re: scenario #4, luckily the two guys in front and one behind me had power meters. Here are Strava power graphs of riders 1-4 pacelining on a ~4 min / 1.5 mile Strava segment into 5mph cross/headwind on Wed night:
- 1st Wheel pulled the whole segment, he is a smaller and more aero rider pulling 223W average which is just below his FTP:
- 2nd Wheel another smaller more aero rider getting a nice draft (137W avg):
- 3rd Wheel (me) a bigger less aero rider getting no real draft and dealing with choppier air requiring 250W avg just below estimated FTP, and a lot of excursions well above FTP:
- 4th Wheel another bigger less aero rider about my size and getting a nice draft (141W avg) and his FTP is ~280-300 so easy spinning for him:
Notice how 1st wheel has smoother power graph. He is a masters 55+ rider and has some podiums on crits and road races. Really smooth and fast rider on the flats. Not sure if that proves anything, but aligns with my earlier claim. Also notice how power gets choppier as you go back into the paceline, and it gets harder in a cross/headwind to smooth out the power.