Canterbury research helps improve technology in cycling

Canterbury research helps improve technology in cycling and other sports

January 18, 2015

A University of Canterbury postgraduate student cutting-edge sports technology research working with elite athletes can be applied to many other sports as well as cycling, such as downhill skiing.

Dr Lindsey Underwood’s results from research at the University of Canterbury’s wind tunnel found issues relating to aerodynamic drag for track or road cyclists depended on the actual position of each cyclist.

Dr Underwood, who moved from the United Kingdom to study at Canterbury, developed a mathematical model at the wind tunnel to predict the finishing time for cyclists competing in an individual pursuit event.

“This allows coaches to analyse 'what if?" scenarios without making the rider perform on the track. If the rider used a lighter bike we could work out how much this might reduce the finishing time in a race,” Dr Underwood says.

“The model showed that the biggest gains came from changes to the position of the rider. The mathematical model has since been used to analyse different pacing strategies to determine if the power output of the rider for the individual pursuit is actually the best strategy to use.”

The University of Canterbury’s Department of Engineering has two wind tunnel facilities - a closed circuit wind tunnel that can reach speeds up to 200 kilometres per hour and an open circuit wind tunnel that can produce speeds up to 45kph.

In her research, a bike rig was designed and manufactured for being used with the open-circuit wind tunnel so that the aerodynamic drag of cyclists and bike equipment could be measured.

The High Performance Team from Bike New Zealand approached the university for some help in order to identify ways in which their track cyclists could go faster, predominantly through changes to the position of their cyclists, but also through modifications to the equipment.

“Track cyclists can win races by milliseconds, so any gains that can be made in terms of aerodynamics can be the difference between a medal or no medal at an Olympics or world championships.

“My PhD, supervised by Associate Professor Mark Jermy, involved testing athletes in the wind tunnel to identify which changes in position produced the biggest gains and to see if there were common changes for the whole track team or if it was dependent on the individual rider. We found it depended on each individual rider.

“I also tested different helmets, skinsuits and bikes to find out which combination worked best for which riders. I was also involved in the design of a new skinsuit for the track team for the London Olympics.

“This involved testing different material samples in the wind tunnel on cylinder models to represent the arms, legs and torso of a cyclist, and also identifying the optimum seam placement for these materials. Changing the seam placement reduced aerodynamic drag,’’ Dr Underwood says.

Associate Professor Jermy says several international students will be carrying out supervised research work involving the university’s wind tunnel this year.

ENDS

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