AERODYNAMIC OVERHAUL
TAKE ONE WORLD-CLASS AERODYNAMICIST, AN ACCLAIMED TRI BRAND, A TOP TRIATHLETE SEEKING AERO GAINS AND A VELODROME, AND YOU HAVE THE ULTIMATE RECIPE FOR CUTTING DRAG AND BOOSTING SPEED…
Porthcawl’s Morgan Davies was a staple of the elite short-course triathlon circuit with two European Cup titles to his name. He’s professional but, highlighting the fragile nature of elite sport, he also works part-time at a local gym that supports him. He’s also recently made the move to 70.3 racing. “I feel this better suits my characteristics,” he tells us, “as long as I can sort my cycling out.”
We meet Davies in the confines of Derby’s impressive velodrome. He’s there with his coach, Rhys Jones, and under the watchful eye of aerodynamicist and key member of HuubWattbike, Dan Bigham. Over the next two hours, Davies will enjoy an aerodynamic makeover. He’s a strong swimmer, strong runner and, until February’s Ironman 70.3 Dubai, he’d thought a strong biker. “He can put the power out but, despite a positive 12th in his first 70.3, he lost time on the bike,” explains Jones. “We haven’t played about with bike set-up or aerodynamics too much before so, as his power output is good, that must be where he’s losing time.”
He certainly did in Dubai. Incredibly, Davies swam and ran quicker than eventual winner Bart Aernouts, but was 16mins down over the 90km bike leg. “If we can find 5mins on the bike today, I’d happily lose a minute on the run,” Davies tells us. And with that, his aero masterclass begins around the 250m circuit…
AERO SENSORS
Attached to Morgan’s bike is a Notio Konect, a contraption that mounts to the underside of an out-front computer mount and features a ‘pilot tube’ that protrudes from its body. “It’s used to estimate CdA [Coefficient of drag],” explains
Dan. “I think these’ll be as commonplace as power meters in the next 10-15 years.”
Aero sensors work by measuring factors like air density, power output, speed, bodyweight, gradient, wind speed… They also make several assumptions, one of the largest being rolling resistance. The problem is, this can vary markedly from rough surfaces compared to silky smooth ones. And is one reason why they’re more accurate in a controlled environment such as the velodrome compared to the dynamic backdrop of outdoor riding. Changing wind speed is another reason why they’re currently more reliable on the track.
One of the key benefits of these devices is that you can accurately answer race-specific questions like whether you should sprint out of the saddle or remain seated. Or when climbing, whether a rider’s more efficient sitting up on the tops, staying on their hoods or hitting the drops. “You also need someone to interpret the data,” adds Bigham, “but hopefully triathletes will become as knowledgeable with these as they are with power meters.”
POSITIONING
Every single positional or gear iteration saw Morgan ride around the velodrome four times in the ‘normal’ position and four times in the ‘shrug’ position. Normal is selfexplanatory. The shrug is, again, as it sounds: shrugging your shoulders. This has the effect of not only easing strain on the upper body, but also lowers the head position. Research has shown that the shrug can save 90g of drag (measured at 30mph), which equates to nine watts at normal Ironman speeds or around 35secs saved over 40km. The thing is, the shrug’s unnatural, so do it when you can: quiet stretches, straight sections and smooth downhills.
Bigham and his team, including brother Grant, play around with
armrests further forward, which was a bit quicker in natural, but slower in the shrug.
“We then used high-side armrests and went narrower again. This worked. We went narrower again and variance shot up significantly. After all the runs, despite Davies saying the praying-mantis position was comfortable, flat hands, narrow armrests and a little bit further forward is the way ahead.”
As Davies conceded, he’d spent a lot of time on his bike over the winter but on the turbo, and attempting to build power rather than cut drag. “I certainly hadn’t thought about tucking in my shoulders,” he says. “I realise now it’s not all about pushing watts.”
CLOTHING
On the day, Davies slipped in to two suits: Huub’s Anemoi from a couple years back and the new Dave Scott suit. Depending on Morgan’s position, he realised up to a 7.5-watt improvement with the DS garment. Which arguably comes down to work done over at F1’s playground.
“We’ve undertaken a helluva lot of testing in the Silverstone tunnel with Vorteq, especially during the development of the new Anemoi+ suit,” Bigham explains. “The fabric is an industry secret. What I can tell you is that we collected an ungodly amount of data points for each fabric tested. Variables involved are huge from rider’s size, rider’s speed, even air density. We had a huge spreadsheet showing the effectiveness of 100-plus different fabrics at different orientations and speeds from 20km/hr to 80km/hr.
“Vorteq coming on-board has really helped as they have some awesome technology. Instead of just taking a 3D scan of you, for example, they can put you into all manner of positions and get the fabric tension just right thanks to their patented software. I’ll use me as an example.
Last year, I used two different suits – an individual pursuit suit and a team-pursuit suit – because our research showed that one was optimised at 57-58km/hr, while one peaked at 55-56km/hr. The individual pursuit was off the shelf, while the team-pursuit version was bespoke and constructed by Sally Cowan.” Cowan’s a famous sporting seamstress having worked with Chris Boardman and UK Sport for years.
HELMETS
Morgan has no limitations on which helmet he can wear. On the day, Morgan tried out aero helmets from Giro, Endura, Met and Poc. After he’d ridden another 32 laps around the velodrome, he swung over to us and fed back. “I have to say, the [Giro] Aerohead felt the most comfortable. It also felt the fastest. And, while it’s hot in here, it has an element of cooling, too.”
The empirical matched that anecdotal positivity. “The Aerohead was about two to three watts quicker,” says Bigham. That’s a fair difference, says Dan, and worth the testing alone. One of his equipment bugbears is helmet manufacturers shouting that their helmets are the fastest for everyone. “It’s not true,” he protests. “We’re so individual. Your neck shape’s different to my neck shape; you might ride well in the crosswinds, me on the climbs. They should be more specific about who’ll benefit from the helmet.”
Bigham also works with Canyon SRAM. They’ve taken their cranial testing to the next level by
comparing sunglasses with visors, vents versus no vents… and questioned dogma along the way. “Take TT helmets. A lot of people think they’re bad from a heat perspective but when you look at the studies, it’s more the perception of heating than core temperature.” Of course, perception or not, uncomfortable is uncomfortable. But for Morgan, comfort, speed and cooling all derived from the Giro Aerohead.
FURTHER CHANGES
Bigham then sat down our (hopefully) new 70.3 star to talk further changes… “When it comes to hydration, removing your round bottle cage from the down tube is massive – around 13W. Two bottles behind the saddle is a good set-up, yet not the most practical. An aero bottle on the top tube or even the down tube is better than a round version. A leftfield option is running a CamelBak, which is an aerodynamically efficient option. You’ll have to put it on in T1, of course, and remember that your tube must be clipped in or you could catch it when pedalling. A Bento box is a win, especially one that cleanly suits your tri bike.
“I’d definitely go for Speedplay Zero Aero pedals. They’re another gain of around 2-3W but only use if you have no knee concerns around tracking. We also produce a thinner adaptor that drops the profile by 3mm. Just ensure you drop your saddle by this amount, too. And go for a pair of Anemoi Aero Overshoes. Another watt or two. Just pull over when you clip in during T1.
“Calf guards are a no-brainer if it’s a wetsuit swim. They’re around a half-a-second every kilometre. If you’re out there for 90km, you’re looking at 45secs.”
After a couple weeks, we dropped Morgan a line. “The main thing I’ve been focussing on is making a conscious effort to ride aero. For example, I’ve used mirrors to monitor my position on the turbo, which it looks like I’ll be doing a lot of in the near future!”