Where Should My Hands Go?
If anyone laughs at you for asking that question then just know they don’t care about speed on a bike. That’s okay, speed isn’t for everyone. What I don’t understand though is if people really don’t care why do they spend thousands of dollars on faster equipment and train for hundreds of hours?
Some people say, “I’m not fast enough for aerodynamics to matter!” They are wrong. At 10 mph air resistance accounts for 50% of what is slowing you down! At 18 mph it accounts for 80% and 25 mph it accounts for 90%. So air resistance slows almost everyone down!
Let’s talk about the almost everyone first. I do love Zwift. When we are Zwifting the aerodynamic position of our physical body obviously does not matter. We want to be as upright as possible because usually the more aerodynamically positioned we become the less power we can produce. To be aerodynamic we have to get our back flat. When we do this we put ourselves in a position where our hip flexors can’t lift our leg up as well. We have a dead spot at the top of our pedal stroke. This flat back position and shrugging of our shoulders also limits our lung capacity because we can’t breath in as deeply. For example my best 20 minutes on my road bike on Zwift is 432 watts. On my time trial bike it is under 400 watts. So if aerodynamics matter little or not at all we want to be in an upright position with our hands on the hoods or tops of the bars. This is the position that we can produce the most amount of power.
This also applies out on the road. If we are going up a hill and our speed is slower then it is better to be upright to produce more power. What will slow you down the most on an uphill is gravity so the higher your watts/kilogram are the faster you will go. The only thing you can do on race day to increase your power to weight is to increase your power. So don’t worry about getting low, worry about getting your hands wherever they are comfortable to feel as powerful as possible.
As the speed increases so does air resistance. Air resistance goes up exponentially as speed increases. Therefore the faster you go the more important aerodynamics becomes. If I’m going fast in a group or drafting and the effort isn’t challenging for me I won’t worry about getting in an aerodynamic position. For most people getting aero requires a lot more core and tricep work. The shoulders shrug up. By the end of the race your back could be sore or tired. So there could be a trade off. Don’t burn your triceps, shoulders, and back out before the finish to get aero if you don’t need to be. This is why I like to practice being aero on my training rides. I used to get very sore after spending time in that position. Now I feel like I can ride all day. It’s a big advantage to be able to have strength in that position.
So let’s talk about times when you want to be aerodynamic.
When the speed is really high and you’re suffering (The less you suffer the longer you can hang on and the more energy you will get to the finish line with. Sometimes it isn’t the fastest racer it’s the racer with the most energy left)
When you’re in a solo breakaway (The winner is always the person who averages the highest speed.)
Here are two races that I utilized this information - Grant’s Tomb - Buffalo Road Race
When you’re in a breakaway (You want to be going faster than the peloton behind you don’t you?)
So here is the question that has made the biggest difference for me the past few years of my racing career. Where do I put my hands, and therefore body, to be as aerodynamic as possible? Check this experiment out by Aerocoach. This picture shows you how many watts you’ll save in each position at 28 mph. Remember that air resistance increases exponentially as speed increases so the savings at slower speeds will be less and the savings at higher speeds will be more. The more watts you save means the more energy you will conserve during the race or the faster you will go in that position. Faster with less energy is the ratio we like.
I want to point out two of these positions right away. The second position from right (39.6 watt savings) is not allowed in many of the races we do. If you do this in a Central Park race you will be disqualified. Some races do allow it. Make sure that you ask the officials before the race if it’s allowed. The picture all the way to the right (35.5 watt savings) isn’t worth it to me. The thing about both these positions is that they are a little dangerous. You’re not holding onto anything and it’s very easy for your arms to slip off the bars and crash. The position all the way to the right is only 0.5 watts faster than the position that second from left (35 watt savings). This position is safer because you’re holding onto your hoods. It’s less than 5 watts slower than the sometimes banned “aerobar” or “puppy paws” position. This is the position I use when I want to get aero. It’s very interesting to see that it is 21 watts faster than holding onto the drops (the position in the middle picture)! That’s a hugely significant difference. At this speed and watt saving you could save 2 second every kilometer. In a race of 40 kilometers this would save you 80 seconds. It doesn’t seem like much but that’s exactly how much time I won by this past weekend in a solo 40 kilometer breakaway. It’s crazy to think that I may have been caught if I didn’t know about these hand positions! Here is a blurry photo from the race.
Two more things to mention about hand position. When you’re sprinting and going fast you want to be low, back flat, and out of the saddle. To do this you want your hands on the drops (lowest part of the handlebars). If you’re sprinting up a hill and going slow then you could have your hands on the hoods. Being out of the saddle and using your arms to pull on the bars will give you more short sprint power. I think I could be lower, but then again maybe I’m too tall.
And one final point. When you are turning you might find more stability with your hands on the hoods or in the drops with your arms a little straighter (just a little bend in the elbows). You will probably feel like you have more control over your bike and the turn in this position. Remember safety first! If you crash that’s not good. Remember these are the most ideal hand and body positions but only if you can do them staying upright.
