Since Paris-Roubaix, Van Aert has significantly intensified his training with the time trial bike, and he hopes it pays off in The Tour de France, according to a report in nieuwsblad.be
“Both on the Sierra Nevada, but also now that he trains at altitude in Switzerland, there is about one day out of three a training session on the time trial bike. It’s a serious part of his schedule,” Mathieu Heijboer, head of performance at Jumbo-Visma, said.
Testing in races
During the Tour de Suisse, van Aert will test his new time trial position in a race for the first time. The UCI changed the rules at the beginning of this year for time trial positions for taller riders. For riders 190 cm or more, such as van Aert, the bottom bracket and the end of the handlebars may be mounted 5 cm further apart than riders that are under 180cm. The bars can also be mounted 4 cm higher, for the comfort and safety of the larger riders.
Can you guess why the UCI keeps a list of pro cyclists taller than 6’2”?
“In addition to testing in the wind tunnel, we have seen that it makes him faster when we increase his hand position. How much, I keep that to myself. His bars are slightly more slanted upwards. That’s not only more aerodynamic, it’s also more comfortable. Wout was very pleased with it. How much profit that yields depends on many factors, such as the wind speed. For all riders over 180 cm, this new rule provides an advantage,” he added. “Tao Geoghegan Hart already mentioned that in the Giro, that he can now close the gap with the top riders more easily.”
Faster threads
As well as getting more aero, the Belgian has a faster skinsuit. “That’s an ongoing process. The people of our clothing sponsor AGU, like our other partners, are constantly developing. That means that we are again using a new time trial suit this year that has improved a bit and is just a little faster. It is more precisely about the substances or a combination of them that we use, but I will not reveal precise names of these,” Heijboer added.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…