Does an aerodynamic position make sense in mountain biking?

In road cycling, every second gained is pure gold, and to achieve it, materials used in bikes and gear are improved, bike shapes and geometries are reinvented, and of course, a lot of effort is put into making the cyclist's position on the bike as aerodynamic as possible. But, is it worth having an aerodynamic position in mountain biking?

Is time gained by adapting an aerodynamic position in mountain biking?

In the U.S., there is a mythical 100-mile race (about 170 km), the Leadville 100. This race started as a running competition in 1983 and since 1994 it also has its mountain biking version. Although it is a mountain biking competition that takes place on hilly terrain and a large part of the route is above 3,000 meters in altitude, much of the course is not very technical and allows for easy pedaling.

Taking this race as a reference, Specialized set out to find out how much time could be saved if a biker maintained an aerodynamic position throughout the race. For this, they took the Specialized Epic with which Howard Grotts won the 2019 edition and took it to the wind tunnel to analyze the different positions. It is the same mountain bike with which Grotts also managed to win the 2018 Cape Epic alongside Kulhavy.

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The results show a spectacular figure, up to 23 minutes could be saved! But of course, the test is done under optimal conditions impossible to replicate in competition, since no biker is able to maintain that position for 170 km on hilly terrain.

Still, it is clear that yes, every time that position can be adopted, a few seconds are shaved off the clock. In fact, British rider Tom Pidcock is one of the most seen in the World Cup to get into an aerodynamic position on his mountain bike whenever he can.