Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Video: tailgating a tipper truck at 40mph

One plucky/foolish/mad cyclist channels the spirit of Guy Martin on the streets of Manchester

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.

Add new comment

93 comments

Avatar
matthewn5 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Drafting a truck on the way to work makes for a great ride in. Always fun to see the people riding on the left look up in surprise as you flash past.

This hardly ever happens since congestion in London is so bad, but on the rare occasions the road is free why not give it a try.

By the way you don't have to be as close as that, 10-15m will still give you a decent draft and not as scary.

I drop off the back if they go over 30 mph, I don't want to be smeared down the road if I hit a pothole.

Avatar
zanf replied to Stumps | 9 years ago
0 likes
stumps wrote:
farrell wrote:

You're not even comparing apples and oranges, you're comparing apples and pan-galactic gargleblasters.

Whats a pan-galactic gargleblaster ? they sound cool and can you get one fitted to your bike for numpty car drivers ????

Its this: http://youtu.be/Boo9llCz4CM

Avatar
SideBurn | 9 years ago
0 likes

A Pan Galactic GargleBlaster is a drink (from the book, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)

"Its effects are similar to having your brains smashed in by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick" (apparently)

"After two of those babies, the dullest, most by-the-book Vogon will be up on the bar in stilettos, yodeling mountain shanties and swearing he's the king of the Gray Binding Fiefdoms of Saxaquine"

Wise advise is to, "never drink more than two Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters unless you are a thirty ton mega elephant with bronchial pneumonia"

God I love those books! They were a four part trilogy of books (apparently)
Or was a trilogy in four parts? I cannot remember....

And absolutely f. all to do with this story.....

Avatar
zanf | 9 years ago
0 likes

This is not the first one of these videos I've seen: a Dutch cyclist drafting at 85kph! http://youtu.be/lnYp4srEooI

Another at 49mph: http://youtu.be/bTLrp0JgZt0

I regularly used to draft buses around London but they started putting the exhaust at the back rather than on the side so its really not pleasant to do any more.

Avatar
Grizzerly | 9 years ago
0 likes

Back in the 60s, a clubmate of mine got behind a truck on the A38 in Staffordshire. Bowling along happily at about 35mph, the lorry passed over a fallen kipper box without touching it. Roger did not!

Avatar
McDuff73 | 9 years ago
0 likes

idiotic irresponsible and dangerous, reverse the situation and how many would be whining about being tailgated by the truck?
And I believe the government made tailgating illegal recently along with middle lane hoggers too so hes probably also breaking the law..

Avatar
southseabythesea | 9 years ago
0 likes

When I was young a man committed suicide under a lorry my father was driving, it was a simple size of lorry. I remember vividly how my father described the police hosing the road and putting the victims body parts into a bucket  31

Avatar
farrell replied to McDuff73 | 9 years ago
0 likes
McDuff73 wrote:

idiotic irresponsible and dangerous, reverse the situation and how many would be whining about being tailgated by the truck?
And I believe the government made tailgating illegal recently along with middle lane hoggers too so hes probably also breaking the law..

Yeah, 90kg of cyclist bearing down on 10 tons of tipper truck is EXACTLY the same as 10 tons of tipper truck bearing down on 90kgs of cyclist.

Christ almighty.

Avatar
Dizzy replied to McDuff73 | 9 years ago
0 likes
McDuff73 wrote:

idiotic irresponsible and dangerous, reverse the situation and how many would be whining about being tailgated by the truck?
And I believe the government made tailgating illegal recently along with middle lane hoggers too so hes probably also breaking the law..

I have to agree
Not read every post on here, but a quick look through, seems that most think this is ok, admit to having done it at some point.
I can't think of anyhting more idiotic TBH!
If that truck slams it brakes on for any reason, there is no way that rider could react quick enough. Or what if he was to suddenly swerve, or there was an object in the road that the lorry cleared..?

We get so many cyclist moaning about vehicles being too close to use when we're out, we're the first to moan about poor drivers, hundreds of us now run headcams to try cover ourselves should the worse happen.
Social media is full of drivers slagging off cyclists, moaning that we don't obey the law, pay some mythical thing called 'road tax'

If this was a lorry tailgating the cyclist you'd all be up in arms...so why is OK when the positions are reversed?
Just more fuel for the likes of Keith Peat & his anti-cycling clan to rant about
So

Avatar
McDuff73 replied to farrell | 9 years ago
0 likes
farrell wrote:

Yeah, 90kg of cyclist bearing down on 10 tons of tipper truck is EXACTLY the same as 10 tons of tipper truck bearing down on 90kgs of cyclist.

Christ almighty.

Yes because the laws of the roads only apply to certain vehicles dependent on their size and the damage they can cause....

good grief do all us cyclists a favour and stay off the roads if you dont know how to abide by the laws all of them.

