Sitting High in the Saddle

[Mr. Bloom]

Today, something counter-intuitive happened to me on a windy ride.

I was in the drops, elbows tucked, trying to reduce resistance as I pressed hard into the wind.

Then, I sat tall, taking a much more vertical posture, and my power/speed increased about 20%.

I didn't expect this...why is it that my speed increased when I become a bigger head wind target

[kermit]

I'm no expert and I'm sure you'll get better imput from the hammerheads/tri gals on here, but when I change positions from say the drops to a more upright posture, I get more power from the change and angle of my body. Your chest opens up increasing your oxygen intake and less pressure on your diaphram. When my husband got fitted for his P2C, we were told the whole idea of the tri-bike is to use a different part of your leg, more hamstring in order to save your legs for the run. You can also use Chrissy Wellington's training suggestion. She's a power rider, get into a bigger gear and hammer. She rides in an average of 65-75 cadence rather than an 85-95 training cadence. Thats all I have to give.

[lph]

I can't give you the technical reasons, but yes, it's easier to produce power if you have room to open up your chest and a larger angle at the hip. Sitting aero reduces drag but also reduces power output, so you have to find a happy medium. I would guess that big, strong riders (rel. large leg muscles) would prefer a more upright position than small, lightweight riders, since the difference in drag/frontal area isn't as big as the difference in power output. I go aero at the drop of a hat and really can't produce much power on the flats compared to my bigger riding buddies.

[Andrea]

It's likely that you could find a magical position somewhere in the middle that would give you the perfect mix of power and aerodynamics. This is why pros (and amateurs with the $$) spend time in a wind tunnel to hone their TT position- they're looking for the aerodynamic position that maximizes power.

[Mr. Bloom]

I guess I need to lose more weight and become a smaller target for the wind!

[sundial]

But then you'd be slower in the tailwind.