While chilling in my in-laws’ pool after the Tour  de Winghaven, I made a ground-breaking discovery.  What I discovered was how to operate the stop watch function on my Timex Indiglo. I have owned this watch for 10 years. In those 10 years, it has occasionally beeped for reasons that I did not understand. As long as it told me what time it was, I was content. Twice a year, I would stumble my way through moving it ahead and back an hour for the seasonal time changes. The only advanced feature I could operate was the “glow” feature.  That had recently failed and now the whole screen glows instead of just the numbers.

I calculated time on my previous studies by subtracting the start time from the finish time. Given the fact that my memory is sketchy at best and my math skills even more questionable, figuring elapsed times was definitely the most challenging aspect of my  outdoor scientific studies.

The discovery of the stop watch function opened the door for a study I had wanted to do for sometime. This study would be a test of aerodynamics that would determine just how much faster BR’s less than aerodynamic 5’10” 170lb body mounted on a zippy road bike would go down a hill tucked in the drops as opposed to sitting upright in the hoods.

The site of this study was, of course, the Big Ring Outdoor Testing Facility.  The course was a .38 mile moderate descent starting at the big Mattress Giant sign and
ending at the big Applebee’s sign. I got my speed up to 19 mph and then ceased pedaling once I passed the Mattress Giant sign. At this point the timing began. Timing ended when I passed the Applebee’s sign.  Three consecutive tests in each position were performed. Top speed and elapsed time were measured.  The results were as follows….

Maximum achieved speeds in the drops: 35, 34.5, and 34.5 mph. 34.7 average

Maximum achieved speeds on the hoods:  30, 29.5, and 29.5 mph. 29.7 average

Elapsed time in the drops: 45.83, 48.51, and 48 sec. 47.17 sec average.

Elapsed time on the hoods: 52.52, 55.94, and 55.2 sec.  54.55 sec. average.

It should be noted that, in the third test in the drops, there may have been some interference when I had to prevent my tire pump’s escape from my back pocket. It would have become quite the projectile. Also, on the third test in the hood position, there was a little interference when I had to tap the breaks to avoid a car that had trespassed onto the testing facility.

Nonetheless, the results are pretty indisputable.  I have to admit, I was shocked by how much of a difference there was in the results.   I would never have guessed that I would pick up 5 mph of speed and shave over 7 seconds of time by tucking myself down in the drops. Holy cow.

If you find yourself on fire….stop, drop, and roll.
If you want to fly down a hill… drop and roll.
It’s just that easy.

Yours in Enlightenment,
BR