The influence of the environment on the calculation of drag area in cycling: Contrasting results between indoor and outdoor field tests.

This study evaluates the consistency and practical utility of two methods for calculating drag area (C_DA) in cycling—Notio and Martin—across indoor (velodrome) and outdoor (road) environments. Results show that Notio provides consistent C_DA values between environments, whereas Martin's method yields significantly higher indoor values. However, neither method demonstrated sufficient sensitivity to reliably detect small aerodynamic changes from different equipment settings, as measurement variability exceeded observed differences. The findings highlight inherent challenges in field-based C_DA assessments, including environmental factors, cyclist positioning, and power measurement errors, limiting their effectiveness for fine aerodynamic optimization in cycling.