“Time in the wind tunnel is worth its weight in gold”
Cutting wind resistance by fine tuning the athletes position and equipment is worth its weight in gold.
“As a climber, all the seconds I can get in the time trial are important, so to be here, doing this, it’s
these small details that can help me a lot,” Sastre said.
Recent aerodynamic testing at the renowned San Diego Low Speed Wind Tunnel determined that wearing the Cervélo Aero Race Jersey could save 10 watts when riding with your hands on the hoods at 40 km/h over a 40-kilometers distance. That translates into about 40 seconds saved every hour compared to a standard cycling jersey.
Hushovd played with not only his time trial position but also out-of-saddle versus in-saddle drag numbers. “I was shocked to see how the numbers went up as you get out of the saddle,” he said. “It was proof it’s better for me to stay on the wheel until I have to go into the wind.
“Slippery”
Wind tunnel testing enables the various elements that make up a cyclist’s aerodynamic profile to be identified and modified. Once the position of the athlete is dialled in, its up to the various elements of their equipment (bicycle, wheels, bars, clothing etc.) to complement their riding position.
Wind obviously doesn’t just flow over the bicycle alone, or over an individual component such as a wheel. It flows over the combined body of the bicycle and rider.
In a back room at the San Diego Wind Tunnel, Castelli’s Steve Smith counseled Carlos Sastre on the materials in their new race kits.
4 Comments
Have Castelli been running these windtunnel test in corporation with Cervelo?
Hi Rob, we spend two days in the San Diego windtunnel with the engineers of Cervèlo, Sastre, Hushovd and Kirstin Armstrong in February to
finalize the right patterns to make the most aerodynamic skinsuit for Sastre. We will be going back to the tunnel within the next month and hopefully come out with the most aerodynamic skinsuit ever made :o)
After reading through the article, I feel that I need more information on the topic. Can you share some more resources ?
Hi Ted, please send your email address to blog@castelli-cycling.com and we’ll send you more information on our windtunnel testing. Thanks.