November 13, 2025
From slipstreams to close calls, motorcycles and cars have long influenced the outcome — and the danger — of the peloton
Vehicles have been part of professional cycling since the sport began. Whether it’s motos carrying camera operators, cars support staff, or race officials–there’s plenty of traffic around the peloton. Yet their influence on outcomes has often gone unnoticed. Every rider knows the rush of a tailwind or the momentary push in a slipstream, but few stop to consider how much a motorcycle or support car can tilt the balance in a chase.
Racing in the draft
Racing through the valleys, we were closing in on the breakaway. Our calculated chase would span several hours, a crescendo of effort that would culminate in the peloton, which I led with my teammates, catching the trio of riders ten km from the finish. We would then position our team sprinter and leader to launch his sprint to victory.
It was a scenario I had been in hundreds of times as a domestique. In front of the peloton, motorcycles with cameramen as passengers filmed our movement, and snapped photos of the action. Their proximity to us would shift with the terrain, or the action, and with that we could feel the pull of their slipstream. For moments, our power would drop and our speed would go up, facilitating our chase.
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