Ride like the wind (tunnel)
George Orwell
San Diego -- Alan Morrison, an avid cyclist, has spared no expense
trying to improve his times in weekend races. He bought a custom frame
($1,500), sleek wheels ($2,000) and a meter that tells him how much
wattage he's generating as he pedals ($2,500). But recently, he went a
step further, shelling out $1,000 to have scientists analyze his body
position while he rode a bike in 25-mile-per-hour winds.
"I didn't realize amateurs could have access to something like that,"
says Mr. Morrison, a 58-year-old retired chemical engineer from San
Jose, Calif.
With more people entering triathalons and cycling races, some weekend
warriors are pulling out all the stops to finish a few spots higher in
the standings. The latest sign of the Lance Armstrong trickle-down
effect is the growing appeal of wind tunnels, futuristic- looking
enclosures used mostly by aerospace companies to design new planes.
Wind tunnels contain giant fans that blow air at an object while
sensors measure the so-called drag, or how much force is pushing
against the object. Airplane makers take that information and use it to
design a more aerodynamic wing or fuselage. The idea of sticking
cyclists in wind tunnels took off among the pros around the beginning
of the decade in large part because Mr. Armstrong was training in them
to get ready for the Tour de France. Cyclists including Levi Leipheimer
and Floyd Landis have dramatically altered the way they sit on their
bikes based on wind-tunnel training.
From San Diego to Wichita, Kan., wind-tunnel operators faced with
consolidation in the aerospace industry are looking to weekend warriors
to help fill the void. But can an hour pedaling in front a big fan
really help an amateur pick up the pace? Kenneth Moll, a lawyer in
Chicago who is preparing for the Ironman race http://www.ironman.com/
in Wisconsin, has hired cycling coaches, swim coaches and personal
trainers -- and says the wind tunnel was the most useful hour of
training.
Others, though, have had less success. During her hour-long session,
Darby Lippincott was told she could save five minutes an hour by adding
handlebar extensions that stick out farther over the front wheel. But
when she tried the new technique in an Ironman race in Canada last
year, her back started spasming 70 miles into her 112-mile ride because
she was so uncomfortable. "I had to soft pedal" because of the spasm,
says Ms. Lippincott, the owner of a Seattle construction company. "I
couldn't dig in."
The interest in wind tunnels comes at a time when aerodynamics is
becoming a hotter topic in cycling. For years, making bikes lighter in
weight was the big obsession. Now that bikes are about as light as
they're going to get without compromising a rider's safety, people have
moved on. According to professional cycling coaches, about 80% of the
effort cyclists put out during a ride goes toward fighting the wind.
Clothing and equipment makers are also gearing up on this front.
Italian apparel maker Castelli http://snipurl.com/castelli recently
released a $150 cycling jersey, called "The Split Second,"
http://snipurl.com/1ik2f whose strategically placed seams and golf-ball-
like dimples promise to diminish wind resistance. The label claims the
jersey will save cyclists "58 seconds in 40km at 40km/hr."
Among amateur athletes, the best-known wind tunnel is the San Diego Low
Speed Wind Tunnel. In the last few years, some 250 cyclists have paid
for a session at the facility, and cyclists now account for about 15%
of its revenue. A couple of years ago, the tunnel spent $200,000 on new
sensors that are more accurate with slower-moving objects (35 mph is a
typical speed for cyclists vs. hundreds of miles per hour for
airplanes). The San Diego Air & Space Museum took over the facility
when it was on the verge of being shuttered.
Wind tunnels at the University of Washington, Texas A&M and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology have also tested cyclists. The
AeroDyn Wind Tunnel in Charlotte, N.C., was designed for Nascar teams.
But this summer, it plans to open to cyclists a smaller tunnel nearby,
and says it already has a waiting list of 27 people...
Michael Press
George Orwell <Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]>
wrote:
> Wall Street Journal - April 28, 2007
>
> San Diego -- Alan Morrison, an avid cyclist, has spared no expense
> trying to improve his times in weekend races. He bought a custom frame
> ($1,500), sleek wheels ($2,000) and a meter that tells him how much
> wattage he's generating as he pedals ($2,500). But recently, he went a
> step further, shelling out $1,000 to have scientists analyze his body
> position while he rode a bike in 25-mile-per-hour winds.
>
> "I didn't realize amateurs could have access to something like that,"
> says Mr. Morrison, a 58-year-old retired chemical engineer from San
> Jose, Calif.
