Endurance Innovation

JP Ballard of Swiss Side - Part 1

Episode Summary

Jean-Paul Ballard, former F1 aerodynamicist and founder and CEO of Swiss Side, is on this week to tell us why F1 engineers make the best cycling nerds, his company's approach to optimizing bike aerodynamics, and the challenges of getting it right.

Episode Notes

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• 2:15 the Swisside origin story and the overlap of motorsport and endurance sport
• 12:45 the state of cycling aerodynamics ten years ago
• 13:45 the challenges of getting cycling aero drag calculation right 
• 19:30 the arrows in Swisside’s aero quiver 
  • Course simulation
  • CFD
  • Wind tunnel
  • Pressure rake video
  • Field testing 
• 29:00 on identifying specific effects of aerodynamic interventions using the wake rake
• 32:45 elements on the bike / rider that are independent of upstream effects
  • Front wheel
  • Cockpit
• 35:30 Swiss Side’s field testing capabilities 
• 39:00 the error-stacking effect holding back accurate field aerometers 
• 45:00 making a smart-enough aerometer that recognizes artifacts and changes in conditions
• 49:15 ‘live CdA does not, and will not exist’

Learn more about Swiss Side on their website and follow them on Instagram