Green laser beams cut through the darkness – revealing how air truly flows. Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, together with Specialized and LaVision, are taking aero testing to a new level.
It looks like science fiction, but it’s cutting-edge research: In the Catesby Aero Research Facility – a decommissioned railway tunnel in England – Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe and Specialized, together with measurement specialist LaVision, have conducted a Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) test – a technique previously only known from Formula 1.
When air becomes visible
The goal: to make airflow visible and elevate aerodynamics to a new scientific level. For the first time, the air movement around rider and bike was captured in detail, using millions of microscopic helium bubbles illuminated by lasers.
Every motion of the air was recorded. The resulting data serves to truly see how the air is moving around the rider and bike, unearthing new understanding and validating CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) models – virtual simulations of aerodynamic drag.
© Red Bull Content Pool / George Marshall
More than a test – a paradigm shift
The PIV test marks a turning point. Never before in professional cycling has such a precise picture been drawn of how air behaves around a rider. The combination of CFD, wind tunnel, track, and real-world testing creates an integrated system that allows performance and rider positions to be analysed with unprecedented precision, and PIV is the next frontier of giving true confidence and correlation across all of these test domains.
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe and Specialized are working hand in hand to redefine aerodynamic efficiency – from digital design to real-world racing. This fundamental research doesn’t just deliver insights for individual riders; it’s shaping the future of how modern aero development is done by understanding the “why” that underpins changes in aerodynamic performance.
Dan Bigham, Head of Engineering at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe said:
We want to understand what’s really happening – not just whether something is faster or slower. With this PIV test, we’re finally looking beneath the surface of aerodynamics – making visible what was previously unseen in cycling. We’re bringing Formula 1 technology onto two wheels and creating knowledge that will change the sport.
Riding through a laser beam – that’s not something you do every day. Seeing the airflows around me live for the first time was fascinating. Normally, we only know whether something is faster, but not why. Today we could actually see the why. For me as an engineer, that’s pure magic – a moment that shows what happens when curiosity meets technology.
© Red Bull Content Pool / George Marshall
Precision in the dark
The test demanded total concentration: over 100 runs at exactly the same speed, position, and line – each time through a green curtain of helium bubbles and laser light. The Catesby Tunnel, with its constant temperature and absence of external influences, provides the perfect environment for this kind of experiment.
“Here, the air is as pure as the data,” says Bigham with a smile. “No wind, no gradient, no randomness – just pure physics.”
The future of speed
What becomes visible in the laser light is much more than a technical experiment – it’s the beginning of a new era in cycling. This is fundamental research that will shape the development processes of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe and Specialized for years to come. Because those who understand the air, control the race.
© Red Bull Content Pool / George Marshall
Video – Welcome to the Aero Revolution: In the laser light of perfection
Photos – © Red Bull Content Pool / George Marshall
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