Less Effort More Speed

The importance of position and aerodynamics extends far beyond  TT racing, opines Ken Buckley, as he recruits expert help to find the perfect balance of aero and power on his road bike.

Around this time last year (CW April 6, 2017), I wrote about the importance of aerodynamics for time trialling; specifically about how a balance must be struck between aerodynamics and power: it’s no good having a super-aggressive position if it restricts your pedalling power. And that’s a knife-edge balance. This time round, my question is: does the same apply on your road bike?

Many people invest lots of time, money and energy into refining their TT position, while making do with the most basic set-up on their road bike. I think that’s a mistake. The importance of comfort increases dramatically once you start riding further than 20 miles, and so too does the need to save energy. So what is the best balance point between aero and power when it comes to going as fast as possible on your road bike, and to whom should you turn for the answers? I’ve spent the winter striving to find out.

Attention to detail 

I’ve moved to a different race team for the new season: I’m now representing the very smartly dressed Morvélo Basso squad. It’s an exciting place to be as team manager Adam Moore is shooting for the stars, with several UCI races, Premier Calendar events ents and the Tour Series on the cards. It was very much time to give my road set-up the same attention to detail that I gave to my time trial bike last year. I set out to use what I’ve learnt about the importance of body position and aerodynamics, balanced with power output, to try to get faster.