Good and Bad Aero positions

At the request of a reader we’ll do a little tip on aero positions.  We will, however, refer you to a great photo essay at Slowtwitch.  They took amazing pictures of some of the best Pro athletes at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships this year. (Unfortunately I can’t find the link to that particular article - but here’s another with some pictures for your interest.) If anyone happens to find the other article please feel free to leave a comment pointing the way.

Our take on aero positions (like most) is to be as aero as possible without compromising your power.  Aerodynamics are indeed important, but time saved due to less drag will pale in comparison to the time you lose if you are so uncomfortable you can’t ride properly, or if you hinder your ability to run afterward.  Here’s a couple pictures to show you some extremes on either end of the scale.

Bjorn Anderson – This position is CRAZY.  It works for him on the bike – but it’s hard to say what it costs him on the run.  He usually has the fastest bike split outside of Kona, but rarely has a good run.  He did win Wildflower, but I think his Ironman attempts have been lackluster.  Maybe he can’t digest food properly, maybe he rides too hard.  Whatever it is, the point is to show a very extreme aero position:

On the other end of the spectrum – and if this gentleman happens to be reading this, we apologize for critiquing your position.  Even though he’s not riding the bike, you can tell that he’s going to be upright when he does.  Notice the vertical upper arms of the guy above – and the superman position below.  I would bet he feels very weak in his aero position every time the slightest hill comes around.  This is mainly because his saddle is too far back and his bars too high.   It’s kind of like trying to do a squat with your center of mass behind your heels – it simply won’t work.

And here is a picture to illustrate someone who rides really far forward on the saddle.  This is most likely where Belinda Granger feels very powerful – probably because she has shorter legs.  Heather, on the other hand, has long femurs so needs to sit a bit further back – they both have almost vertical upper arms though.

In closing – try to find someone with similar body type and compare your position.  Trevor did his own comparison just a couple weeks ago after Ironman Arizona.  Jordan Rapp laid down the fastest bike split- not solely because he’s super aero, but also because he’s strong. A quick comparison never hurts to see where a few seconds or minutes may be gained.