This garment is the ultimate in aerodynamics and is worn by Pogacar

Marginal gains are back in the conversation thanks to the revolutionary undershirt developed by Rule28, which allows Tadej Pogacar to gain a few watts by improving his aerodynamic resistance thanks to its peculiar fabric that places this garment at the limit of what is allowed by the UCI rules.

The grains of sand that build the victories of Tadej Pogacar

In 2010 when Team Sky made its arrival in the world of professional cycling, it soon revolutionized many concepts assumed for decades by its new way of doing things. To them we owe the concept of marginal gains that consisted in taking into account all those small details that were usually disregarded or not even taken into account to work on their improvement so that, adding many small improvements, make the difference.

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Since then all the teams have been taking care of these marginal gains, ridiculous for the cyclist in general who should first take care of the important aspects in detail, but essential for a professional of the highest level in a sport increasingly more equal in which the victory can be decided by these little things.

The latest marginal gain to come to the fore is the Rule28 aerodynamic undershirt used by Tadej Pogacar, which allows for low aerodynamic drag thanks to the peculiar fibers of its fabric and its construction that create a turbulent air flow, the same effect of the small dimples on golf balls that Zipp, for example, has been applying to its wheels for years.

Obviously, to achieve the desired effect, the jersey that goes over the shirt has to be extremely tight so that it adopts the ribbed shape with which the sleeves are designed. In addition, Rule28 designs this garment solely as a kind of top, since the only thing that matters is the aerodynamics of the air flow over the shoulders, rather than the usual breathability properties of undershirts.

When we see it, we immediately think of the controversy with the UCI rules regarding aerodynamic additions to garments, such as the silicone inserts that brands like Endura used in their time trial suits and which were specifically banned by the UCI. However, the Rule28 jersey achieves this effect by the mere design of the textile fibers with which it is woven and which form a structural part of the garment, thus circumventing the limitations imposed by the standard.

Obviously, the gains obtained by this solution are very small, measured at 45 km/h, just 2.8 W with headwind and 7.5 W compared to the time trial suit manufactured by the brand, with an angle of incidence of 5°, small but sufficient to make appreciable differences in a time trial stage. All this for a fraction of the cost of one of these technical suits.