Drafting effect in cycling: investigation by wind tunnel tests

Cyclists travelling in groups experience a significant reduction in the wind resistance and those behind consume less energy due to the shielding effect of the front cyclist. We investigated drafting effects by wind tunnel tests realizing a test set-up with two cyclists pedalling at different longitudinal distance. Drag reduction effects on both the leading and the trailing cyclist are confirmed. The presence of lateral wind is also investigated showing a significant reduction of the drafting effect also for light winds.
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Bibliographic Details
Subjects:
Notations:technical and natural sciences endurance sports
Published in:Procedia Engineering
Language:English
Published: 2016
Online Access:http://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.06.186
Volume:147
Pages:38-43
Document types:article
Level:advanced