Cycling
Peloton Takeoff: Tour de France star pulls plane into the air
A glider pulled into the air by human strength? Florian Lipowitz and the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe team made history by towing a plane to flight with pedal power. Find out how many watts it took!
Nine cyclists from the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe team, led by Tour de France star Florian Lipowitz have just achieved a world-first feat in Son Bonet, Mallorca: towing a glider into the air using pure pedal power. The riders accelerated to 54kph on a 1,500m runway, peaking at a combined 6,500 watts, and averaging 650 seated watts for 90 seconds to lift pilot Andy Hediger's glider into flight.
Connected to the glider by a 150m cord and specially engineered harness, the peloton demonstrated extraordinary teamwork, strength, and precision to make history.
Watch the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe cyclists help a glider achieve lift-off:
“When I first heard about this project, I didn’t think it was possible. Launching a plane? It seemed impossible. Nothing like this has ever been done in road cycling," said 25-year-old Lipowitz, who finished third in the 2025 Tour de France.
The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe riders who made history at the Peloton Takeoff
- Florian Lipowitz
Florian Lipowitz: From the Tour de France to towing a glider up to the sky
© Predrag Vuckovic@extreme-photographer.com
When I first heard about this project, I didn't think it was possible. Launching a plane? It seemed impossible
How did the cyclists and the pilot work together?
Cycling is generally seen as an individual sport, with solo victories, time trials and a single winner, but Peloton Takeoff showcases the teamwork required to achieve such extraordinary feats.
Getting the glider off the ground and then into flight wasn’t just about leg-pumping teamwork among the cyclists however; it also required coordination with pilot Andy Hediger as the riders couldn’t see the glider and pilot Hediger lost sight of the peloton immediately after takeoff.
Team effort and high-level coordination were required
© Predrag Vučković/Red Bull Content Pool
Dan Bigham, Head of Engineering for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, compared the effort to that of a race-winning move. "The effort was unique, but equally comparable to a race-winning move, with the added complexity of balancing the forces with your team-mate to keep the peloton unified."
Critical to the success of the feat was the custom harness Bigham and his team created to allow the riders to pedal in perfect harmony and equally balance the forces being exerted on the glider. "The harness was a critical element, something that simply did not exist before. We spent countless hours developing it and that work allowed us to make history with Peloton Takeoff.
Flying at near-minimum speed while maintaining tension on the cord demanded precise, steady control and for Hediger, the project was a dream come true. "Being towed by manpower was a special feeling. I'm so happy to finally combine aviation with cycling and to see Red Bull bringing our new ideas to life", he said.
Job well done as the first cyclist-launched glider flies high
© Predrag Vuckovic@extreme-photographer.com
From the data we knew it would take around 500 watts from each rider to launch the plane, but we didn't want to stop there
Combining cycling and aviation opened up exciting new possibilities for science and engineering. Bigham calls the project “game-changing for the sport” and a chance to use his expertise in aerodynamics to achieve something never done before.
"From the data and our models we knew it would take around 500 watts from each rider to launch the plane, but we didn't want to stop there – every watt more meant more altitude for the plane. To see Andy reach 100m was pretty special," Bigham added.