Numerical analysis of drag of different cyclist positions for hill descent

Abstract eng:
As elite athletes are continuously looking for the best performance, they may take additional risks as illustrated by the particular descent position held by professional cyclist Chris Froome during the 2016 Tour de France, in which he sat on the top tube with his torso bent over the handlebar. At that time, numerous sports commentators and cyclist fans claimed that this position, although dangerous, would be aerodynamically superior. Using detailed simulations with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based on grid-convergence analysis and validation with wind-tunnel tests, eight different positions are compared, including three variants of the “Froome position”, two variants of a second position (lower part of the body behind the saddle) and three variants of a third position (rider seated on the saddle but with the upper body (waist, torso, neck, head) as much as possible parallel to the ground). The latter are termed “safe descent positions”. The drag induced for each position is compared with the drag of the same cyclist in optimal time trial position and in upright position. The results indicate that the Froome position, although more dangerous, is not aerodynamically superior compared to the best of the safe descent positions.

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