But what has this to do with drugs?
Oh, I get it; `chemical' engineer.
--
Michael Press
squeaker
>
> But what has this to do with drugs?
> Oh, I get it; `chemical' engineer.
>
position ;)
naked_draughtsman
"George Orwell" <Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote in
message news:9eda417d02a18702...@mixmaster.it...
> Wall Street Journal - April 28, 2007
>
> San Diego -- Alan Morrison, an avid cyclist, has spared no expense
> trying to improve his times in weekend races. He bought a custom frame
> ($1,500), sleek wheels ($2,000) and a meter that tells him how much
> wattage he's generating as he pedals ($2,500). But recently, he went a
> step further, shelling out $1,000 to have scientists analyze his body
> position while he rode a bike in 25-mile-per-hour winds.
>
> "I didn't realize amateurs could have access to something like that,"
> says Mr. Morrison, a 58-year-old retired chemical engineer from San
> Jose, Calif.
We've got a wind tunnel at university, and the former leader of our cycling
club works in the departmental labs that run it....
--
peter
Cheap train tickets database
http://www.petereverett.co.uk/tickets/
Email sent to this address is generally deleted upon arrival
Visit website if you want to contact me
Simon Mason
"George Orwell" <Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote in
message news:9eda417d02a18702...@mixmaster.it...
>
> San Diego -- Alan Morrison, an avid cyclist, has spared no expense
> trying to improve his times in weekend races. He bought a custom frame
> ($1,500), sleek wheels ($2,000) and a meter that tells him how much
> wattage he's generating as he pedals ($2,500). But recently, he went a
> step further, shelling out $1,000 to have scientists analyze his body
> position while he rode a bike in 25-mile-per-hour winds.
Here's a cheapo version. Film your action side on to get that flat back
position.
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/MVI_1476_0001.jpg
--
Simon Mason
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net
DougC
"I didn't realize that amateurs could have access to something to
*waste* *money* like that," says Mr. Morrison,,,,,,
Oh well, he had fun I suppose. I hope.
(...this is like a totally-new direction for Lance-wannabees, previously
they'd only spend for bling that other cyclists could /look/ at...)
~
Fred Fredburger
I'd bet that if someone did a serious cost/benefit analysis, they'd find
your way to be massively more efficient.
b...@mambo.ucolick.org
<FredFredbur...@WhereAreTheNachos.huh> wrote:
> Simon Mason wrote:
> > "George Orwell" <Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote in
> >> Wall Street Journal - April 28, 2007
>
> >> San Diego -- Alan Morrison, an avid cyclist, has spared no expense
> >> trying to improve his times in weekend races. He bought a custom frame
> >> ($1,500), sleek wheels ($2,000) and a meter that tells him how much
> >> wattage he's generating as he pedals ($2,500). But recently, he went a
> >> step further, shelling out $1,000 to have scientists analyze his body
> >> position while he rode a bike in 25-mile-per-hour winds.
>
> > Here's a cheapo version. Film your action side on to get that flat back
> > position.
> >http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/MVI_1476_0001.jpg
>
> I'd bet that if someone did a serious cost/benefit analysis, they'd find
> your way to be massively more efficient.
Kraig Willett of biketechreview.com wrote some articles
about photographing riders (on the TIAA team?) from the
front to determine their frontal area - I can't recall where
they were published, though.
Ben
Alan Braggins
>
>"George Orwell" <Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote in
>message news:9eda417d02a18702...@mixmaster.it...
>> Wall Street Journal - April 28, 2007
>>
>> San Diego -- Alan Morrison, an avid cyclist, has spared no expense
>> trying to improve his times in weekend races. He bought a custom frame
>> ($1,500), sleek wheels ($2,000) and a meter that tells him how much
>> wattage he's generating as he pedals ($2,500). But recently, he went a
>> step further, shelling out $1,000 to have scientists analyze his body
>> position while he rode a bike in 25-mile-per-hour winds.
>>
>> "I didn't realize amateurs could have access to something like that,"
>> says Mr. Morrison, a 58-year-old retired chemical engineer from San
>> Jose, Calif.
>
>We've got a wind tunnel at university, and the former leader of our cycling
>club works in the departmental labs that run it....
I spent some of my year off working at a wind tunnel, but since it had
to be pumped down to near vacuum before getting up to high supersonic speeds,
I don't think it would have been much use for cycling in....