The Cervélo TestTeam will not only be debuting the Tour de France, it will be the first time in their new white kit as well. In addition to the new color, we have updated the jersey with a new construction and fabrics around the arm and shoulder making it even more aerodynamic. With over 3 years of development and wind tunnel testing, this jersey saves 10 watts (at 40km/h) compared to standard race jerseys. This would be enough to slice about forty seconds from a 40km time trial, so it’s clearly an advantage. Two thirds of the drag from a cyclist comes from the rider, not the bike. So even small gains here can make a big difference.
Lets have a quick look at the equipment and race course for tomorrow.
The 97th Tour de France will kick-off in Monaco with a moderately technical 15,5km prologue course mixed with a couple of tricky sections. The real ‘killer’ will be the uphill section after the start which takes the riders up to the Casino area, auch! The F1’s make it look almost flat. It isn’t. Anyone who has walked it will tell you it will be a lactate burner right from the off.
Like the Aero Race Team Jersey; the wind tunnel tested skinsuit, shoecovers and aero gloves will give the riders a technical edge to cut through the wind as well.
– The body of the skinsuit is made using Castelli’s BodyPaint technology: a single piece of fabric to eliminate seams and cover your body as if it was painted on.
– Cut very short in the front so that when the rider is in the riding position the suit lays perfectly flat on the front.
– Giro++ flat elastic on leg opening, collar and sleeves means that everything lays very flat and air flow transitions smoothly from skin to fabric.
– Velocity® fabric featuring a very smooth face for maximum aerodynamics.
– Longer legs for smoother air flow around the legs.
– Aerodynamic flap to cover the riders race number.
Air flows more smoothly over the race number of the Cervelo TestTeam riders while their competitors have a mini parachute on their backs.
With the bike and wheels being so aerodynamic, the air hitting the feet and lower legs is very “clean” and therefore a lot of drag is generated in this area. So we engineered these Aero Race Shoecovers to smooth the airflow over the shoe and around the front of the leg, then to smoothly separate from the leg with the structured “golf ball dimple” fabric.
The hands are the first part of the body to slice the air, so aerodynamics is important here too. We’ve made the back of the glove completely smooth and given it a smooth transition to the wrist. In the time trials, the glove has been designed to be worn over the long sleeve skinsuit, smoothly transitioning the airflow from the hands to the arms.
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