towing - aero advantage uphill
05-26-05, 10:54 AM
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towing - aero advantage uphill
After a recent steep climb, another rider thanked me for towing him up. Hill was very steep, so we were pushing hard and going maybe 9 mph. I thought that below a certain speed, there is no aerodynamic advantage to drafting. In other words, the feeling of being towed up a difficult hill is more psychological than physical. Or did having a rider in front actually make his climb easier, so that he could acheive a faster pace than he would have been able to maintain riding up solo? (This question was inspired by the commentary on today's Giro that Cunego "tows the bunch" up the cimb at Madonna del Coletta.)
05-26-05, 11:06 AM
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Think it's more psychological. Having somthing outside your own suffering, another riders tempo, to focus on.
05-26-05, 12:07 PM
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Phil and Paul always refer to the guy "doing the work at the front" on climbs, but I never really got this either. I prefer to move to the front on climbs, I get a psychological advantage from that.
But this is all on Ontario's sub-five-minute climbs. Maybe if I ever tried to climb a real mountain somewhere, I would understand.
But this is all on Ontario's sub-five-minute climbs. Maybe if I ever tried to climb a real mountain somewhere, I would understand.
05-26-05, 12:19 PM
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Maybe he snuck a tow strap on your seat post?
05-26-05, 01:15 PM
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My calculations indicate that going uphill at that speed, and assuming the rider is fit, the power required to overcome air resistance is around 10-15% of the total power requirement.
If we assume half the wind resistance is removed by the rider in front (probably a more than what is actually possible), the reduction in power required for the trailing rider would be just 1/20 of the total.
I doubt anyone would notice that.
However, if there was a strong head wind, it's a different matter!
If we assume half the wind resistance is removed by the rider in front (probably a more than what is actually possible), the reduction in power required for the trailing rider would be just 1/20 of the total.
I doubt anyone would notice that.
However, if there was a strong head wind, it's a different matter!
05-26-05, 01:29 PM
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Originally Posted by cedo
After a recent steep climb, another rider thanked me for towing him up. Hill was very steep, so we were pushing hard and going maybe 9 mph. I thought that below a certain speed, there is no aerodynamic advantage to drafting. In other words, the feeling of being towed up a difficult hill is more psychological than physical. Or did having a rider in front actually make his climb easier, so that he could acheive a faster pace than he would have been able to maintain riding up solo? (This question was inspired by the commentary on today's Giro that Cunego "tows the bunch" up the cimb at Madonna del Coletta.)
The rider on the front has the responsibility to set and maintain the pace for the climb. This requires more mental effort. At last year's Everest Challenge, I caught and passed the Cat5 group on the first climb. They jumped on my wheel. After a few minutes of this, I said to myself "why am I pulling all these guys" and pulled off to the back. It was noticeably easier on the back.
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