A cycling peloton is the main group of cyclists riding closely together to reduce aerodynamic drag and energy expenditure. Previous studies on small groups of up to four in-line drafting cyclists showed reductions down to 70 to 50% the drag of an isolated rider at same speed and these values have also been used for pelotons. However, inside a tightly packed peloton with multiple rows of riders providing shelter, larger drag reductions can be expected. For the first time, this study systematically investigated the drag reductions in two pelotons of 121 cyclists. High-resolution CFD simulations were performed where the cell size near the cyclist and bicycle surface was only 0.020 millimeter and the total cell count per peloton is nearly 3 billion. This renders this a world record CFD simulation in sports. The simulations were validated by four wind-tunnel tests, including one with a peloton of 121 models. The results showed that the drag of all cyclists in the peloton decreased compared to that of an isolated rider. In the mid rear of the peloton it reduces down to 5% to 10% that of an isolated rider. This is up to 10 times less than the previous assumptions. This means that a cyclist in the mid read of the peloton will experience riding at 17 to 12 km/h. Out of the 121 cyclists, 40 to 50% of them experience this very large reduction. This study shows, for the first time, the best positions to reside in the peloton, and provides input for improving mathematical break-away models.
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