Van Summeren blaze to victory in the Queen of the Classics

Belgian Johan Van Summeren, wearing possibly the fastest bit of clothing ever created for road racing – the Castelli SpeedSuit, soloed off the front to claim the victory of the 2011 Paris-Roubaix.

It was sun, blue skies and dust rather than mud that greeted the combatants on today’s Hell of the North, Paris-Roubaix. On a spectacular day of crashes, splits and dust it was Johan Van Summeren, Garmin-Cervelo, who attacked a leading group of four riders with about 15-km left before going on to win the Queen of the Classics.

The Garmin-Cervelo rider took the biggest win of his career, ahead of Fabian Cancellara (Leopard Trek) and Maarten Tjallingi (Rabobank).

“I am the happiest man in the world. It’s a race that’s made for me, it’s made for my body.” said Van Summeren when Belgian fans waved their flags in delight at the Roubaix velodrome.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BNl27jneI0[/youtube]

The Castelli SpeedSuit – A little bit of aerodynamic savings over a long period of time
can result in that extra last crucial bit when pushing for the line and glory.

Team Garmin-Cervélo already have the most comfortable shorts and the fastest jersey, so you would think with all of that speed, we’d have to slow down to take a breath.

The Castelli name has been built on innovation though – so with each new innovation, another one follows, and then another, as we seek to continually push the bar higher and higher on what’s possible in cycling clothing. Our latest innovation is a completely new take on two clothing set ups that we’ve come to believe were separate and limited to their own specific uses: the skinsuit and the jersey/short combo.

WHY DON’T RIDERS RACE IN THEIR SKINSUITS? –  Because you can’t pee off the bike with them, and they don’t have usable pockets. Traditionally it’s because you can’t pee off the bike, and because skinsuits don’t have usable pockets…but if we could overcome those two hurdles the Garmin-Cervélo team could probably save another 10-15 watts at 40 km/h.

Ten rounds of sampling and numerous tests later, we’ve invented the first skinsuit for road racing. The upper part is essentially a full zip aero jersey with an improved fit and a new fabric on the shoulders to further enhance aerodynamics. The new and improved aero jersey is then stitched three quarters of the way around the waist to our BodyPaint short. The front of the short/jersey is overlapped allowing the rider to pee off the bike. And yes, we’ve tried it.

The suit has all the aero advantage we had hoped for. The biggest problem area with a standard aero jersey (a category invented by Castelli by the way) is in the side panels that you never can get to really lay completely flat. The SpeedSuit solves this longtime problem and holds the side panels in tension, making an area that was once a weakness now extremely aero.

The development of the SpeedSuit yielded a couple of unforeseen, but welcome improvements. First, as the jersey holds up the shorts, we’ve eliminated the bib straps and thereby increased the comfort. Second, with the construction of the front opening and full-length zipper, the rider can fully open the jersey to completely expose the chest.

Of course, that’s nothing too outrageous in comparison to a typical full-zip jersey, but with the Castelli SpeedSuit, the sides don’t flap around like a normal jersey, giving an aero advantage even while maximizing cooling on a long hot road stage. Finally, the construction of the suit holds the three rear pockets more securely than a standard jersey, so when the jersey is loaded up with bottles, jackets, food, and anything else you can jam in there (and trust me, you can fit a lot in those pockets) – the carried items are better anchored, so they don’t move around.

There are two patents pending on this innovative suit, so for now, it will remain a tool for a privileged few in the pro peloton, but it will soon be available through the Castelli Servizio Corse Teamwear program, and in Castelli Summer colors for 2012.

Photo: Team Garmin-Cervélo