RALTech | The Human Factor

Several times I have read people's accounts of wind-tunnel testing where they say something like "The new position saves me 5% in wind resistance, but in that position my power output is down 10%."

Now, the body is an extremely adaptable piece of equipment and in almost all cases, I'm sure that most, if not all of that 10% deficit can be made up with training in the new position. I have found that no matter how much I practise the guitar, I'm still rubbish on the piano. Graeme Obree used to ride with a very low saddle in order to reduce his frontal area, but because he trained and adapted to this position, his power output was not compromised. My advice: get an efficient position and then train and adapt until that position is also powerful and comfortable. You cannot achieve maximum benefit by going about it the other way; finding a comfortable position and then trying to make it aero.

If your primary goal is to perform well in time-trials, you should try to do as much training as possible either on your time-trial bike or in a position as close as possible to it. Whilst it may not be practical to put mudguards on your P4 for winter training, it may be possible to drop the bar height on your hack bike and bolt on some basic aerobars so you are close to your racing position.