Cross-country skiing, also known as Nordic skiing, is a part of many longstanding disciplines in the Winter Games. Unlike downhill skiing, cross-country events typically involve mass starts, which allow athletes Keep reading
Tag: drafting
Schooling in Soap Films
In sports, flocks of birds, and schools of fish, we’re accustomed to thinking that the followers get an aerodynamic or hydrodynamic advantage over the leaders, but this may not always Keep reading
Sochi 2014: Downhill Skiing
Like the athletes who compete on ice, skiers rely on a film of liquid beneath their skis to provide the low friction necessary to glide. The moisture results from the Keep reading
Reader Question: Drafting in Triathlons
Reader juleztalks writes: I’ve just entered an amateur triathlon, and there’s a whole load of rules about not “drafting” in the cycle stage (basically, not sitting in other cyclists’ slipstream). Keep reading
Reader Question: Drafting in Cycling
jonesmartinez asks: As a cyclist, I’m curious about drafting. How fast do I need to be going for there to be a measurable benefit? Additionally, often in a time trial Keep reading
Flow Around Traffic
Flow visualization in a water tunnel shows what the flow around a line of traffic looks like. Note the progressively more turbulent flow around each car as it sits in Keep reading
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines
Conventional wind turbines feature horizontal axis propellers which must be placed far apart from one another to avoid wake interference. Researchers have found that using vertical axis wind turbines specially Keep reading
Drafting Behind a Big Rig
For those who like the effects of drafting in cycling backed up by Mythbusters, here’s a comparison between riding a mountain bike at 20 mph solo and on the tail Keep reading
Tour de France Physics: Breakaways
In cycling, a small group of riders often leave the protection of the peloton in a breakaway. These riders will often spend 80% or more of a stage or race Keep reading
Tour de France Physics: Pelotons
July is well underway and for cycling fans around the world that means it’s time for the Tour de France. This week at FYFD we’re going to do something a Keep reading