Peyresourde, France
What is the best cycling position for going fast?
A 2017 study from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, entitled, “Aerodynamic Analysis of Different Cyclist Hill Descent Positions,” studied 15 different cycling positions during hill descents.
The study was lead by Dr. Bert Blocken, a physics professor, along with 4 additional researchers. All testing was conducted in a wind tunnel at the University of Liège in Belgium.
They studied:
Fastest downhill position without regard for steering or pedaling
Examined 6 positions used previously in The Tour de France
What positions are best for safety and power generation
The 11 fastest road racing descending positions (in order and by how much faster)
Time Trial (TT) positions while using a TT bike and TT helmet
Below are the aerodynamic analysis of different hill descent positions (coasting), in order from fastest to slowest, regardless of category, with a description of each:
1 - superman
The “superman” position, is not allowed in races. Dr. Blocken and his research team noted:
“Pedaling is not possible in this “Superman” position and this position is dangerous and irresponsible”
However, The “Superman” position was the fastest downhill position tested:
Between 6 to 7% faster than the second-fastest position
Nearly 25% faster than the slowest position from the study
2 - Time trial top tube
While the riding position is identical to the following position, the bike and helmet are different.
How much faster is the TT helmet and TT bike compared to the following, non-TT equipment? The study doesn’t actually answer that question directly, however, I crunched the data for us.
The results:
About .5% faster, which roughly equates to $1,200 per extra 1/100 of a percentage increase in speed
~ 6% slower than riding like “Superman”
3 - Top tube 4/Top tube safe/peter sagan
The “Top Tube 4” position is the fastest position for road racing (descending). The cyclist in this position sits on the rear part of the top tube with their torso stretched toward the handlebars with their head sufficiency ducked.
Dr. Blocken and his research team choose the name “Top Tube Safe” because “in this position, the body weight is distributed more equally over both wheels.” The researchers also noted that “if pedaling of the cyclist is not needed, the position “Top tube safe” is the best position of the 6 positions tested.”
So how much slower is this position compared to the “Superman” position? About 7% slower
4 - Top Tube 3
This position is nearly identical to the previous or “Top Tube 4/Safe,” however, it is about .6% slower. Though less than a 1% difference might not sound like much, throughout 3 miles or 5 kilometers, this slight adjustment accounts for nearly 2 seconds.
What’s the difference between the “Top Tube 3” and the faster “Top Tube 4” position?
The main difference is the head is slightly raised in the “Top Tube 3.”
Just lifting your head, ever so slightly, makes you .6% slower
“The “Top tube 3” position, with the cyclist at the very rear of the top tube and with the torso as horizontal as possible”
5 - Pantani
The “Pantani” position, named after the late Italian cyclist, Marco Pantani.
~ 10% slower than the “Superman” position
~ 3% slower than the fastest road racing descending position (“Top Tube Safe”)
2nd fastest downhill road racing position - Excluding the illegal “Superman” and the “Time Trial” position. This position is only slower than the “Top Tube Safe/4” and the nearly identical “Top Tube 3,” which saw a slight lifting of the head
Riding while crouching behind the saddle is ~3% slower than sitting on the top tube.
6 - Back down 2 / puppy paws
This is the fastest position while the cyclist is seated on the saddle. Making it number 1 of only 5 seated positions out of the 15 total descending positions from the study.
~ 3% slower than “Top Tube Safe”
~ 10% slower than riding in the “Superman”
7 - Top Tube 2
The “Top Tube 2” position is the fastest position that allows for effective pedaling.
The cyclist in this position is sitting more upright compared to the previous top tube positions, but the rearward position on the top tube allows for effective pedaling. If a cyclist were switching from coasting to pedaling, this position would be ideal, as the only adjustment needed for coasting would be a less upright posture.
~4% slower than the fastest “Top Tube Safe/4”
8 - back down 1
While the “Back Down 1” is incredibly similar to the “Back Down 2” position, the results are noticeably different.
~5% slower than the ideal downhill road race position
~ 2% slower than the “Back Up 2” position
“Superman position is about 12% faster
While this pose is slower than 5 other downhill road racing positions, it is the second fastest posture that allows for functional pedaling.
This might be the best overall position as per the researches:
“If a single best overall position has to be selected, this would be “Back down 1” or “Back horizontal””
The reasons being:
Better than average aerodynamics
The cyclist can pedal powerfully
Steering isn’t inhibited
Weight is centered
9 - Froome
“Of the 11 road race positions analyzed, there are 6 positions that are clearly aerodynamically superior than the “Froome” position.”
The reason for the study was inspired by professional cyclist, Chris Froome’s stage 8 of the 2016 Tour de France. In which he famously descended the Peyresourde and won the stage in an unusual position. Froome was sitting on his top tube, with his chest on the handlebars.
