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Aerodynamics of Cycling - Part 2
How do Professionals Combat Air Resistance?

Written by Benjamin Chee, last edited 4/17/2022

In professional cycling, cyclists are able to go over 40 mph (70 km/h) even when they do not have school buses to hide behind. They are able to achieve this through their aerodynamic riding style and gear, along with some seriously big thighs. 

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The riders’ bodies generate 70% of the air resistance. To decrease the number of air particles pushing on their bodies, they ride in pelotons, or large groups of cyclists. Those in the front do all the work while those in the back barely need to expend any energy, similar to my experience with a bus. The riders in the back (me) are barely pedaling while the ones in the front are pedaling hard and pushing aside the air particles for those behind them (the bus).

 

If there is a crosswind, this is a bit trickier. Since the wind does not come from directly ahead, the traditional peloton setups do not work. To achieve a similar effect as a peloton, cyclists line up in diagonal lines, but now fewer people are able to benefit from the work of other cyclists because roads are less wide than they are long. For a video describing this phenomenon, check out the last video in Part 1 of this series.

 

What about their bodies? The cyclists’ body accounts for about half of all air drag experienced, so it is important for cyclists to find ways to minimize that drag. They do that by manipulating their body positions to optimize airflow and energy spent.

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Let’s assume that the regular riding position is when a cyclist is riding upright. The cyclist is going 30 mph at sea level. 

 

The most common way to decrease drag while not exerting too much extra energy is riding with your hands over your handlebars. By hunching over, the frontal surface area is decreased, causing a decrease in air resistance by 34%.

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Another way to give an advantage in cycling is a position known as the Supertuck where riders crouch themselves into the bike as much as possible, decreasing the air resistance by over 50%. It is worthy to note that this position is now banned in many cycling competitions because of the lack of balance in this position, causing many crashes.

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Normal riding position

Hands over handlebars

"Supertuck"

The final and most aerodynamic position is known as Superman. In this position, only the head causes frontal air resistance, substantially decreasing the surface area air particles can push against. Riders are almost like airplanes, cutting through the air. However, it consumes a lot of energy because the rider needs to maintain a streamlined position, so they need to balance the increase in speed and the extra energy spent and decide if going into this position is worth it. In addition, it is really hard to balance on the bicycle in this position and riders might fall in their desire to go faster.

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Michael Guerra's "Superman"

Check out part three where we will finally go into the second aspect of air resistance, surface friction!

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