The effect of drafting on the aerodynamic drag of a trailing cyclist has been widely investigated. However, no experimental field study has quantified under field conditions the potential benefit of this strategy on the leading cyclist, which is the purpose of the present study. Therefore, a protocol based in a previous study performed in velodrome (García-López et al., 2014) was designed. Results indicate that drafting decrease the leading cyclist`s drag area (CdA) by 2.6 and 3.3%, and the trailing cyclist` CdA by 31.9 and 19.3%, depending on the trailing cyclist position on the bicycle (i.e., aero vs. upright position, respectively). Although Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) values behaved similarly to CdA (i.e., when CdA decreased RPE also decreased), RPE method was not sensitive enough to detect small changes in aerodynamic drag.
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