Want to ride faster (bicycling)? Three (3) sections of this presentation takes you through a breakdown of actions you can take to become a faster cyclist.

1. By
Morten Pedersen
January 2015 (v1)
March 2017 (v2)
WANT TO RIDE FASTER ?
A Layman’s comprehensive decomposition with actionable items

2. F A S T ? F A S T E R ?
Something about the aero
position…
Team Sky Team TT!
Sir Bradley Wiggins
Fastest of them all
= knighthood
2x disc
wheels!!!
(J. Kenny)

3. Objective: Ride Faster
A decomposition into actionable items
3
RIDE
FASTER
Increase your
Watts to
Weight ratio
Reduce
Resistance+
Increase your
Power
(Watts)
Reduce
Total
weight
Improve your
Aero-
dynamics
Improve the
Bike
Mechanics
Let’s look closer at SECTION 2
Objective
Level1
Level2
Improve race day
Execution
Prepare for
Race Day with
B-races and by
race simulation
Train by
following a
training
plan
+
SECTION 1 SECTION 2 SECTION 3

4. Reduce Resistance
Improve your aerodynamics – body, bike and gear
n Majority of drag is caused by your
body position on the bike
(see the hotter colors below)
4
Improve your
Aerodynamics
Improve your
Riding (body)
Aerodynamics
Improve your
Bike & Gear
aerodynamics
Stay in
Aero-position
Tri-bike for
triathlons. Aero-
road or road bike for
peloton races
Level2
Level3Level4
Improve your
Flexibility
On road bikes:
Use drops.
Learn to descend
Upgrade gear
that reduce
drag the most
Draft
whenever allowed
Bike Fit
to optimize your
position

5. Resistance
Aero drag (wind resistance) is the biggest factor at 65%+
5
Source: Cervelo.com Source: Ryan Miller. CEB555
“The Aerodynamics of Bicycles”
Percentages come out different in
various test settings. Left bar chart
is based on 4km pursuit, where
right list is more general.

6. Improve your riding aerodynamics
Smaller frontal area is better – requiring less power
n Aero-position minimizes your frontal area by ‘hiding’ your large chest area
n Sitting up (hands on the ‘tops’) while riding is dramatically slowing you down or
requiring much higher power to keep the same velocity
6
Source: (Above) Ryan Miller, CEB555
The Aerodynamics of Bicycles. (Left)

7. Upgrade gear to reduce drag
Skin suit then TT helmet deliver biggest time savings
7Source: POC Sports
… and shaved legs.
Wind tunnel proven
to shave off 50 sec on
40k TT...
Based on new evidence
from Specialized’s wind
tunnel (still limited
sample of 6 test athletes)

8. Bike Aero
Shape matters.Think airplanes. Hence tri-bike frames
n Cervelo, Felt and Guru tri-bikes
have similar frame shaping, using
a wing (airfoil or droplet) like
shape to further reduce drag on
the frame.
n The shape of the head tube
matters most as it is the first point
to break the air flow
8
Cervelo P3 Felt B2 Guru cr901
Drag coefficient for
different shapes
(lower number is better)

9. Bike Aero (cont’d)
Take it to the next level with the Falco V
n Eliminating the conventional seat tube reduces frame drag even
further - is it worth it?
n Keep in mind you can shave you legs, get an aero-helmet and wear a
skin suit – all of which yield better improvements
9
Above wind tunnel graphics: Notice
the yellow and red areas behind the
rider.

10. Bike Aero (cont’d)
Pushing the boundaries: 1 hour records
n Did I mention that AERODYNAMICS MATTERS!? 91.5 km/h in an airplane like
bicycle vs. 51.8 km/h on a ‘regular’ triathlon bike in an indoor velodrome
10
Current hour record for IHPVA bicycles
(International Human Powered Vehicles
Association) sits at 91.556 km – that’s 50-60 km/h
faster than your 40k TT! ICU approved Hour Record set September 18th 2014 by Jens
Voigt at 51.110 km (under the new UCI unified rules). Later
beat by Matthias Brandle, Oct 30th 2014 at 51.852km.

