In professional cycling, in-race motorcycles such as TV motorcycles drive in between the riders. In the slipstream behind the motorcycle, cyclists can gain time. For the first time, the exact extent of this advantage has been scientifically investigated. It turns out to be even more advantageous than expected. Using computer simulations and wind tunnel measurements, Professor Bert Blocken of Eindhoven University of Technology and KU Leuven—in collaboration with software company ANSYS—investigated the effect. He found that a motorcyclist 30 meter in front of a rider reduces drag by 12 percent. A rider who cycles behind this motorcyclist for one minute therefore can gain 2.6 seconds.
* This article was originally published here
