AeroLab Tech

After a long winter the sweetest days are field days. Big developments on the horizon! Stayed tuned 😉

Ever wonder how aero is aero; how you stack up in terms of both W/kg and aerodynamics; or how much faster you can be through improvements in either power or position? Using our database of outdoor aerodynamic tests we were able to put together some basic graphs and charts to answer these questions.
In slide 1 we have a distribution of rider CdA values while in the TT position. These values range from 0.337 to 0.164, but this isn’t the whole story. This graph describes how riders compare from an aerodynamic point of view but not how fast they will go.
Dividing the rider’s W/kg by certain CdA percentiles (from 5 to 95%) we are able to produce a performance ratio (slide 2) that captures how strong a rider is but also how limited they are due to aerodynamics. For example, if you are a Cat 1 in the 68th aero-percentile capable of producing 4.88 W/kg your performance ratio is 22.03. This very close to a world-tour pro pushing 6.03 W/kg in the 50th aero-percentile!
Now for the good stuff. In slide 3 we are able to take this performance ratio and solve for the rider’s average speed on a flat course assuming a weight of 75kg. We can see now that our Cat 1 rider is able to hold 48 kph while the pro is at 49.8 kph.
So how do we use this information? Say you are able to produce 3.5 W/kg for the duration of your event but you keep coming up short averaging just under 40 kph while the winners in your category are closer to 42 kph. You know the potential at your W/kg is close to 45 kph meaning there are lots of aerodynamic gains to be made!