Avatar
farrell replied to McDuff73 | 9 years ago
0 likes
McDuff73 wrote:

Yes because the laws of the roads only apply to certain vehicles dependent on their size and the damage they can cause....

Erm, yes actually. Hence speed limits don't apply to pedestrians, cyclists, skateboarders amongst other things...

I'm really not sure why you are and the other posters are so dumb as to think that a ten ton tipper truck being deliberately driven behind a cyclist is the same as a cyclist drafting behind a truck. I'm genuinely baffled by it.

Avatar
Frannybobs replied to Some Fella | 9 years ago
0 likes

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.

Avatar
zanf replied to McDuff73 | 9 years ago
1 like
McDuff73 wrote:

idiotic irresponsible and dangerous, reverse the situation and how many would be whining about being tailgated by the truck?

There is a vast difference to drafting a truck and being tailgated by one and comparing them is being overdramatic, to say the least.

Avatar
zanf replied to Dizzy | 9 years ago
0 likes
Dizzy wrote:

.... Just more fuel for the likes of Keith Peat & his anti-cycling clan to rant about

If you seriously give any credence to Keith Peat and his alleged clan of followers, then you should know that you're pretty much one of the only people who does.

The guy is an impotent bellend. Dint make him out to be any other than that.

Avatar
Dadrides | 9 years ago
0 likes

Hope he was honest on Strava! All done it, dangerous, yes, fun yes, life without any risk...boring! Also if he hits the truck, it is his fault! Better than being targeted by looney 'I pay road tax' (actually my new car is exempt, do I need to get it crushed now?) drivers!!

Avatar
Dizzy replied to zanf | 9 years ago
0 likes
zanf wrote:
Dizzy wrote:

.... Just more fuel for the likes of Keith Peat & his anti-cycling clan to rant about

If you seriously give any credence to Keith Peat and his alleged clan of followers, then you should know that you're pretty much one of the only people who does.

The guy is an impotent bellend. Dint make him out to be any other than that.

I don't give any credence to Keith Peat, the man is a complete cockwomble.

My point was that the likes of Keith Peat, and numerous other in the anti-cycling brigade, will use any tiny incident invloving a cyclist to fuel their arguements... and this video is exactly the sort of stuff they will make a meal out of

Avatar
Dizzy replied to zanf | 9 years ago
0 likes
zanf wrote:
Dizzy wrote:

.... Just more fuel for the likes of Keith Peat & his anti-cycling clan to rant about

If you seriously give any credence to Keith Peat and his alleged clan of followers, then you should know that you're pretty much one of the only people who does.

The guy is an impotent bellend. Dint make him out to be any other than that.

I don't give any credence to Keith Peat, the man is a complete cockwomble.

My point was that the likes of Keith Peat, and numerous other in the anti-cycling brigade, will use any tiny incident invloving a cyclist to fuel their arguements... and this video is exactly the sort of stuff they will make a meal out of

Avatar
700c | 9 years ago
0 likes

I think the rule 'anyone can do anything they want, as long as it does not adversely affect someone else' applies.

What few have grasped here is the impact on the driver if it goes wrong.. and if nothing else it's pretty rude if you haven't got permission beforehand, it would stress out many a driver I imagine.

By condemning this behaviour I realise I'll get branded as a 'hysterical wailing moronic banshee with my knickers in a twist' by some, (probably by the same people who themselves wail hysterically about the daily injustices visited upon them by dangerous motorists!)

But so be it - I'd rather be alive.

PS I have learned from experience how little time you have to react when a lorry you are drafting suddenly brakes - this is the main reason why I wouldn't do it again after I almost went under. The new Michelin pro3's I flat spotted probably saved me, TBH.

Avatar
zanf replied to Dizzy | 9 years ago
0 likes
Dizzy wrote:
zanf wrote:
Dizzy wrote:

.... Just more fuel for the likes of Keith Peat & his anti-cycling clan to rant about

If you seriously give any credence to Keith Peat and his alleged clan of followers, then you should know that you're pretty much one of the only people who does.

The guy is an impotent bellend. Dont make him out to be any other than that.

I don't give any credence to Keith Peat, the man is a complete cockwomble.

My point was that the likes of Keith Peat, and numerous other in the anti-cycling brigade, will use any tiny incident invloving a cyclist to fuel their arguements... and this video is exactly the sort of stuff they will make a meal out of

If you think he is a cockwomble and will use any tiny incident to fuel their arguments, then you must grasp that he is a reactionary fuckwit that is going to do that no matter what, and the best thing you can do is stop giving him any kind of credibility.

He has nothing to contribute to any dialogue that ever has, or may occur, so stop worrying about what his shitty opinion will be about anything.

Avatar
arowland replied to Stumps | 9 years ago
0 likes
stumps wrote:

What's a pan-galactic gargleblaster?

