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.
Pogačar goes clear! 😮
With just under 20 km to go, Tadej Pogačar decides it’s time to go solo at Tre Valli Varesine! 🌈 pic.twitter.com/IemjFVzoA1
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) October 7, 2025
A cyclist’s nemesis is the wind and they are always in search of shelter, even if it’s a second or two in the wake of another rider or a vehicle. A few moments can influence an outcome and determine a winner.
Every cyclist has felt the benefits of a vehicle. Even the cyclist commuting to work has felt the rush of air and the momentary push as a car speeds past them or the ease of speed riding in the slipstream of a city bus. The aid is noticeable to any rider but has not always been quantifiable, especially if only a short burst.
History and the grey zone
Vehicles have influenced race outcomes since they first started to be used around the turn of the 20th century, yet it is only in recent years that riders are consistently crying foul when a motorcycle’s slipstream aids a rider. Many riders are paced without even realizing how much they were benefitting and others have profited knowingly. It is often believed that it is the commissaires’ duty to intervene while a rider is pacing behind a vehicle–if they fail to address it, a rider will continue to…
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