What yaw angles could I expect to see in a flat windy road race or crit, riding in the peloton (crit/rr), not riding on the front.
How would this influence wheel choice?
Just taking a random guess, I would imagine the wind would be coming from the same direction, just more turbulent. I don’t think the wind sees the peleton and changes direction, but I don’t know for sure. You could put a little flag on your bike while you are riding and let us know what you find out.
Just taking a random guess, I would imagine the wind would be coming from the same direction, just more turbulent. I don’t think the wind sees the peleton and changes direction, but I don’t know for sure. You could put a little flag on your bike while you are riding and let us know what you find out.
How much do the wheels see, vs. the head/shoulders?
at 25mph and 10mph/155deg wind = 34mph wind resistance at 173deg
http://www.hedcycling.com/aerodynamics_technology/yaw_calculator.asp
How much of a difference does wheel choice make? If 50g drag = 5w, and the differences between an aero wheel and a shallower lighter wheel at 5deg yaw are marginal (>10g drag), is wheel choice not as great of a factor for riding in the peloton?
think it partially depends on role and/or amount of action you’ll see in a race. if you’re the sprinter then probably less relevant since you’re sitting in until the last couple hundred meters. if you’re attacking, controlling the pace or bringing back breaks then wheel chose is more significant.
for road races, to a degree is probably also depends on the course. on a really hilly race that splits into a small group, or one where you’re in the break all day, you’ll be seeing a lot more wind than sitting in a 100-person field.
if the question is wheel choice, i’d go 606 or 404 depth for 98% of road races, and probably 404s for most crits. much of the pro peloton rides something like the 404 as an everyday wheel at this point.