Performance Process: Swiss Side's JP Ballard on all things aero
Spin Cycle
Escape Collective
4.9 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 9 February 2024
⏱️ 83 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
JP Ballard joins us once again for part one of our Performance Process deep dive into all things aerodynamics.
Ballard is founder and CEO of aerodynamics specialists Swiss Side. The Swiss company produces wheels and aero calf sleeves, but the majority of its work is in offering its aerodynamic expertise to other manufacturers in the cycling industry.
Ballard first joined us for a pit walk critiquing bikes and equipment of the 2024 WorldTour paddock during the recent Tour Down Under. He had also sat down with us before that race to record three hours worth of discussion and advice on aerodynamics and performance. In part one of that conversation Ballard gives us an insight into some of Swiss Side's unseen consultancy work and we discuss performance simulation tools, sail effect, the future of cycling aero, and why Ballard thinks we are not even half way to "peak aero."
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome back to performance process everybody. I'm Kayle Fritz. We got a great show for |
| 0:16.8 | you today. We got another in a string of shows actually all on the same topic with the |
| 0:21.6 | same fella. |
| 0:23.0 | Ronan McLaughlin, who are we talking with today? |
| 0:26.4 | Where are you talking with today specifically? |
| 0:28.4 | Well, I am not talking with him today. |
| 0:30.8 | Back at the tour down under, I I think it was I think it was even |
| 0:34.5 | before tour down and started it was like a day or two before the start I spoke to |
| 0:38.8 | JP Ballard of suicide who this is the podcast will have heard me doing a pit walk with recently. |
| 0:45.2 | That was during the tour down under we sort of went through to the various World Tour |
| 0:49.1 | setups and critique those getting JP's expert eye to sort of pick out the fast from the not so fast. |
| 0:56.4 | And this podcast probably should have came out before that because we sort of delve into who's what side are, what they do, |
| 1:05.8 | a bit of their background, you know, they're obviously a wheel brand, they have some clothing |
| 1:10.6 | items that they sell also, but they're primarily a consultancy brand for for all |
| 1:16.4 | or a consultancy firm for all their psychos industry manufacturers and you know time |
| 1:20.9 | and time again we hear these, we hear of suicide mentioned in press releases from all our |
| 1:26.0 | brands such and such a product was developed in collaboration with suicide and leaning on |
| 1:31.0 | Swiss size aerodynamics and wind tunnel expertise and so as such |
| 1:35.6 | JP someone I've wanted to speak to on a podcast for a long time I think today's |
| 1:41.1 | episode well today's episode is the first part and a two-part series the |
| 1:45.6 | entire recording is three hours long and we've decided not to publish the three hours |
| 1:50.0 | all in one go we've said it split that up a wee bit so let me know if I was wrong to split it up if you're listening to this and you wanted the full three hours let me know but |
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