Journal of professional cyclists Ian MacGregor and Timmy Duggan

Wind Tunnel Testing

This past week I had the opportunity to head up to the Colorado Premier Training wind tunnel facility in Ft. Collins, CO to do some testing on my Felt TT bike. I thought I had a pretty aerodynamic position before, but I was able to make some significant improvements to cut through the wind even faster. At 30mph, my new position saves me a whopping 20 watts of power! Over a 30km course, thats in the neighborhood of 40 seconds faster. Wow!!! I can’t wait to try it out in a race. Daimo our mechanic had to make some clever changes to my aerobar set up to accomodate my new position, but it worked perfect when I went back to test it again later in the week. It is really amazing how much little changes affect your drag, and it is really something you have to be aware of in a time trial race. Minute changes in head and helmet position can make a big difference. You have to think of how you are slipping through the air, and not just how hard you go or how you are pacing yourself.!

If you’ve never been to a wind tunnel in the winter….well, its cold. It uses the unheated winter air from inside a giant wharehouse. Combine that with sitting still in a 30 mph wind for 5 minutes at a time and I was shivering pretty bad after each test. The wind chill factor must have put the temperature in there in the single digits!

I’m super excited to ride my new position this year. If the wind tunnel testing proves correct, I’ll be winning some TT’s this year to replace all my 2nd and 3rds from last season!!! A big big thank you to Steve and Robbie at Colorado Premier Training for fitting me and several of my Slipstream teammates in for the wind tunnel testing. What a huge advantage this knowledge is going to be!

Thanks for checking in.