Peloton Peloton In a road bicycle race, the peloton (from French, originally meaning 'platoon') is the main group or pack of riders. Riders in a group save energy by riding close (drafting or slipstreaming) near (particularly behind) other riders. The reduction in drag is dramatic; in the middle of a well-developed group drag can be reduced to as little as 5%-10%. Exploitation of this potential energy saving leads to very complex cooperative and competitive interactions between riders and teams in race tactics. The term is also used to refer to the community of professional cyclists in general, as in 'the professional
2013 Ladies Tour of Qatar won by Kirsten Wild As the pack headed up north and the wind started blowing sideways, several riders failed to keep up with the pace. While a crash occurred in the peloton, a group of 18 ladies pulled away including race leader Chloe Hosking, Ellen van Dijk, Wild, Gracie Elvin, and Trixi Worrack. The front group enjoyed a 40” lead at km 83 on a group of 22 including Cromwell, Gilmour and Bronzini. With 25 kilometres to go, as the riders entered the final circuit, the first two groups bunched up together again. 8 riders gave it a go but