Swiss inSide
The podcast that makes you faster.
Swiss inSide
Behind the scenes
Aerodynamics and F1, Speed and Efficiency, Physics and Company Insights. We will cover it all in our Swiss inSide Podcast.
Our podcast dives deep into the insides of a young, highly innovative company, telling its secret stories, as it moves to becoming a well-established brand and innovator in the cycling industry.
The birth of Swiss Side.
Episode 1
In 2012 Jean-Paul Ballard created a company. Swiss Side was born. "My father had been a racing driver, and I got the chance to work on these cars. That helped me a lot in my further engineering career. After 14 years in Formula 1, all of a sudden it became a bit boring and I questioned it’s purpose. At that time the cycling industry in terms of aerodynamics was totally undeveloped. Aerodynamics was an expertise I had in abundance so we started, first with wheels and then with all sorts of things" - Jean-Paul Ballard, CEO and co-founder of Swiss Side Technologies AG
But what do F1 and Mark Webber have to do with Swiss Side? We`ll talk about all that in our Swiss inSide Podcast.
The wind tunnel battle.
Episode 2
Where does the name Swiss Side come from?
"The recipe for a successful startup is relatively simple. It’s doing it that’s the hard bit! And your USP is also key. What is Swiss Side? Learning by doing, creating new know-how and technologies in cycling’s ultra-low speed aerodynamics field; that’s basically Swiss Side in a nutshell." - Jean Paul Ballard, CEO and co-founder of Swiss Side Technologies AG
Where to make the biggest aero gains.
Episode 3
The third episode delves into where you can make the biggest performance improvement through aerodynamic optimization of your equipment. Concrete examples are given of how many watts can be saved with equipment upgrades, as well as shaving your legs! In addition, we explore the significance of yoga in cycling for optimizing your performance.
A story we love to tell when talking about PROJECT 101 with Patrick Lange: “Patrick was able to get a two-fold performance advantage with his custom cockpit. Firstly the aero gains on the bike, and secondly the energy savings which came from the more ergonomic, comfortable, and stable support given by the cockpit. In Patrick’s own words, this energy saving helped him to be able to run faster and break the Kona run course record.”
The laws of physics haven`t changed.
Episode 4
Aero vs weight - both save watts, but which delivers the biggest gains?
The Swiss Side engineering team did an extensive study for Global Cycling Network on the effects of aero vs weight, also considering rotating weight. The detailed analysis was done on three types of courses: 1. Steep climb; 2. Time trial; 3. Criterium, with a light weight wheel setup and a heaver (+450g) aero wheel setup. Learn which was faster on each of these courses and what effect the wind plays in the results.
“You can add weight to your bike with more aerodynamic components, and it will make you faster. It’s just a fact!” -Jean-Paul Ballard
See GCN interview about Rotating Weight.
The AERO CALF Sleeves hype & custom-made cockpits
Episode 5
The importance of optimised material is on a new level these days. Reason enough for us to talk about the new world best time from Daniela Ryf at the Challenge Roth, about AERO CALF Sleeves and custom made cockpits for athletes in triathlon and road cycling.
Canyon CFR Track
Episode 6
In August 2023 our partner Canyon introduced the Speedmax CFR Track bike. Crafted in collaboration with pro riders and our aerodynamic and engineering expertise, this velodrome masterpiece is one topic we are talking about in this episode.
We also illuminate why Swiss Side stands for research and development and we took a closer look into the future of cycling set-ups, the Ironman World Champs in Nice 2023 and a lot more about speed, performance, and aero.
Aerodynamics in Gravel
Episode 7
How important is aerodynamics in the world of Gravel Cycling? You guessed absolutely correct: It can be as important as it is in Road Cycling. In this episode, Jean-Paul Ballard gives the most important insights about the right Gravel-Setup for every possible scenario.
The Ironman Hawaii 2023 - Race summary and the bottle problem
Episode 8
We are talking about the big show in Kona this year, 2023. What was the most unexpected thing during the race and how to deal with big groups or the bottle problem in the future?
2024 will be special
Episode 9
The Swiss Side Pro Triathlon Team 2024, new Triathlon race series, sponsorship insights, and a look into the future.
AERO textiles equal faster times?
Episode 10
In this episode, we get to the bottom of this question. We talked about AERO Socks, AERO CALF Sleeves, suits and if you ever wondered what these not so cost-intensive AERO gadgets really do for you.
Swiss inSide x Larry Warbasse
Episode 11
What is it like to be a pro athlete in the world tour? Larry Warbasse (US) and Jean-Paul give us some great insights into the past years of road cycling, bike positions, tyres, the peloton, and much more.
Swiss inSide x Patrick Lange
Episode 12
Since 2018 Swiss Side and Patrick Lange have been working together. We can look back to a successful and steadily growing partnership. In this Swiss inSide Podcast episode we talk about racing, winning in Kona, and of course the role of aerodynamics.
Swiss inSide x Jason West
Episode 13
Free speed? Jason West and our Podcast hoster Daniel Welsch are talking about wind tunnel testing, aerodynamic equipment, and Jason`s most challenging competition ever.
Swiss inSide x Flurina Rigling
Episode 14
Flurina Rigling started cycling at the age of 5 but could not break with standard breaks. Today she is a multiple World Champion, National Champion, and Olympic Medalist - what else is coming? This strong woman from Zürich worked on her aerodynamics together with Swiss Side - a true "gamechanger" for her.
Why is an aerodynamic optimisation so important?
AERO Round Table 1
In this special series four engineers from Swiss Side discuss five of the most relevant topics in the world of cycling. The topic of the first episode is hotly debated among age groupers: Most amateur athletes think they are too slow and aerodynamic optimisations on the bike are just important for professional athletes. This is clearly wrong...
Aerodynamic products - the greatest benefit at the lowest cost
AERO Round Table 2
Did you ever wonder what the actual benefit when wearing an aero tri suit, aero helmet, or aero socks/sleeves?
Well, here you`ll get the answer.
The importance of aerodynamic wheels
AERO Round Table 3
The importance of aero wheels, how to find the right set up, the myth of the 105% ruel, tubeless vs. tube and so much more.
What really makes you faster and how you can measure it yourself
AERO Round Table 4
In the fourth episode of the Aero Round Table our Swiss Side engineers talk about what amateur athletes can do to really improve their aero game, to get faster and to save some serious watts.
What our engineers would develop if there were no rules or limitations
AERO Round Table 5
We asked our engineers what they would invent in the world of aerodynamics if there were no rules or limitations. Let`s end the first season of our Aero Round Table series with a fun one.
Our creative mind. Swiss inSide podcast hoster
Daniel Welsch
As the hoster of our `on air - on aeroad´ podcast, Daniel is 100% in his element. Wheter it`s checking out the latest technologies in the cycling and triathlon industry, pondering questions about aerodynamics, or talking for hours about speed an efficiency, Daniel is our PRO when it comes to creative ideas that will fascinate you. Explore his Instagram, and YouTube channel, and don`t miss our podcast to find out what Swiss inSide is about.
