Technique

A beginner’s guide to aerodynamics – and why it’s so important to cycling

If you want to go fast, you need to understand aerodynamics. Here's are guide on why it's more important to evade than try and overpower the wind

There's a good reason why we all hate headwinds...

Aerodynamics have become more an more prominent in cycling over the last few years, and are no longer just the domain of the time trialist
Whether your in the velodrome or on the road, aerodynamics are a key limiting factor in how quickly you'll be able to ride (pic: Alex Whitehead/SWpix)
No matter what, when you're riding on your own it's far more efficient to try and get out of the way of the air than attempt to overpower it
The best way to measure aerodynamics and the drag your produce as a rider is to test in a wind tunnel (pic: Endura)
Every bit of kit these days seems to come with a claimed aero gain over a certain distance at a certain speed, but how much of that translates to the speed at which you ride?

There's a good reason why we all hate headwinds...

If you pay any attention at all to bike trends, you’ll have noticed there’s been a notable shift towards aero in the last few years.

Almost every big bike brand has a dedicated aero road bike now, designed with thicker, more aero profiled tubing and even – in the cases of Trek’s new Madone and Specialized’s latest Venge – complete integrated aerodynamic systems designed to reach for marginal gains.

Outside of how many watts you’re able to push, how aerodynamic you are is the key figure in determining how fast you’ll be able to ride your bike. In fact, aerodynamics are actually more important in some cases – such as individual time trials – because it’s your ability to pass through the air that determines how fast you’ll be riding in conjunction with how many watts you can maintain. That’s the reason why the person who wins an individual time trial in the Tour de France won’t always be the rider that maintains the highest average power for the ride – because evading the air is far more efficient than blasting it out of the way.

Similarly, aerodynamics is the key reason why riding in a group is more efficient than riding on your own. In fact, just riding behind a single rider can save a significant amount of energy (up to 30 per cent in some cases) as you have someone cutting through the air in front of you saving you the effort of doing so.

But why is all of the above the case? Read on and find out why aerodynamics is so important to cycling – and what you can do to cheat the wind…