🚴 Cycling Aerodynamics — Drag, Drafting & Power
Explore how air resistance dominates cycling power at speed. Model F_drag = ½ρv²CdA, see how drafting in a peloton cuts CdA by 30–50%, and find the optimal gear ratio for a given gradient.
30 km/h
0.32 m²
4.0 m
0.0 %
70 kg
How to read the simulation
The green cyclist is the follower — drag reduced by the lead rider's slipstream. The grey cyclist leads. The power bars on the right show each rider's required wattage. Adjust the Draft gap to see how quickly drafting benefit fades beyond ~2 m. The power curve chart at the bottom of the canvas shows P vs speed for solo and drafting modes.The Physics
Total resistance: F_total = ½ρv²CdA + μ_r·mg·cosθ + mg·sinθ. Power P = F_total·v ≈ ½ρv³CdA at speed. Air resistance scales as v³ — doubling speed requires 8× the power. Drafting reduces effective CdA: CdA_follower ≈ 0.5·CdA_solo at 0.5 m gap. Optimal cadence: power output maximised near 90–100 RPM for trained cyclists.