Training With Wind Tunnel Technology
12 June 2008
Wind tunnel technology is one of the most exciting new technologies available to competitive cyclists today, allowing them to refine their aerodynamic positioning to significantly improve their efficiency and speed. When the Colorado Premier Training’s new Ambient Air Tech Wind Tunnel and Lab in Fort Collins, Colorado opened up last August, we posted a blog about it, and now we have a review of the facility from long-time TrainingPeaks user coach Peter Cummings from Plan2Peak Endurance Sport Coaching.
Peter is a cycling coach who specializes in power meters and uses TrainingPeaks and WKO+ software to analyze his clients’ performance. He has more recently become an expert on leveraging wind tunnel technology to achieve dramatic improvements for his elite cyclists. In his latest article, Leveraging Technology to Maximize Your Race Results, Coach Cummings describes the advantages of wind tunnel testing and the Retul 3Dimensional motion capture fitting system. For an excerpt from the article, read on, and to download the entire document, click here.
Leveraging Technology to maximize your race results
By: Coach Peter Cummings
Over the past several years, the proliferation of more affordable wind tunnel facilities has offered both professional athletes as well as amateur racers great opportunities for significantly improving their aerodynamic positioning on their time trial, triathlon and road bike setups. For those unfamiliar, a wind tunnel is a huge continuous wind tube, in which the athlete (and/or equipment) being tested are positioned on (connected to) a measuring platform within the tunnel. As the wind passes through the tube it hits the objects connected to the platform, and the platform can then measure the drag created by this collision. In sum, a wind tunnel allows the athlete and coach to determine the aerodynamics of equipment and various positions. Each position is measured and documented before moving on to new positions and/or more equipment.
My experience and my athletes’ results have been impressive. What I have seen since our 3 trips to wind tunnels is many personal records and 5 state TT championships in 2 years, including three course records this season. I think my athletes would also tell you it was worth it to them.
Typically, you are trying to find subtle drag improvements through equipment or positioning changes that might add up to big improvements in speed. For example, on my latest wind tunnel trip, the athlete’s baseline position (his original position and equipment) was initially tested, and then by the time we finished testing variations we found a position that reduced drag significantly. This more aerodynamic position would require 40 fewer watts to generate the same speed on the bike as the baseline position had previously required. Thus, we essentially found 40 extra watts of speed. 40 watts is a big number. In this case it represents over 10% of this athletes’ Functional Threshold Power (FTP is defined as the maximum power the athlete can maintain for 60 minutes). Such an increase in an athlete’s fitness could take months or years to reach, if it was even possible to achieve at all.
Click here to download and read the rest of Peter’s article including how he uses the Retul 3Dimensional motion capture fitting system in addition to wind tunnel testing to stay on the cutting edge of technology as he guides his athletes to better performance.
Peter Cummings specializes with training with power meters and is one of the earliest adopters of the TrainingPeaks platform and WKO+ software. He was certified by the American College of Sports Medicine in 1993. He is a Certified and Licensed USA Cycling Level II (Expert) Coach, and Certified USA Cycling Skills Instructor. As a health club owner and coach he has directed and overseen the programming of over 10,000 individuals and has been racing bicycles since 1991. His many athletes stand on podiums at Nationals, State and Local championships, and have worn the Stars and Stripes National Championship Jersey. He is available for consultations, presentations, testing, programming or coaching. Those interested can contact him at Peter@Plan2Peak.com. For more articles on training and racing with power and other cycling specific topics by Coach Cummings visit www.Plan2Peak.com. For those interested in a Time Trial Specific Training Camp including wind tunnel testing check back with www.Plan2Peak.com this fall.
No comments yet
