De ce se rad ciclistii pe picioare? Cu cat ajuta?

Ciclistii sportivi se rad pe picioare de atata vreme ca aproape ca au uitat de ce. Sigur, zice-se ca lipsa pilozitatii ajuta aerodinamica, dar cata diferenta poate face? Datina e atat de impamantenita ca aproape nimeni nu s-a mai intrebat recent cat e adevar/relevant si cat e legenda urbana in cutuma cracilor catifelati ai ciclistilor. A ajuns un 'dat' in industrie, toata lumea o face asa ca toata lumea o face.

Deci, conteaza? Sa ma rad pe picioare?

Conteaza. Daca puteti sa rulati sustinut cu cel putin 40 km/h si va grabiti sa ajungeti mai repede cu ~80s la fiecare ora.

Ei na? Na! Stim asta pentru ca vara asta a fost refacut un test facut de Specialized intr-un tunel de testare a aerodinamicitatii (wind tunnel). Concluziile i-au surprins si pe cercetatori. 

The tests showed that shaving his legs reduced Thomas’s drag by about 7 per cent, allowing him to exert 15 watts less power and still go at the same speed. In theory, that translates to a 79-second advantage over a 40-kilometre time trial that takes about one hour.

In comparison, the other fancy components and techniques that Thomas had flown to California to test seemed relatively minor. A new helmet saved him 2 or 3 watts, his unorthodox “praying mantis” arm position saved 5 watts, and a new long-sleeved racing suit saved another 8 watts.

The Specialized aerodynamicists in charge of the wind tunnel, Mark Cote and Chris Yu, were so surprised that they tested five more cyclists before they would let Thomas publicly reveal the findings. The results were consistent: All of them saved between 50 and 82 seconds over 40 kilometres.

Sursa: The curious case of the cyclist?s unshaven legs