There are young men out there who have never heard of a pan-galactic gargleblaster? Man, that makes me feel old.

Avatar
sidesaddle replied to arowland | 9 years ago
0 likes
arowland wrote:
stumps wrote:

What's a pan-galactic gargleblaster?

There are young men out there who have never heard of a pan-galactic gargleblaster? Man, that makes me feel old.

Sadly, they need not necessarily be that young either.

Avatar
Sedgepeat | 9 years ago
0 likes

Mad bloody tipper drivers. Likely to brake hard for no reason.  14

Avatar
brokenorange | 9 years ago
1 like

Bloody irresponsible of some people!

Did he not know that using a mobile phone while driving is illegal.  45

Avatar
McDuff73 replied to farrell | 9 years ago
0 likes
farrell wrote:

Erm, yes actually. Hence speed limits don't apply to pedestrians, cyclists, skateboarders amongst other things...

they dont apply to pedestrians and skateboarders because they are not vehicles on the road... and despite the fact that speed limits do not apply to bicycles, you can be prosecuted simply for cycling too fast - under the charge of 'cycling furiously', so nothing whatsoever to do with damage they cause nor size etc...

The only dumb thing about this discussion is thinking that the laws of the road dont apply to cyclists in the same manner they do other vehicles, but its that sort of attitude that leads to drivers thinking cyclists are self centred and ignorant, so well done for fostering such thoughts in other road users and generally making me and any other cyclist a little less safe because of your crap attitude towards the laws.

Avatar
McDuff73 replied to zanf | 9 years ago
0 likes
zanf wrote:

There is a vast difference to drafting a truck and being tailgated by one and comparing them is being overdramatic, to say the least.

Not in the eyes of the law and idiot drivers who would use such behaviour as an excuse to treat other cyclists badly as its an example of a cyclist breaking the law...
The laws apply to us as equally as they do motorised vehicle drivers.

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... replied to McDuff73 | 9 years ago
0 likes
McDuff73 wrote:
zanf wrote:

There is a vast difference to drafting a truck and being tailgated by one and comparing them is being overdramatic, to say the least.

Not in the eyes of the law and idiot drivers who would use such behaviour as an excuse to treat other cyclists badly as its an example of a cyclist breaking the law...
The laws apply to us as equally as they do motorised vehicle drivers.

Depends whether you are arguing about law or morality, really. You can keep emphasising the law, but it doesn't change the previous posters point that there is a significant difference between the two cases from a moral point-of-view.

What occurs to me about this is that its unfortunate that the demographics of UK cycling mean two fundamentally unrelated issues get conflated in the public's mind.

One being cycling as a means of transport, the other being the (seemingly timeless) association between young(ish) men and risky behaviour and doing things to prove their technical skill to themselves and others.

I don't really have a strong opinion on the rights-and-wrongs of the latter (no clue even whether its social or genetic in origin), but its really a separate issue from transport policy.

Avatar
pwake | 9 years ago
1 like

Was on a club run back in the eighties and had just got my first Avocet computer. I got in behind an artic at the top of a long smooth dual carriageway descent; hit 67mph.
I was seventeen at the time. Foolish, irresponsible, dangerous, a twat! Yes.
One of the scariest, enjoyable, intense, visceral, memorable moments of my life; absolutely!
I doubt there are very few on here who haven't ever done this.

Avatar
seven replied to matthewn5 | 9 years ago
0 likes
drmatthewhardy wrote:

I drop off the back if they go over 30 mph, I don't want to be smeared down the road if I hit a pothole.

This.

Potholes, ruts in the tarmac, exposed/sunken ironwork... they all ruin drafting. Even on roads where you know the pothole "layout" like the back of your hand, it can be difficult to judge exactly where you are in relation to the next one and you only get so many successful flicks/bunnyhops before you get caught.  2

Avatar
McDuff73 replied to FluffyKittenofTindalos | 9 years ago
0 likes
FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:

but its really a separate issue from transport policy.

Not when the two come together as in the example of this idiot, not only is he putting himself at risk but those around him too of emotional harm, its not only a matter of the law but also morality that you are responsible not just for yourself but those around you. This idiot crashes and hits any of the vehicles around him, who suffers emotionally, because he wanted to participate in risky behaviour and prove his skills to others. There are places where you can go to participate in riskier behaviour that doesn't put members of the public at risk as this one does, he is an example of a selfish, irresponsible cyclist and he does a disservice to all responsible law abiding cyclists.

Avatar
Beefy | 9 years ago
0 likes

Bloody idiot what on earth does he think he is doing having fun on a bike! To make matters worse his bike isn't steel and there no brooks saddle!! He needs to understand that cycling is serious stuff!

Imagine thinking personal autonomy still exists in this day and age I mean the days of John Stuart Mill and all that liberty crap are well gone  3

Pages

Latest Comments