Crosswinds turn pro cycling into art 😍 #shorts

Stage 11 of La Vuelta gave us an incredible sight as the bunch raced into the crosswinds.

[tencog]

Yeah but only when you make the front group! Great to watch any day.

[SatrnOne]

I imagine they're not that cool if you aren't near the front of the peloton 😅

[harleyss]

… getting to the front in these conditions are a ton of work…

[jessiedelosreyes]

Why do they line up like this? Is it to avoid wind drag?

[tman]

The rider at the very front & so hitting the wind head on gets no shelter from the wind.
The riders in his slipstream are positioned as to get maximum shelter from the wind by being at the correct angle behind the rider infront.
It's typical that the following riders in the slipstream save around 30% energy & effort from this.
Note here, that all the riders on the extreme left are hitting the wind head on, the riders slightly behind & to the side are getting all of some slipstream, depending in their exact wind cover from other riders.

[byronp]

I see birds fly in this formation all the time.

[notreally]

What you want to do is ride up the left side of the line and get behind one of the front riders

[zekethedego]

Crosswinds are dreeaded more than any other form of cycling suffering.

[tygrewesterfield]

Such an art is that of a peloton being plagued by the winds. And nobody recognizes the genius that truly is the entire pro cycling scene.

[cyclemiguel]

Peter sagan had the best understanding of echelons...ask Qatar

[pinoyeh]

Riding inside the peloton gives me time to recover and keep me at pace with the rest of the group.

[dylan]

Please tell me what this song is called 🙏🏻