<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia . See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions . (July 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia . See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions . (July 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> In a road bicycle race, the peloton (from French, originally meaning' platoon') is the main group or pack of riders . Riders in a group save energy by riding close (drafting or slipstreaming) near (particularly behind) other riders . The reduction in drag is dramatic; in the middle of a well - developed group it can be as much as 40% . Exploitation of this potential energy saving leads to very complex cooperative and competitive interactions between riders and teams in race tactics . </P> <P> The term is also used to refer to the community of professional cyclists in general, as in' the professional peloton .' </P>

What does the word peloton mean in english