New wind tunnel technology improves cycling efficiency

By Richard Pallardy

The Belgian Cycling Factory’s Aero Performance Lab, based in Beringen, Belgium, is making headway on cycling through its use of an innovative wind tunnel. By fine-tuning the measurement capabilities of this contained system in a Eurostars project, the company is helping both amateur and professional cyclists improve their performance in the wild.

In the tunnel, a cyclist perches on a metal platform that locks their machine into place. Sensors gauge how their posture affects their movement through space, how wind speed influences performance, how clothing and helmet choice affect drag and how heat is shed.

The cyclist can then use these measurements to fine-tune how they ride. The company has used its funding from Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) through the Eurostars project AEROTHERM to develop a state-of-the-art facility used by both competitive and amateur road cyclists, along with a growing suite of other athletes, from runners to ice skaters.

Riding into the wind

“Our goal was to upgrade the wind tunnel to a state-of-the-art setup that would be used by pro riders in the cycling industry.” – Teugels

Daan Teugels describes himself as an aerodynamicist, with an academic background specialising in aeronautic technologies. He applies his engineering skills to moving athletes through space in the most energetically efficient way possible. He currently applies these skills in the Belgian Cycling Factory’s Aero Performance lab, where he has optimised its wind tunnel.

Wind tunnels have long been employed to study the performance of cyclists, but their measurements have been of limited use. Previous iterations of these laboratory setups have measured cyclists in static positions, which is not so helpful for monitoring fast-paced sports performances. Teugels and his team set about creating a tunnel that more accurately approximated real-world conditions.

“The cyclist used to be in a static position without the pedals moving,” Teugels says. “But there are significant effects when you start pedalling or when your position shifts. That was one of the main issues that we wanted to tackle.”

One significant step was to install plates that would isolate any movement by the rider from external factors. Given these plates are not attached to the building floor directly, it means only the riders’ movements are measured.

The researchers also increased the rate of sampling to 1,000 data points per second. The software system they designed integrates these data points in real time.

“One system was measuring the drag and one was measuring the airspeed. An ambient parameter sensor was measuring the temperature, air pressure and relative humidity,” Teugels recalls. These measurements are now all carefully correlated in one system.

Let your body go with the flow

“The system allows us to find a midpoint between comfort and aerodynamics.” – Teugels

The major innovation of the Aero Performance lab is its exquisite sensitivity to the movements of the cyclist. It tests cyclists in a dynamic fashion, accounting for slight movements of the head, positioning of the arms, stance on the pedals and a range of other minute adjustments that might make all the difference outdoors.

These infinitesimally small changes are of great interest to riders whose careers depend on matters of seconds when crossing the finish line.

The software eliminates dramatic shifts that might throw off the measurements. For example, if a cyclist pops their head up during the test when it should be down, that deviation can be accounted for.

The cyclist can then take this data and integrate it into their actual performance. Objectively ideal positioning may not be practical in a race, but a midpoint may constitute a significant improvement.

“That is the main improvement of this platform now. We get those two feedback points that allow for a more subjective approach,” Teugels says.

A (yellow) jersey for heat

“It is becoming more and more important to have that heat control, to understand how heat dissipates.” – Teugels

The tunnel also utilises thermal cameras to measure the heat dissipation from the cyclists. This data is crucial for athletes who are often cycling in extreme conditions. The 2026 Tour de France occurred during a record heat wave, so shedding even a small amount of heat using different positions, or even clothing, can make a massive difference.

“One big factor is the wind,” Teugels says. “As you cycle faster and faster, convection becomes more important.”

The thermal cameras offer another input that the cyclists can take to their race. One position may result in greater speed from an aerodynamic perspective, but not shed as much heat, which can affect performance. This additional data can further assist in tweaking posture.

It also offers valuable feedback on clothing choice. Belgian clothing company Bioracer was part of the Eurostars project and is developing textiles that help riders to shed heat more efficiently while remaining aerodynamic. The company uses graphene, a thin layer of carbon atoms, printed on polyester fabrics to offer superior heat-shedding properties in cycling gear. The Aero Performance Lab has helped them to fine-tune their technology.

Riders in 3D

“We can do 3D scanning of a ride if we want to do a full comparison of the positions.” – Teugels

The tunnel can now fully scan a cyclist’s body, allowing for a digital comparison of how the various positional adjustments affect their performance. The system utilises computation fluid dynamic simulations to examine where heat convection is actually occurring.

The lab also includes a separate climate chamber.

“We can increase or decrease temperature. We can increase or decrease the oxygen level, allowing us to simulate altitude. We can increase or decrease the humidity,” Teugels enthuses.

He and his team hope to correlate the inputs from the wind tunnel and the climate chamber into a single protocol that can inform cyclists as they move through different conditions, such as elevation, humidity, temperature and wind speed. This may be particularly valuable for manufacturers who are testing their gear, such as helmets and clothing.

“We are working to quantify the differences and see where the tipping point is for certain equipment, so a cyclist can choose between one suit or the other, between one helmet or the other,” Teugels says.

A sprint finish

“One of the pillars of our Eureka project, the dynamic peddling rider, has increased our revenue by a factor of three in the last year.” – Teugels

Teugels explains that the Aero Performance Lab is now in the final stages of optimisation, thanks in part to participation in the Eureka project.

“Step by step, the post processing got better and better. We are about to finally implement our software in the control room computer. Then everything can be automated,” he says.

Other cycling brands are catching on to these innovations and have become an important customer base for the lab. They are able to bring their prototypes in, assemble them and make adjustments in real time.

They are also working on an enhanced efficiency testing protocol for cyclists themselves, integrating positional aerodynamics, the aerodynamics of their bikes and the physiological aspects that make for a perfect ride.

“We are not looking to make the best wind tunnel in the world,” Teugels says. “We are looking to make the best testing setup, where every decision the cyclist needs to make can be quantified.”

New Eurostars call now open

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Eurostars Call 11 open. Submit your project by 10 September 2026.

Eurostars is open to innovative projects across any field. We don’t set a theme for Eurostars calls, so there are no limits to where your innovation could take you.

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