Headwinds and sidewinds change the drafting strategy. In calm air the
general rule of thumb with bikes is that you have to be going 17+ mph
before drafting has an aerodynamic advantage. That' s not factoring in
headwinds and sidewinds. A Coker size wheel is especially affected by
sidewinds so I would expect some strategic drafting if there are
sidewinds.
Be very very careful though. At typical unicycle speeds (and not
factoring in headwinds or corsswinds) you need to be really really
close to the wheel in front of you to get a drafting effect. Riding
that close is not the safest thing to do for you or the rider in front
of you. If you're drafting you need the explicit or implicit
cooperation of the rider in front of you. The rider in front of you
will be hindered in that they will be able to slow down to relieve
crotch pressure or dodge obstacles on the road. In bicycling a
drafting rider who clips the rear wheel of the bike in front of them is
only likely to cause themself to fall and not the rider in front of
them. Not true on a unicycle. If you clip the rider in front you will
likely cause them to fall as well. Very bad form. Very rude. Don't
expect sympathy if you cause a crash like that.
There are unwritten rules in road bike racing where leaders will not
take advantage of a no-fault crash by another rider pursuing them. For
example, in a recent Tour de France, Lance crashed during a climb
because his handlebar was clipped by a spectator. The leaders held up
and waited for him to return. But there was no pleasantries exchanged
upon his return and Lance had to ride as hard as he could to catch up.
He also ended up riding with a cracked carbon fiber chainstay that could
have catastrophically failed at any moment. So yeah, it is good
sportsmanship to wait up in a situation like that. But at the same
time you're not going to give too much away.
A difference between unicycle racing and bicycle racing is that
unicyclists can crash just because the rider is pushing themselves too
hard and riding beyond their ability. If you crash because of that I
would not expect the other riders to hold up. Riding beyond your
ability is a calculated risk you decided to take and it is not the
responsibility or unwritten rule of the riders ahead of you to slow
down to let you catch up. The solution there is to be a better rider
before you start the race and to stay within your riding ability. No
sympathy if you are riding 2 mph faster than you have ever ridden
before and you suddenly crash. If you cause other riders to crash
because of your clumyness or because you are riding beyond your ability
I would not expect any sympathy from other riders for the duration of
the race. In fact, in a case like that, I would expect other riders to
conspire against your team just out of spite.
--
john_childs
john_childs (att) hotmail (dott) com
Team Never Wash Your Muni
'My Gallery' (http://tinyurl.com/3d57bn) :: 'Unicycling Bookmark List'
(http://backcountry.unicyclist.com/) :: 'World Clock'
(http://tinyurl.com/2blym3)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
john_childs's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/449
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/70174
Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.usenet.com