Abstract
Cyclists usually define their posture according to performance and comfort requirements. However, when modifying their posture, cyclists experience a trade-off between these requirements. In this research, an optimization methodology is developed to select the posture of cyclists giving the best compromise between performance and comfort. Performance was defined as the race time estimated from the power delivery capacity and resistive forces. Comfort was characterized using pressure and vibration indices. The optimization methodology was implemented to select the aerobars’ height for five cyclists riding on 20-km time-trial races with different wind speed and road grade conditions. The results showed that the reduction of the aerobars’ height improved the drag area (−10.7% ± 3.1%) and deteriorated the power delivery capacity (−9.5% ± 5.4%), pressure on the saddle (+16.5% ± 11.5%), and vibrations on the saddle (+6.5% ± 4.0%) for all the tested cyclists. It was observed that the vibrations on the saddle imposed the greatest constraint for the cyclists, limiting the feasible exposure time and, in some cases, modifying the result obtained if the posture was selected considering only performance. It was concluded that optimal posture selection should be performed specifically for each cyclist and race condition due to the dependence of the results on these factors.
Highlights
IntroductionThe human body adopts a posture different from usual postures (e.g., standing, seated, reclined)
During cycling, the human body adopts a posture different from usual postures
The drag area, rolling resistance coefficient, power delivery capacity, global average pressure, and vibration total value obtained for each rider are presented
Summary
The human body adopts a posture different from usual postures (e.g., standing, seated, reclined). The cyclists’ posture is determined by their anthropometry and is limited by the bicycle geometry. The posture of the rider is relevant because it can worsen or improve the riding experience. For this reason, the modifications of posture in cycling are usually driven by the improvement of performance and comfort. The interest of cyclists of different levels, from recreational to professional, in performance is clear, because its improvement is a common general objective when practicing sports. Aerodynamic drag and the capacity of the cyclist to deliver power are factors affecting cycling performance that are influenced by posture
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