers to draft behind one another. It is not a race. It's a group ride.
In this race there was an intentional plan by some to form a group to make it easier for the racers. As stated by one of the group: "We'll have several ladies tucked into this pack so we will be accommodating (sic) the ladies."
First, what's the point?!! If it is a solo race the first person behind the lead racer gets a 15% reduction in wind resistance. And the percentage reduction of wind resistance can increase for each person drafting behind the other.
I remember being in a group of about 20 riders 2 or 3 wide and 10 deep. I was about 5 rows back and I sat up in the saddle, stopped pedaling and took my hands off the handlebars. I was being sucked along at 24 miles per hour while carrying on a very casual chat with the rider beside me.
Solo racers drafting one another eliminates any `racing.' Instead, what you have is a group ride. .
Some may argue that if every racer shares taking the lead and every racer shares being tucked into a pack for precisely the same amount of time it will all work in the end. Bad argument. It's impossible to `time' such actions. There is no way to assure compliance. And sometimes the paceline/pack is heading into the wind, sometimes it has a tailwind. Sometimes the racers are riding uphill; sometimes downhill.
Perhaps race organizers that perpetuate this myth benefit from increased attendance and turnout.
But solo racers drafting one another are not `racing.' Any conclusion that persons crossing the finish line represents relevant ranking of skill, stamina or performance is a falsehood.
Second, wasn't it somewhat condescending for a group of guys to `accomodate' the female racers?
Teams:
Team racing is an entirely different thing. Strategy and tactic must be implemented to take advantage of myriad factors in a race.
