Last year, Challenge Roth became the first race to make its RaceRanger data publicly available after the event, giving everyone insight into which pro athletes drafted, for how long, when, and behind whom. The organization did the same this year, and the data shows that drafting has decreased by more than half.
Last year, pro athletes drafted for an average of 2 minutes and 40 seconds. This year – in 2026 – that dropped to just 1 minute and 15 seconds: a decrease of no less than 53 percent. The median – the point where half the athletes drafted less and the other half drafted more – dropped even further: in 2025, half of all pros rode in the draft zone for at least 1 minute and 10 seconds, whereas this year that figure was down to just 16 seconds. That represents a 77 percent drop.
The number of pro athletes who drafted for two minutes or more also saw a massive decline: last year, it applied to 35 percent of all pros, compared to just 14 percent this year. Additionally, the number of ‘yo-yo maneuvers’ decreased – referring to athletes who enter the draft zone appearing to pass, but then drop back again. Last year, this happened an average of 23.4 times per athlete, compared to just 7.9 times this year. That is a 66 percent decrease.
Women still draft significantly less than men. For the men, the average dropped from 3 minutes and 15 seconds to 1 minute and 43 seconds, while the women already had an average of just 58 seconds last year. This year, that figure was down to just 25 seconds. This is easily explained by a consistently more compact (i.e., smaller) field in the women’s race, as well as the fact that female athletes tend to ride much further apart as a result.
This year, Challenge Roth implemented a 20-meter drafting zone for the first time. While this has been the standard for many Challenge Family races for years, Challenge Roth only made the switch this year from the previously enforced 12 meters.
All RaceRanger data can be viewed here, where you can also inspect the data on an individual athlete basis.
