On a day when among the WorldTour’s most keenly noticed Grand Tour contenders had been exhibiting their early season kind at Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Good, it was putting that on Monday nearly all of the biking world’s consideration was as an alternative targeted on what a handful of riders had been carrying.
Visma-Lease a Bike showcased a hitherto unreleased Giro time trial helmet, named Aerohead II, which was so radical that the Cyclingnews tech crew spent a while debating whether or not it was an AI-generated prank. After the preliminary wave of social media consideration, although, extra particulars have emerged concerning the extremely enigmatic helmet.
“It is it is a very, superb helmet,” crew chief Jonas Vingegaard stated after the end. “I feel it is very, very quick.”
“We labored on it loads within the final yr,” he added. “It is completely different, in fact, however yeah, I imply, it is very quick. And I feel that would be the future.”
The helmet comes within the wake of years of dramatic time trial helmet designs, with the Specialised TT5, Candy Safety Redeemer 2Vi, and POC Tempor all drawing consideration over the previous couple of seasons. Nonetheless, Giro’s new Aerohead II has seen a much more dramatic reception.
The aesthetics little question have performed the largest half on this, with the tall visor marking a stark departure from any time trial helmet we have now seen previously.
Vingegaard was fast to dismiss the aesthetic criticism of the helmet, although.
“The factor in recent times, biking has been going extra, increasingly more away from aesthetics,” Vingegaard stated to Cyclingnews. “So yeah, this was simply the subsequent step. And there will probably be one other step sooner or later as effectively.”
One benefit of the Aerohead II’s radical design is visibility, he stated. “The visibility is healthier than earlier helmets,” Vingegaard stated, arguing that with many time trial helmets, “You possibly can’t actually see. However this one is like you will have the entire [field of view].”
Consolation has additionally been a bonus with Vingegaard praising it as “extra comfy than different time trial helmets that I attempted.” He added, “Different ones are pushing loads of locations on the pinnacle. And this one may be very comfy.”
In keeping with Giro the helmet has seen appreciable wind tunnel testing, and the identify is an homage to the unique Aerohead – worn by Greg Lemond in 1986 when he received the Tour de France by a slender margin of 8 seconds following a sensational remaining time trial efficiency.
Given the intensive testing, Visma-Lease a Bike had been conversant in the design effectively earlier than yesterday’s debut. “I’ve seen the helmet already in December and January. And yeah, so again then I had a little bit of amusing. However yeah, if you check it, if you see how briskly it’s, you then will not snigger anymore.”
Group workers had been additionally fast to reward the brand new helmet. “It is a new mind-set concerning the aerodynamics of a helmet,” stated Paul Martens, the Visma-Lease a Bike gear supervisor in an interview with L’Équipe. “We actually suppose we have now discovered an actual enchancment in our system for time trials.”
Frédéric Grappe, efficiency director at Groupama-FDJ additionally weighed in on the brand new helmet in a dialogue with L’Équipe, highlighting the function of latest UCI laws on physique place in time trials on the design of the helmet.
“Immediately, we’re in excessive positions the place we nearly put our heads in our palms,” he stated. “The Visma helmet, if you happen to take a look at it in profile, limits the entry of air between the pinnacle and the palms. Whereas preserving good imaginative and prescient.”
Grappe went on to focus on {that a} helmet works as a system with a rider, however that in the correct circumstances, he prompt that an aerodynamically-optimised helmet like Giro’s Aerohead II may render positive aspects of 1 second per kilometre.
Regardless of the technological developments, Vingegaard discovered himself 22 seconds down on GC rival Juan Ayuso (UAE Group Emirates) within the opening time trial of Tirreno-Adriatico.
“He did an excellent time trial beating, beating Ganna,” Vingegaard stated of his rival earlier than he addressed the problem of shedding 22 seconds on the race’s opening.
“Yeah, I imply, it is true 22 seconds, and I feel you probably did a superb time trial. And we’ll simply must do what we will do within the subsequent coming days to see if we will take again the time.”
The helmet is due one other outing as we speak at Paris-Good as all the Visma-Lease A Bike squad – together with Matteo Jorgenson and stage 1 winner Olav Kooij – are set to don the Aerohead II through the stage 3 crew time trial.
