Heads up, science in action: when aerodynamics win medals

TNP’s partnership with the French Cycling Federation (FFC) marks an innovative alliance between technology and sport. Franck Giraud explains how this project aims to develop tailor-made shoes to optimize sprinters’ performance in competition. TNP contributes its expertise in analyzing behavior and reducing injuries. This promising partnership embodies the firm’s quest for excellence, combining advanced technology with respect for athletes’ health.

Understanding the athlete to choose the right equipment

The FFC’s performance unit did not limit itself to selecting the most aerodynamic equipment available. It also sought to better understand how athletes behave and feel, and to anticipate the impact of using different equipment.

The wind tunnel studies did not conclude that one handlebar design was systematically more aerodynamically efficient than another. In fact, in an endurance race, the design of the handlebar is not crucial as long as the position remains identical. However, handlebars fitted with appendages allowing the rider to rest their hands and adopt more aerodynamic positions proved to offer a different feel and a better ability to maintain these positions during prolonged efforts.

Wind tunnel tests to validate choices

This research was conducted twice with two athletes from the French team, one of whom was a substitute for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The athletes had the opportunity to compare different handlebar configurations in the wind tunnel at the Institut Aérotechnique de Saint-Cyr-l’École, a partner of the FFC.

The results showed that adopting more aerodynamic positions effectively reduces drag, while straightening up increases it. While top-level athletes are already aware of these aspects and instinctively adjust their position according to the phases of the race, they were surprised to find that handlebars with appendages are not always more aerodynamic, although they do facilitate these positions. The real impact on performance can only be measured under real race conditions, especially over time.

A strategic choice for French cyclists

In light of these observations, the French team, in consultation with their staff and the FFC’s performance unit, decided to use handlebars with appendages. This choice aims to facilitate the adoption of aerodynamic positions at strategic moments in the race while allowing necessary adjustments in other phases, such as relay hand-offs in the madison, using hands in the handlebar drops during sprints, or more relaxed positions during transitions.

The adoption of these more ergonomic handlebars not only reduces energy expenditure but also fatigue, which are crucial elements in peloton racing. This meticulous work enabled Benjamin Thomas, for example, to add the Olympic title in Paris to his impressive international record, thanks to a “perfect” position in the omnium.

Benjamin Thomas, champion olympique de l’omnium

Benjamin Thomas, Olympic omnium champion

Benjamin Thomas is a cyclist who excels both on the road and the track, two disciplines he practices simultaneously during the season, setting him apart from the French peloton of his generation.

On the track, he competes in endurance events such as the points race, the Madison, and the omnium, three specialties in which he has at least one world title. He is nicknamed “the calculator.”

His list of achievements includes five world championship titles: omnium in 2017 and 2020, Madison in 2017 and 2022, and points race in 2021. He is also a nine-time European track champion. On the road, he was French time trial champion in 2019 and 2021. He also won stage 5 of the 2024 Giro d’Italia. That same year, he won the omnium at the Paris Olympic Games.

Photos credits: Patrick Pichon/FFC