What is a peloton?

Peloton is derived from the french word for ball. It refers to the main body of riders in a race.  In a bike ride (which is not a competitive race) you will often see the riders in 1 or 2 wide lines. But in a race when there is more jockeying for position it looks more like a bunch and the main bunch (with some leaders ahead and more straggling behind) is the peloton.

Advantages to riding in a peloton include safety in numbers, efficiency due to aerodynamic drag, and sharing the burden of being the head rider who breaks the wind (no pun intended) for the others in the peloton.

It also provides some very healthy accountability so you will keep your cadence steady and your speed up to keep up with the group. This is also true of a ride in a single file line.

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