Aerodynamic experts believe leading triathletes use 30% less energy by riding behind the safety motorbike, and professional athletes agree.
The actions of the safety motorbike at the head of Ironman races is giving the leading triathlete a grossly unfair advantage, according to pro racers and experts in cycling aerodynamics.
Wind tunnel tests have shown that the draft effect from the moto could save the leader as much as 30% of their cycling effort even if the motorbike abides by ITU guidelines and adheres to the minimum designated distance of 12m up the road.
“The lead vehicle or motorcycle rider is usually ignorant of the fact that the bicycle gets a very large draft effect off a vehicle,” says Canadian Ironman triathlete Lionel Sanders, who holds the official Ironman record of 7:44:29, set at Arizona in November. “The faster you’re going, the longer the draft tail on a vehicle, so with a tailwind and a motivated biker, the draft tail can extend a very long way.
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How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...
Whichever distance triathlon you're racing, the intensity and duration of your activity will see your body tap into its stores of carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) to power your effort. While it's possible to top up your tank on the go, it's better to start your event with your stores full to the brim.
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The opening line of the race report read how 20 years on from New Zealand’s first and only Olympic triathlon gold medal, Hayden Wilde had put in a careerbest performance to regain the title for his nation. Then Alex Yee comes around the corner.Yee’s charge, seemingly from nowhere on the final lap of the 10km run in Paris, didn’t just help him become the most decorated Olympic male triathlete of all time, and didn’t just cap a rivalry that has been building for six years, it left seasoned watchers of swim, bike, run in awe. It will go down as one of the greatest triathlon races; Yee, still just 26, as one of the greatest triathletes. His medals from Paris added to the two from Tokyo, leaving his haul at two gold, a silver and a bronze, and counting.
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