BLACKSBURG, Va. – All eyes are on the Olympics. As you’re watching the games, you might notice a few things like cyclists riding in tight packs and open water swimmers forming an arrow.
But why is that?
10 News spoke with Professor Chris Roy with Virginia Tech.
Roy said cyclists ride in tight packs because they are taking advantage of the person in front of them. This technique is called drafting, which is when the person in front of them creates a wake behind them.
Roy said this improves their efficiency.
“It depends on the sport. There are certain sports that drafting isn’t as important. So, in swimming—like the pool swimming—it’s not as important, although there is also open water swimming in triathlon where you’re swimming. Oftentimes, you start out in a big pack and you can really essentially reduce your effort by about 15% and still maintain the same speed if you’re drafting well,” said Roy.
You might have noticed that swimmers form an arrow pattern with their arms. Roy said this formation is the shape a group of swimmers form who might be drafting off of each other.
He said that athletes, like swimmers, they try to form a body position called streamlining. This helps swimmers swim faster and reduce their drag.