11. Power Transfer: Frame Stiffness
Marginal importance unless you are a sprinter
n Your bike’s power transfer only matters for Crit racing and
sprint events. Stiffness often comes by sacrificing comfort!
n Top end models from Cannondale, Giant, Cervelo, Specialized,
Canyon, Scott,Trek and Felt score well… other brands were
likely not part of Giant’s test (e.g. Colnago, Guru, Pinarello,…)
11
Improve the
Bike
Mechanics
Pick a frame with
Good
Pedaling
stiffness*
Level2Level3
Pedaling stiffness
As published by Giant
Sep-2012. Frame testing
* Also known as Bottom Bracket stiffness
Ensure
Right Gearing
Use race tires with
Low Rolling
Resistance
Ensure your bike is
Well
Maintained
Highest frame
stiffness

12. Rolling Resistance (~5-10% of energy)
Tires come with different rolling resistances
n Choosing the right race tires can help you further reduce rolling
resistance and free up 2-6 Watts for speed instead of friction loss
12
1
1
2
2
In general a slick tire will
have lower resistance.
Low rolling resistance
often comes at the
compromise of less
durability. Hence race
wheels with race tires is
a good idea.

13. Rolling Resistance
Tire pressure is also key to reduce rolling resistance
Individualized tire pressure
n Determine tire pressure based on:
n Tire rating - Tire Pressure Indicator
(60,150,220 or 320 tpi)
n Weight of you + your bike
n E.g. male with bike weight >95kg using 150tpi
rated tires results in 115 psi on front, 120 psi on
rear tire
Tire Width together with Pressure determine
rolling resistance – not tire width in isolation. In
general a wider tire will reduce the rolling
resistance but a narrower tire can often sustain
higher pressure and will have better
aerodynamics.
Google “AFM Tire Testing Rev9” for a
comprehensive list of rolling resistance. Only
limited data is shared on www.
13
Source:Vittoria Tyre Guide

14. Right Gearing
Avoid running out of high gears on descents or low on hills
n Standard or compact crank set? 12-25 or 11-27 Cassette?
n Changing a 12-25 cassette to 11-25 teeth adds 4 km/h of potential
cruising speed – e.g. on a -3% descend (47.3 to 51.6 km/h. see below
table)
14
Source: bicycles.stackexchange.com

15. Maintenance
A well maintained bike rides smoother with less friction
Get your bike race ready
with a tune-up at your local
shop…
2-4 weeks before your race
Ensure that:
n Rotating components are clean
n Rusty components are changed
n Brakes aren’t rubbing
n Chain & drive train are lubed
and gears run and shift
smoothly
15
Source: Bycycology.org.uk: A Guide to …
You can learn how
to adjust brakes
a n d g e a r s
yourself… it is
handy to know, but
don’t r isk this
leading up to your
A-race.

16. Wrap-up
Overview for part 1 and 2
16
RIDE
FASTER
Reduce
Resistance+
Increase your
Watts to Weight
ratio
Improve your
Aero-
dynamics
Improve the
Bike
Mechanics
Improve A-race
Execution+
Increase your
Watts
Reduce total
Weight
Increase the
Cadence
Your body:
Lose Weight
Your bike:
Shed off
gear weight
Train & race
with a Power
Meter
Polarized
training
program
Nutrition
Pick a frame with
Good frame
stiffness*
Ensure
Right
Gearing
Use race tires with
Low Rolling
Resistance
Objective
Improve your
Riding (body)
Aerodynamics
Improve your
Bike & Gear
aerodynamics
Stay in
Aero-position
Tri-bike for
triathlons.
Aero-road or road
bike for peloton
races
Improve your
Flexibility
On road bikes:
Use drops.
Learn to descend
Upgrade gear
that reduce
drag the most
Draft
whenever allowed
Train by
following a
training plan
Prepare for Race
Day with B-races
and by simulating
race day
Ensure a well
Maintained
bike
Bike Fit!
SECTION 3