\u201cWhy does that guy have a beard and long hair? That\u2019s gotta make him less aero\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
In episode 53 of the Ask a Cycling Coach podcast<\/a>, we sat down with Clif Bar Team Rider Pete Morris and received the question above. For all you long-haired bearded riders out there, let\u2019s get to the bottom of this\u2026<\/p>\n Pete didn\u2019t hesitate when the question was asked, and his response was simple: \u201cIt\u2019s not exact science, but in my experience, with people yelling and cheering, I\u2019m going to do better than if I shaved my beard and my hair.\u201d<\/strong> Pete gets pumped when those cheering him on are pumped \u2014 and Pete\u2019s beard and hair does exactly that. So he\u2019ll stick to the hair-do and scruff.<\/p>\n The question we have then is this: \u201cDoes the psychological benefit of having long-hair and a beard outweigh the benefits a rider would get from being more aerodynamic without the extra fur?\u201d When it comes to a long-hair\/beard combo, it may boil down to what you think<\/em> is going to make you faster.<\/p>\n Specialized\u2019s aerodynamicists Chris Yu and Mark Cote were determined to get to the bottom of the aero side of things, and with two tests in the Specialized Win Tunnel, they did exactly that.<\/p>\n After comparing a rider\u2019s aerodynamics<\/a> with a beard and without, the drag coefficient with the beard amounts to roughly an extra second over the course of a 40 km simulation. Essentially next-to-nothing as far as an aerodynamic gain\/loss. So, what about the do?<\/p>\n In Specialized\u2019s video \u201cWhen is a hairdo a hair don\u2019t?\u201d<\/a>, we’re able to gain more insight needed to support Pete\u2019s thoughts. The results are\u00a0a bit mixed: between hair down, ponytail, and a bun; none are\u00a0significantly faster than the other. The only style that proves to be faster (14 seconds faster over 40 km) is\u00a0when the rider\u2019s hair is\u00a0put into a braid.<\/p>\n We now know the science, but still don\u2019t have huge insight on the psychological side of things. This is because it\u2019s\u00a0something you have to figure out on your own end. It\u2019ll come down to whether you think<\/em> you\u2019ll be faster from the psychological benefit to make up for any potential loss in aerodynamics. Pete will stick to his look \u2014 how about you?<\/p>\n The cycling experts at TrainerRoad discussed how psychological benefits may overcome aerodynamic losses during episode\u00a053 of the Ask a Cycling Coach<\/em> podcast<\/a>. Listen below to hear exactly what they had to say.The Science<\/h2>\n
The Beard<\/h3>\n
The Hair<\/h3>\n
Takeaway<\/h2>\n
Listen to Experts Discuss This Training Topic and More on the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast<\/h2>\n
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