Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe Pioneers New Aerodynamic Testing in Abandoned Railway Tunnel
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, UK – Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe is pushing the boundaries of cycling performance with innovative aerodynamic testing conducted inside a disused railway tunnel in Northamptonshire. The team recently completed a comprehensive data-gathering session, utilizing full-body 3D scanning and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) validation to refine rider positioning and equipment setups.
The unconventional testing location, chosen for its controlled surroundings and length, allowed for extended, real-world simulations of rider aerodynamics. Riders underwent full-body 3D scans to create precise digital models, a process fuelled by a team lunch of chicken tikka sandwiches and tuna paninis provided by technical performance manager Jonny Wale.
“It definitely correlates,” said Dan Bigham, Head of Aerodynamics at Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, reflecting on the initial results compared to existing calculations. “Everything makes sense, but it’s in the finer details.”
The team plans to analyse the detailed data collected in January or February, ahead of the new season. This initial phase is part of an ongoing commitment to performance optimization,with up to 10 days of testing scheduled monthly,including further sessions at the Catesby tunnel and fine-tuning on the velodrome in Mallorca.
Bigham recently spent a week at Specialized’s ‘win tunnel’ in California, testing riders including new signing Remco Evenepoel. He noted the increasing difficulty in securing rider participation in wind tunnel testing, as athletes prioritize altitude camps and customary training methods.
“CFD is incredibly powerful in that respect, in that we can run as many different runs as we want on one rider’s actual body position [on a computer], but we need to just have absolute trust in that tool first,” bigham explained. He believes the laser scanning test represents a significant step towards validating CFD models.
The project reflects Red Bull’s willingness to invest in cutting-edge performance analysis. “I know it will help us,” Bigham stated. “It’s taken a lot of work to just sit here today and get to this point, and there’s a lot of work still to come…but it’ll bring performance.”
