Effect of crosswinds and wheel selection on the aerodynamic behavior of a cyclist

CFD simulations of the flow around a cyclist subjected to crosswinds

“…Both studies have demonstrated that the side forces acting on a spoked wheel are up to about 5-6 times higher than the drag forces, hence having an impact on the stability of the cyclist. However, a study by Barry et al (2012), showed that the wheels and cyclist cannot be considered separately, due chiefly the flow interaction between them. In a numerical study reported by Hanna (2002), the full cyclist and bicycle system has been analysed.…”

“…As the research has been conducted for the British Cycling team, details of the simulations and the results are limited and without validation precaution has to be taken about the validity of the results. Barry et al (2012) undertook a series of wind tunnel experiments to investigate the effect of crosswind on the bicycle system for yaw angles up to 30° and discovered that when positioned in a time trial position, the side forces increase linearly with increasing yaw angles between 5-30°. It is found that the side forces are approximately double the drag forces at 15° yaw angle.…”

Racing Wheels’ Effect on Drag/Side Forces Acting on a Cyclist at Sportstech-Miun Wind Tunnel

“…The first contribution is the dominant one but it is extremely difficult to determine accurately and consistently. Rider's drag is about 60-70% of the total drag depending on the position [3,4]. The contribution of the wheels is from 10% to 15% [5] while, considering the whole bicycle (frame and wheels), it is about 31-39% of the total depending on rider's position and wheels [1].…”

“…The method consists of unrestrained and fullscale tests with front and cross wind conditions, varying the yaw angle (angle between bicycle and wind of the tunnel directions). To have significant results, static tests alone are not sufficient [6] and wheels' performance should be assessed from tests of wheels as a component in the bicycle-rider system [3].…”

Some Effects of Crosswind on the Lateral Dynamics of a Bicycle

“…Only very few studies have been done on the effect of crosswind in bicycling, one the first being Godthelp et al [2]. Nathan Barry et al measured the effect of crosswinds and wheel selection on the aerodynamic behavior of a cyclist [3]. In competitive cycling the need for speed with less physical effort has lead researchers to study the aerodynamic drag interactions between cyclists in a team pursuit [4].…”