Ironman bicycle aerodynamics: praying mantis

Levi Leipheimer using the praying mantis position at the Amgen Tour of California

It appears that Floyd Landis has left more than just a fleeting impression on the sport and I am not talking about doping.

Being an ex-cyclist, I pay close attention to the international cycling scene, particularly the advances in technology and aerodynamics.

With the Amgen Tour of California being the first big tour of the year from a media perspective (that is for those of us outside Europe). It is also the first opportunity to see up close what technological advances have been brought to the peloton.

The prologue time trial (TT) also presented a chance to see what changes have been made in terms of aerodynamics and it is here that the Landis praying mantis position is abundantly evident.

Fabian Cancellara using the praying mantis position

Texas A&M wind tunnel tests show that this radical arm position is very effective in reducing drag, the key limiter in aerodynamics but as with most aero advantages that involve the body, they come at a cost. In this case it is the closing of the chest in order to get the elbows together and the arms narrow.

Will we see this position adopted in triathlon? I have no doubt that someone will try it but given the fact that the average elite triathlete has much broader shoulders than the equivalent cyclist, coupled with the fact that non-drafting events usually consist of a much longer TT, I cannot see it being universally adopted and will probably be confined to the small, slender guys like Gerrit Schellens.

At the end of the day, comfort and common sense must prevail. In an event like Ironman, you need to be comfortable for 5+ hours and this usually means a less than ‘perfect’ aerodynamic position.

Watch TriCape.com for more on the subject and possibly a few guest articles from some frame builders.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 22nd, 2007 at 5:27 am and is filed under DParks, Fabian Cancellara, Floyd Landis, Frankland Robin, Gerrit Schellens, Ironman, Ironman South Africa, South Africa, Texas A&M, Tour of California, aerodynamics, bike, bike setup, cycling, long ride, media, peloton, power output, praying mantis, prologue, racing position, strength, technique, technology, time trial position, triathlon, triathlon, triathon, wind tunnel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.