It was 23 years ago that Pee Wee Herman shocked the cycling world by winning the Tour de France.</p><p>OK, that was in a dream sequence in the movie &#8220;Pee Wee&#8217;s Big Adventure.&#8221; It was good for a laugh, but obviously it wouldn&#8217;t happen because of that bicycle (not to mention he&#8217;s wearing a suit). The bike had big handle bars, which housed two mirrors and a lion&#8217;s head.</p><p>That&#8217;s a lot extra stuff and it would slow down even Lance Armstrong.</p><p>Conversely, the cyclists at the Tour of Missouri are aerodynamically sleek. Well, as sleek as they can be on a bicycle.</p><p>As a cyclist pedals along, the air exerts a force on the athlete that increases with speed.</p><p>According to the Web site exploratorium.edu, &#8220;aerodynamic drag consists of two forces: air pressure drag and direct friction (also known as surface friction or skin friction). A blunt, irregular object disturbs the air flowing around it, forcing the air to separate from the object&#8217;s surface. Low pressure regions from behind the object result in a pressure drag against the object. With high pressure in the front, and low pressure behind, the cyclist is literally being pulled backwards.&#8221;</p><p>That makes a cyclist&#8217;s job even tougher. But they do have ways to reduce forces working against them.</p><p>For one, riders will stay in a crouched position to help eliminate drag.</p><p>According to the Web site K-8 Aeronautics Internet Textbook, &#8220;the most aerodynamic position is obtained by using the hill-descent position where the hands are on the center of the bars. In this position the elbows are tucked in and the chin is on the hands.&#8221;</p><p>Technological advances have also helped cyclists go faster. Bicycle frames that once were cast iron have been replaced by titanium, aluminum, and carbon fiber materials that have made them lighter and stronger.</p><p>Helmets have become more aerodynamical, and wheels have been improved. In this case, smaller is better.</p><p>&#8220;A firm thin tire on the asphalt surface won&#8217;t flatten much,&#8221; according to exploratorium.edu. &#8220;The less the tire flattens out on the bottom, the less surface area is in contact with the road. Less contact in this case means less friction, and more speed.&#8221;</p><p>A tire with fewer spokes or disk wheels also help reduce pressure drag, according to K-8 Aeronautics Internet Textbook.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">In depth</span></strong></p><p>To determine the aerodynamic drag on a cyclist, go to <a href="http://www.exploratorium.edu/cycling/aerodynamics1.html">www.exploratorium.edu/cycling/aerodynamics1.html</a>