Hair Doping . . . Seriously!
All this research and development into aerodynamics in time trialling led a former Formula 1 technician from Red Bull, Professor Tony Purnell, to devote many hours of time and many pounds of money into researching how body hair, and specifically leg hair, can help or hinder a cyclist’s aerodynamics. We all know that cyclists shave their legs, but Purnell wanted to find out if this offered any benefit.
A range of experiments conducted at Cambridge University looked into the various options, starting with the difference between completely shaved legs versus hairy legs, then moving on to consider legs that were partially shaved at the front but not at the back, beardy fronts and baldy backs, even beardy sides. Every possible combination was tried and tested in wind tunnels at an exorbitant cost. Was it any use? Well, the conclusion that Purnell reached after many weeks of testing was that, because everyone’s hair thickness is different, it’s impossible to draw any conclusion at all. However, he did find that with certain types of hair, the ultimate aerodynamic leg shave would involve a bald front of the leg but a hairy back.
The true reason cyclists shave is to make massage less painful and wound dressing easier. And for purely aesthetic reasons, I thank God that no one seems to have taken Professor Purnell’s advice.
Other Tricks . . . Some That Work and Some That Don’t
As well as aerodynamics, cyclists have worked hard for over a century to make their bikes go faster by making adjustments to the frame and wheels. We all know those riders who struggle to get up a hill or mountain but plummet down at breakneck speeds on the descent because they’re just that bit heavier than the others. So, it’s not rocket science; we all know that more weight will go against you on the way up, but benefit you on the way down. Hence the use of a lead-filled bidon passed to the rider as he tops the peak of a climb, to be inserted in the bottle cage.
Simple logic also informed the choice of filling tyres with helium rather than just air. It may not make the bike actually float up the mountain, but it could make the whole bike a bit lighter. In this climate of marginal gains, who knows if that extra fraction of a gram of weight saved could make that little difference?
Bladed wheels came on to the market a few years ago. These had a quad spoke of carbon wings that produced a rotor. You could hear them coming from way off. These were expensive and so quite rare. Sadly (since they looked amazing), they were also deemed to be dangerous in the event of a crash. They were duly banned.
Some technology is a little bit more basic. Time trial regulations for some time dictated that the rider’s saddle must be absolutely horizontal to avoid the rider gaining an advantage by pushing his backside against an angled seat. On health grounds, this rule has been amended and a pitch variation is now permitted of 10° off the horizontal. Before this allowance, riders struggled to stay planted on their seat and would often be seen taking a moment to shuffle their backside to the rear of the saddle. Tony Martin suffered from ‘butt-shuffle’ and resorted to rather basic technology to attempt to cure the problem: he glued some sandpaper to the saddle surface. All looked to be going well at first. But what couldn’t be seen was the sandpaper tearing through Tony’s shorts . . . then the chamois pad . . . and finally his blokey bits. It was a mess. Blood everywhere. I’m pleased to say that few riders have tried this again since. The saddle pitch rule change came as a relief.
The Magic Wheel
Perhaps a more significant advantage has been taken with some of the mechanical advances that have been hidden. In recent years, there have been some astounding time trials in the Grand Tours, and these have raised eyebrows. When someone like reigning World Time Trial Champion, Tony Martin, is beaten significantly, chins start to wag and questions are asked. In this regard, wheel technology has been the subject of much speculation.
An aero disc on the back wheel can have huge benefits to the aero dynamism of a bike. It is solid and opaque. Could this double-sided disc with a hollow core be used to hide the inner workings of a rogue wheel mechanism?
Organisers insist that all the wheels are the same Mavic model, to avoid any unfair advantage for a team using a more advanced wheel.
There is, however, nothing in the rules that says a regular wheel cannot be employed inside a regulation disc wheel’s void. And anyway, what benefit could be gained from the extra weight such a method would employ? Well, let’s find out.
There is a particular rear wheel that is rumoured to have been used at the very highest level. This wheel features a spoked wheel inside the regulation Mavic disc. At the heart of it was a magnetic hub with counterweights acting on the spokes, all nicely shrouded by the official solid aero cover.
At speed, the counterweights disengaged from the hub and were flung out to the end of the specially strung spokes to sit at the rim of the wheel. This was said to have a gyroscopic effect, which added to the momentum of the turning wheel, thus giving the rider extra speed. When the rider slowed down – taking a corner, for instance – the weights slid down the spokes and returned to the magnetic hub. Magic.
With the absence of scanners at the time, it is extremely difficult to prove that this technology was ever
