Nicole Sharp<p>Wind plays a major role in cycling, since aerodynamic drag is the greatest force hampering a cyclist. In road racing, both individual cyclists and teams use tactics that vary based on the wind speed and direction. Crosswinds — when the apparent wind comes from the side in the cyclist’s point of view — are some of the toughest conditions to deal with. In races, groups will often form echelons to minimize the group’s overall effort in a crosswind. Alternatively, racers looking to tire their competitors out will position themselves on the road so that the rider behind them gets little to no shelter from the wind; this is known as guttering an opponent. </p><p>In <a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.6.124601" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">this study</a>, researchers put a lone cyclist in a wind tunnel and measured the effects of crosswind from a pure headwind to a pure tailwind and every possible angle in between. From that variation, they were able to mathematically model the aerodynamic effects of crosswind on a cyclist from every angle. With rolling resistance (a cyclist’s second largest opposing force) included, they found relatively few conditions where a crosswind actually helped a cyclist. Most of the time — as any cyclist can tell you — hiding from the wind is beneficial. (Image credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/man-in-triathlon-bike-fZglO1JkwoM" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">J. Dylag</a>; research credit: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.6.124601" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">C. Clanet et al.</a>)</p><p>Related topics: The physics of the Tour de France, <a href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/2018/08/its-well-known-by-professional-cyclists-that/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">how the peloton protects riders aerodynamically</a>, track cycling physics, and a look inside wind tunnel testing bikes and cyclists</p><p><a href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/olympics/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Catch all of our ongoing Olympics coverage here.</em></a></p><p><a href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/2024/08/paris-2024-cycling-in-crosswinds/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://fyfluiddynamics.com/2024/08/paris-2024-cycling-in-crosswinds/</a></p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/crosswinds/" target="_blank">#crosswinds</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/cycling/" target="_blank">#cycling</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/drag/" target="_blank">#drag</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/drag-reduction/" target="_blank">#dragReduction</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/echelon/" target="_blank">#echelon</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/fluid-dynamics/" target="_blank">#fluidDynamics</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/olympics/" target="_blank">#olympics</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/paris-2024/" target="_blank">#Paris2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/physics/" target="_blank">#physics</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/science/" target="_blank">#science</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/sports/" target="_blank">#sports</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://fyfluiddynamics.com/tagged/wind-tunnel-testing/" target="_blank">#windTunnelTesting</a></p>