Froome’s famed descending position is 7.2% slower than the “Top Tube 4” position, which is the fastest position possible in road racing.
~15% slower than the “Superman”
7th fastest of the 11 tested downhill road racing positions
~7% slower than the fastest road racing position (“Top Tube Safe/4”)
3rd best posture for downhill speed while pedaling
During the Peyresourde stage at The Tour, Froome descended:
Distance: 9.6 miles (15.5 km)
Vertical Drop: 3075 feet (937 meters)
Average speed: 39 mph (63 kph)
Top speed: 57 mph (91 kph)
10 - Back horizontal/Vincenzo Nibali
A classic riding position, that isn’t the most effective for coasting downhill, but is the 4th best position, if your want to put power on the pedals, and quite possibly the best overall downhill position.
~8% slower than the fastest top tube position
4th best for pedaling
Best overall position, along with “Back Down 1”
Even though this position is ranked 8th out of the 11th for downhill road racing speed, the authors say, it might be the best overall position. When considering an ideal position in the real world, cornering, braking, and pedaling, all play a role……not just aerodynamics.
11 - Time trial & time trial helmet
~11% slower than “Time Trial Top Tube” position
~8% slower than “Top Tube Safety”
12 - top tube 1
Why is the “Top Tube 1” so much slower than the other top tube riding positions?
The rider in this position is sitting further back on the top tube, closer to the saddle. However, the real reason for the decrease in speed is the more upright posture.
~8.5 slower than the fastest top tube position
One of the advantages of this position is the ability to crank the pedals:
5th best posture for pedal efficiency
13 - Time Trial & Regular Helmet
How much difference does a helmet make?
This position is identical to the previous TT position, except the helmet is a ‘regular’ helmet….so how much slower??? About 3%
~14% slower than “Time Trial Top Tube”
14 - elbows
The “Elbows” position, is a seated posture. Overall, the seated positions are significantly slower as the 3 slowest postures are all riding in the saddle.
~12% slower than “Top Tube Safe/4”
Over a half a minute slower over a downhill distance of only ~3 miles (5km)
15 - Back up
So how much slower is the “Back Up” position, compared to the others?
The slowest position - “Back Up” is nearly 25% slower than the “Superman”
~15% slower than the fastest downhill racing position
Nearly 40% more drag compared to the top tube positions
~12% slower than the fastest seated position (“Back Down 2”)
Over the downhill distance of 3.1 miles (5 km), this position is about 35 seconds slower than the “Back Down” and nearly a full-minute slower than the “Superman”
Fastest Road Racing Positions
The figure below, shows all 11 downhill road racing positions, from fastest to slowest. The time difference and percentage were calculated based on:
A downhill distance of 3.1 miles (5km)
The cyclist is coasting (no pedaling)
The position is maintained throughout the entire descent
Source: Bert Blocken, Eindhoven University of Technology & KU Leuven
Notice the time difference of nearly 44 seconds between the fastest road racing position, “Top Tube 4/Safe” and the slowest position, “Back up.”
Final thought
While the study from Dr. Blocken and his research team is certainly interesting, how much is actually applicable to the real world is unknown.
The authors suggest that an “optimal descent might be achieved by combining several positions.” However, they also noted that “additional aerodynamic losses occur by the action of moving from one position to another.”
Ultimately, the best descending position is the position you feel most comfortable in. Riding a bike at speeds close to 60mph, while navigating turns, cars, and other cyclists can end up a disaster in an instant.
Jesse is the Director of Pedal Chile and lives in La Patagonia. Jesse has a Master of Science in Health and Human Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Hobbies: Mountain biking, reading, researching, weight-lifting, craft beer, snowboarding, and cycling fast.
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Sources:
All images sources (except fig.1) from: Bert Blocken, Eindhoven University of Technology & KU Leuven (specific citations and links below)
Blocken, Bert, et al. “Aerodynamic Analysis of Different Cyclist Hill Descent Positions.” Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, vol. 181, Oct. 2018, pp. 27–45.
Blocken, B. (2016). The Froome descent aerodynamic analysis and subsequent debate: The day after. [online] www.linkedin.com. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/froome-descent-aerodynamic-analysis-subsequent-debate-bert-blocken/
Blocken, Bert. “Which Cyclist Hill Descent Position Is Really Superior? Froome, Pantani, Nibali or Sagan? The Scientific Answer. Part 2.” www.linkedin.com, April 28, 2017.
Blocken, Bert. “Part 3: Aerodynamic Drag of the Superman Position (Which Cyclist Hill Descent Position Is Really Superior?).” www.linkedin.com, May 8, 2017.
Blocken, Bert. “New results & feedback by pro cyclists: Which cyclist hill descent position is really superior? 15 positions analyzed. The scientific answer. Part 4.” www.linkedin.com, July 20, 2017.