Leading the Pack: Improving Cycling Designs With Simulation

Created in 1997 by retired cyclists Marc and Yvon Madiot, Équipe cycliste Groupama-FDJ has won more than 500 races, with 14 French national champion jerseys, three monuments of cycling, and 38 Grand Tour stages. The team attributes its success to its unwavering loyalty to the French flag by giving “heart and soul” to the tricolor jersey. But its commitment to performance is a close second. Through the Besancon Performance Center and its research and development (R&D) team, Équipe cycliste Groupama-FDJ uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and cloud computing to optimize the aerodynamics of bikes, helmets, and other equipment.

Using Wind Tunnels To Test Performance

Like in many sports, aerodynamics is crucial in cycling.

“The wind on the flat is approximately 90% of the total resistance,” says Frederic Grappe, head of performance and innovation at Équipe cycliste Groupama-FDJ. “The rider takes 70% of the drag, and the bike is close to 30%. That’s why it’s important to consider the two parts: the rider and his positions — and also his materials like his helmet.”

Since 2021, the team has used Ansys Fluent fluid simulation software to run CFD simulations. Équipe cycliste Groupama-FDJ uses these to analyze the interactions among the rider, bicycle, and surrounding air. With these insights, the team can make changes to its equipment to improve performance.

“Using CFD, we can build a virtual wind tunnel, where we have more information than in a real wind tunnel,” says Victor Simonin, R&D engineer at Équipe cycliste Groupama-FDJ. The virtual wind tunnel enables the team to understand factors like surface pressure, flow direction, and more. Recently, the team created a manikin replica of team member Stefan Küng to put in the wind tunnel and use to compare with the CFD results.

“This is a big improvement for wind tunnel testing. We can focus on certain parts in CFD and then confirm it in the wind tunnel,” says Simonin.

“When you are in a wind tunnel test,” says Grappe, “you only have the total drag of the system, but you don’t know the effect of the air on the system. Using Fluent software, you can have a good understanding of the effect of the airflow of the frame on the riders.”

Équipe cycliste Groupama-FDJ also uses Ansys Discovery 3D product simulation software to reveal insights early in the design process. “I use Discovery software for quick analysis of airflow around the athletes, just to have some general airflow information that we can make an initial plan from. It’s easy and only takes minutes,” says Simonin.

With a general idea in hand, Simonin then turns to Fluent software for in-depth analysis. “With Fluent software, you can go deeper; you can show more information.”

Unlocking Unlimited Power

As the team’s simulations grew larger and more complex, its computing power could no longer keep up with the demands.

“When you want to make the simulations of the rider on the bicycle system, it takes approximately 24 hours. It’s time-consuming,” says Grappe.

“Then if the result isn’t good,” Simonin says, “you have lost an entire day of work and have to do it all again.”

To accelerate simulation times, Équipe cycliste Groupama-FDJ turned to the Ansys Gateway powered by AWS cloud engineering solution. “With Ansys Gateway powered by AWS software, we had the power to decrease the calculation times by 17 times. So, 24 hours becomes an hour or two,” says Simonin. The drastic decrease in simulation times meant that Équipe cycliste Groupama-FDJ had more time to explore and develop prototypes that focus on different concepts, such as wind, angles, and more.

Simonin especially appreciated the support that Ansys and Amazon Web Services (AWS) provided to him while implementing the cloud platform. “I was totally lost, and I said that it’ll be impossible or too complicated to implement that. But Ansys and AWS worked with us to find a solution that was easy to implement,” says Simonin. The team also took advantage of the ADDL technical support and lessons and tutorials supplied in the Ansys Learning Hub.

Learn more about how Ansys Fluent fluid simulation software and the Ansys Gateway powered by AWS cloud engineering solution can help your team gain a competitive advantage.