A handful of guys from the Astana team stayed in the US to prepare for the up coming Tour of California. Their reward was a day in the San Diego Low Speed Wind Tunnel with none other than the aero guru himself Steve Hed. Unfortunately I was unable to attend this time but here are some pictures from a day well spent photos by David Wrolstad. Download wind_tunnel_testing.mov
Keith
Love the pics Ben. Thanks for sharing them with us. Please keep em coming.
P.S. We gotta get you outa Wisconsin more often. I think all that time getting the bikes ready over the last few months has somewhat affected your music choices =P
February 12, 2008 at 12:37 PM
Joel
Will any of the Astana team members be available for a meet and greet in San Diego?
There is a meet and greet Thursday night in Palo Alto and the guys will be around before and after every day of the race. There is not anything specifically designated for San Diego.
Ben Coates: Team Liaison
February 13, 2008 at 01:00 AM
Dan
Why are the guys testing on HED Stingers? Will Astana be riding HED wheels other than the HED 3 this season? I haven't seen any pictures of any Astana bikes with Aeolus 6.5 wheels and didn't see them much last year with Discovery. Have the teams moved away from using the Aeolus 6.5 in favor of the Aeolus 5.0? Would the team ever consider using a deeper 6.5 in the rear and a 5.0 in the front as many other riders in peloton are doing with different brand wheels? Thanks and keep the updates coming!
The Guys are on HED Stingers in the tunnel because HED was at the tunnel conducting studies and invited the guys to join him. Basically killing two birds with one stone. HED and Trek have a great relationship and we scratch each others backs from time to time. The team will not be competing on HED wheels with the exception of the 3 spoke.
As for the 6.5 vs the 5.0. The team does ride 6.5's but not too often. The biggest reason they ride the 5.0's most of the time has to do with logistics. They only have so much space in the truck and so they take the wheels they feel are the most versatile. When the truck leaves the Service Courses it could be months before it returns. There are days that would the team would certainly benefit from the use of the 6.5 wheels.
Ben Coates: Team Liaison
February 13, 2008 at 01:01 AM