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This-is-not-Guy-MartinVideo: tailgating a tipper truck at 40mph
Anyone who's seen Guy Martin attempting to break the bicycle speed record will know there's a lot of aerodynamic advantage to be gained by sitting right behind a big, fast moving vehicle that's punching a big hole in the air for you.
However, while that's okay on a special bike in a controlled environment in full motorbike leathers – and even then it's really not okay for most of us, is it? – it's certainly not something we'd recommend you try behind a tipper truck on a fast three-lane dual carriageway in Manchester.
We were sent this footage by a reader of one brave (?) soul doing exactly that. "I noticed him a mile before this was shot, he continued drafting for a good 5-10 minutes", he told us. "The truck driver had no idea he was there, averaging 40 as we went through the speedcam."
It's certainly one way to gain an advantage on the commute home, although not one we're keen to have a go at ourselves. Anyone?
Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.
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93 comments
But they'd also be in danger of going underneath the lorry, wouldn't they?
I love how this idiotic behaviour can be ignored because of righteous indignation about a driver possibly using a handheld device.
For the avoidance of doubt, in case you haven't tried it, please don't draft lorries like this on your bike. If nothing else, then at least have some thought for the poor lorry driver who will have a death on their conscience when they brake, not knowing a cyclist has just slipped under their vehicle and died.
I've been guilty of drafting buses in London, but not at those speeds. You listen out to the tone of the engine to get a heads up before the vehicle is about to break.
If you consider the 'normal' scenario for a person in the rider's position, it would would result in them being overtaken by tens or even hundreds of motor vehicles, only one of whom has to be under the control of someone inattentive/sleepy/evil/filming on a camera phone (*furls eyebrows*) to collide and potentially kill them.
This could arguably be much safer, even if it's not what we expect. Also, it's unarguably more energy efficient; if a vehicle can create so much energy, at least it's not being wasted. You could fit quite a few people behind that and it'd be like a big ol' cyclobus.
Although... there seems to surprisingly little reactionary nonsense posted here, so I don't know who I'm really getting at. Nobody, I suppose. Which is nice.
What a prat. Hopefully he'll live to tell the tale. The car driver shooting the clip is committing an offence of course, even if the dumbass cyclist isn't.
Loved it !
I've done it in my youth behind buses but now that i'm older i'm to slow to get behind anything !
I can't believe that people are justifyi ng the actions of a twat. If he wants to kill him self then fine but what sort of example does this set for younger cyclist 's. It gives cycling a bad name.
Been there, done that and have the scars to prove it
But now I have grown up and feel I have enough scars 
Even the memory of coming out of the slip-stream scares the s**t out of me 
Let he who is without sin etc
the rider has got some high viz on so it's very safety concious tipper truck drafting
i love his casual peddling, thats the best bit, know you don't have to do much at all to keep up!
FREE SPEEEEEED!
looks like a really stupid thing to do: dangerous, fills your lungs with diesel exhaust, doesn't help you get fitter, puts cyclists in disrepute. what a stupid twit.
Vertical exhaust! You can see it sticking up between cab and body so limited exhaust fumes.
Although I should condemn his actions I can't really cast any stones. I regularly used to slipstream the Withernsea bus on Patrington straight (between Patrington and Hollym) in my youth. Another good one was Ottringham straight between Ottringham and Winestead Bends.
The biggest crime here is Roxette
Hello you fool. I love you!
Come on, join the joyride! Join the joyride!
I have this etched in my brain as the most banal lyrics ever.
With the buses, drafting a bit on the right corner is OK as you can dive past them when they pull in. Hopefully. People carriers are good as you can see over them but they still provider a good slipstream.
Can we have some near - hysterical condemnation please? Preferably with a few quotes from the IAM roadcraft manual too.
Trying to recognise where that is... I think I've seen the rider from my commute. A6 northbound out of Stockport?
Looks more like Wythenshawe maybe? Near M60 junction...? if so, the irony is that the cyclist is probably in the safest place.
Most likely the East Lancs coming in through Salford - the only three lane A road i know of in Gtr Manchester.
Think you're right - looks like going towards Irlam o'th Heights...I've seen that geezer on my commute. I ride the cycle path - he is too good for that so rides the busy dual carriageway, drafting off lorries, riding in the middle of the 2 lanes (it only goes to 3 lanes further down) when he's going slower than both lanes.
Where the M61 joins the East Lancs under the motorway bridge there is a lot of traffic changing lanes both ways, 1 on 1 filtering, and he sails down the middle of where cars are doing that!! When I'm in the car I don't wonder why people hate cyclists with arrogant people like him.
Safety first.
Not so much these days with a mortgage and two kids, but yeah, quickest way from central London to the City, along the Embankment in the traffic, aahhh youth, may you survive
I used to draft lorries down the bypass on my way home from work. Three mile dead straight road, no junctions or lights and ever so slightly downhill. To get onto it there was a bit of a climb so the heavily laden trucks used to come off the docks, crawl up the incline then pick up speed really gradually. My record speed behind one was 56mph spinning out 53/12.
What was utterly terrifying was coming out of the slipstream at that speed. If one managed to drop you at that speed it would leave a maelstrom of wind and turbulence in its wake buffeting you around like a leaf.
I used to draft lorries down the bypass on my way home from work. Three mile dead straight road, no junctions or lights and ever so slightly downhill. To get onto it there was a bit of a climb so the heavily laden trucks used to come off the docks, crawl up the incline then pick up speed really gradually. My record speed behind one was 56mph spinning out 53/12.
What was utterly terrifying was coming out of the slipstream at that speed. If one managed to drop you at that speed it would leave a maelstrom of wind and turbulence in its wake buffeting you around like a leaf.
Damn, I was a bit slower. My record is 52 spinning 53/11. That is around 140 RPM if my calculations are correct ... good old days
I read a bumper sticker whilst drafting which read:
'If you can't stop, please smile as you go under'
In my younger days, I lived in a place where there were many distilleries and I used to draft their lorries all the time, grain lorries, tankers...etc.
As you get older, you get a bit wiser and just take the draft as they pull past you, rather than sitting on their rear like that.
Yeah, I've done that, but I try to pick out the truck's with rear facing camera's (most of them have it these days). All the ground clearance under tippers doesn't help, double decker buses are the best option. And it's a great way of getting out of the snow an a head wind. Also beware of potholes, I've punctured hitting one at around 30mph after drafting a bus. So know your road and time it right, have brakes you can trust, fat tyres and don't get too close.
One of the things that video shows is illegal and the other isn't. Not sure the video poster is in any position to judge anyone else's behaviour on the roads.
!
[[[[[ As a teenager, I used to do that a lot, until one day I realised you can't see potholes ahead...
P.R.
In portrait mode, no less.
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