Portland ahead of curve in wind tunnel trend
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor) on April 30th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
their Split Second jersey in a wind tunnel.
File photo: 11/1/06
A reader sent me an article about wind tunnel testing that ran in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal (not available online). According to the story, wind tunnels, which used to be the exclusive domain of elite professionals, are being used more and more by amateur cyclists to gain an edge in competition.
The article featured two references to Portland. The first was a reference to a jersey developed by Castelli, an apparel company with their U.S. headquarters in Portland.
The other Portland mention came at the end of the article:
“One caveat for cyclists who pay for wind-tunnel sessions: Think twice before buying a new bike. Linnea Alvord changed her riding position after switching bikes. Now, unable to afford another trip to the wind tunnel, the Portland, Ore., marketing consultant has been trying to duplicate the test at home. She has moved the full-length mirrors from her bedroom down to the basement and placed them around her stationary bike.”
In other local wind tunnel news, Portland-based bike fitting and product design guru Michael Sylvester (who I wrote about last November) was recently spotted alongside embattled pro cyclist Ivan Basso. The photo looks to be a promotional shot for Trek Bicycle Corporation, who has hired Sylvester as a product development consultant.
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April 30th, 2007 20:33
The next item for wind tunnel testing is the bakfiets with groceries and kids as cargo.
April 30th, 2007 22:01
I think the next racing fad should be suffering more during the races and training more/harder. I guess that probably won't sell with the wind tunnel crowd though.
May 1st, 2007 07:57
Ahhh yes...old school. More Eddy than Lance.
May 1st, 2007 16:00
Ahhh yes, Lance the slacker. If only he trained more/harder he might have won.. err, yeah.