How Evenepoel's position has changed to dominate time trials

If there is a discipline within cycling where technology, position, and attention to the smallest detail translate into performance improvement, it is the time trial. A facet of cycling that not only requires the cyclist to have a brutal capacity for suffering to maintain stratospheric speeds and a constant flow of watts but also a lot of behind-the-scenes work resulting from years of effort. A clear example of evolution is Remco Evenepoel.

This is why Remco Evenepoel is currently the best time trialist in the world

Within all that dirty work that a specialist in individual time trials like Remco Evenepoel has to perform, let’s remember, World Champion in the specialty consecutively in the last three world championships, the position of the cyclist on the bike is the most relevant for achieving the best performance.

An aspect that is not a matter of a day but the result of many years of evolution to gradually refine the posture with regular tests in the wind tunnel and biomechanical analyses that allow achieving the perfect balance between the cyclist's ability to maintain a high and constant power output and, on the other hand, the least aerodynamic resistance since, although the frames and wheels are aerodynamically optimized, the cyclist still accounts for between 75% and 80% of the total resistance.

 

 

 

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A post shared by BIKEFIT / BIOMECHANICS OF THE CYCLIST (@watiosbikefit)

Therefore, it is a topic that fascinates most biomechanists who usually observe the solutions applied by professionals to try to apply them in their adjustments. A curious example is the one we found on Instagram where the biomechanical study Watios Bikefit from Medellín, Colombia, published a comparison between the position Remco Evenepoel had in 2016, when he was still a junior, and the polished position he adopts today on his Shiv-TT, by the way, the same bike model, with its corresponding updates, over all these years, always linked to Specialized.

Importantly, in the evolution between both images, we can see how, contrary to what had traditionally been believed, being more hunched does not result in being faster, and it is also essential to prioritize the comfort of the cyclist and maintain correct angles so that they can provide sufficient power. In the current version, Remco appears slightly taller, but, however, his frontal area is likely smaller as he is more compact.

A greater elevation that surely also combines with the increasingly common short cranks, allowing, in the highest position of the leg, for the hip angle to be more open, which translates into a greater power application throughout the pedal stroke cycle, in addition to demanding less from the stabilizing muscles of the hip, making it less likely for areas like the lower back, which always suffer in overly aggressive positions, to be strained.

Where we also see significant evolution is in the aerobar and elbow supports. Currently, especially for top-level riders, the aerobar is completely customized and made to measure for the cyclist, allowing not only the elbows to rest but practically the entire arm, which is perfectly streamlined against the wind.

The wrists also have a much less aggressive grip, and in general, the position is more compact, avoiding the tension generated by the arm's angle forward in the 2016 position compared to an almost completely vertical arm position today. One last point, which has not only been applied in the time trial position but is now common in all road bikes, is that, as a general rule, cyclists pedal further forward on the bike. Currently, it is taken into account that the cyclist's center of gravity should be distributed between the two axes of the bike or slightly forward, and this is very evident in Remco's position on the time trial bike.

The aspect of positioning, combined with hours in the wind tunnel to validate not only its effectiveness but also its integration with the equipment: helmet, bike, suit, wheels, etc.; surely also involves a very important strengthening of the stabilizing muscles that allows maintaining such an aggressive position and, of course, Remco Evenepoel's genetic predisposition to endure the level of suffering required for a time trial has made the Belgian cyclist one of the best time trialists in history.