Holiday Gift Guide – Giro Prolight SLX Shoes

Posted on December 16, 2011 by

In about 20 years as a cyclist, I’ve owned five pairs of shoes: Diadora, Carnac, Time, Specialized—and now the Giro Prolight SLX. My first three pairs all used three Velcro straps to secure my feet, and my brief detour from the concept (two straps and a buckle) left me underwhelmed. Buckles break, gunk-up, strip, and flat-out fail. Some of them use protruding bolts that—if your foot’s shaped just right—can press painfully against bones or protrusions. And while, Velcro does indeed have the potential to wear out over time, there’s much less of a chance that your strap will snap in the middle of a century—and if it does, you’ve got (hopefully) two more to get you home.

So given my foot fastening preferences, I was eager to try the Prolight SLX and its three Velcro straps. Anatomically placed at key points across your foot to provide maximum comfort and stability, the SLX’s straps produce a fit that feels as if your foot is being hugged by the shoe—not strapped into it. And in cases when I did feel the need to cinch down for even more support (before a climb or a town line sprint), the straps were easy to grab, pull, and refasten.

But the straps aren’t even the sexist part of the shoe—that title goes to Easton’s EC90 carbon fiber sole. High-modulus carbon allowed Easton to design a sole only 6.5-mm thick, making it light, but also as stiff as anything you’ve ever ridden—if not more so. On my first ride I was impressed by how efficiently power was transferred from my legs to the pedals. It felt as if the shoes were propelling me forward—especially when climbing out of the saddle—a sensation similar to riding with a nice, stiff set of wheels. Titanium bolts complete the package, shaving a few more precious grams. Accessories include a shoe bag and a SuperNatural Fit footbed kit with customizable arch supports and insoles (a tremendous value).

Pros: Velcro straps and Easton’s EC90 sole produce the perfect blend of comfort and performance. And there’s nothing quite like white shoes (they come in black as well).

Peeves: The thinness of the sole means you might have to readjust your saddle height after making the switch. While PRO, white certainly loses some luster after a wet ride or two.

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International Cyclocross Weekend Preview

Posted on December 16, 2011 by

Photo by Tim Van Wichelen

GVA Trophy – GP Rouwmoer (C1)

After a one month break, round four of the GVA Trophy takes place in Essen, Belgium this Saturday. In the past nine years, only three riders have won this race: Sven Nys (5), Bart Wellens (3) and Niels Albert (1). After a pair of victories last weekend, the heavy favorite has to be last year’s winner Nys. Looking to challenge will be Kevin Pauwels, who has won the first three rounds of the series and has a commanding 12-point lead over Zdenk Stybar and a whopping 21-point lead over Nys. Stybar could figure in the mix, despite not showing much form over the past few weeks, since he took last weekend off from racing to rest and to train. An upset could come from Bart Aernouts or Tom Meeusen – both have been riding very well in recent weeks.

Cyclo-cross International Ciudad de Valencia (C2)

Up against the World Cup in Namur, this race in Valencia, Spain should see a strong Spanish contingent mixed with some international riders who were left off their Nations start lists. Spaniard José Antonio Hermida has had some solid success in Valencia, including a win in 2009. Last year, the race was dominated by Tom Van de Bosch, who could return for another shot at victory.

Internationale Centrumcross van Surhuisterveen (C2)

Tuesday’s race in Surhuisterveen, Netherlands usually features the best that the Netherlands has to offer, mixed with some lesser known European talent. Last years winner, Gerben de Knegt hasn’t come close to the form he had last year, but he could still figure into the mix. If Lars Boom shows up, he would be a clear favorite for victory, especially since he won the race in 2009. Another dutch star, Lars Van der Haar could also figure into the mix. After another weekend of hard racing, some Belgians could make the trip as the likes of Tom Peeters, Sven Nys and Thijs Al have raced here in the past.

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Cyclocross World Cup Round 5 Preview: Namur

Posted on December 16, 2011 by

Fotoreporter Sirotti

Namur, Belgium hosts the fifth round of the Word Cup this Sunday and is part of a series of firsts. This marks the first time Namur will host a World Cup round on its famous course. It’s also the first time a city in the Walloon region of Belgium has hosted a World Cup race. Finally, it will be the first time former Cyclocross World Champion, Lars Boom is in the starting grid this season.
 
The course, made famous by its proximity to the historical citadel features the same finishing stretch where Philippe Gilbert won the GP Wallonnie this year. The course in Namur features steep climbs, long run-ups on stairs, technical twisting and steep drops. It was a round of the GVA Trophy series last year and on that occasion Zdenk Stybar picked up the victory a head of Klass Vantournout. Kevin Pauwels was in the mix all day until he flatted out of the lead group.

Pauwels will look for some better luck this weekend as he hopes to defend his overall lead. Pauwels’ biggest competition should come from an on-form Sven Nys, who picked up a pair of UCI C1 races last weekend. Last year Nys suffered from the heat and was never really in contention for victory. However, this time around, the weather is cooler and course conditions are expected to be muddy and challenging. There’s even some snow in the forecast for Sunday. Those types of conditions could level the playing field for Nys and Vantornout.

As previously mentioned, Lars Boom makes his return to competitive cross this weekend and has an outside chance at victory. Despite riding for pleasure, and probably not taking many risks, Boom has to been thrown into the mix after his win in icy Zolder last year. Niels Albert continues his comeback from a broken wrist and has stated that he plans to go from the gun on Sunday. He also claims that he will probably run out of gas midway through.

With a break in the action before the US National Championships, Tim Johnson and Troy Wells are headed to Namur to start a European campaign. They will join Belgian-based Jonathan Page and Jeremy Durrin, who has been racing in Europe for several weeks now.

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Holiday Gift Guide – Giro Aeon Helmet

Posted on December 15, 2011 by

In 2010, my favorite helmet was the Giro Prolight, a helmet that debuted to mixed reviews at that year’s Tour de France. Why mixed? Well, while it was indeed the lightest helmet on the market at the time, fitting it to your head was a hit-or-miss proposition—if it fit you, it immediately became the most comfortable helmet you ever tried; if it didn’t, well…it didn’t. Giro’s nod to the aesthetics of the original Prolight went over uneasily as well—some loved it, some hated it. And of course, Lance Armstrong’ stubborn allegiance to the company’s Ionos, meant consumers were slow to jump on the Prolight’s bandwagon.

Luckily, Giro was listening and debuted the new Aeon at this year’s Tour of Flanders. A cross between the Ionos and the Prolight, the Aeon is both lightweight and completely adjustable thanks to the inclusion of Giro’s Roc Loc 5 retention system. Giro’s design team has ensured that you’ll find at least one model to match your kit (including a nod to the sport’s newest “it” color which they call Highlight Yellow). If you’re looking to upgrade and want the best mix of comfort, weight, and pro-level styling, look no further.

Pros: Low weight and full adjustability make it the true love-child of the Prolight and the Ionos. It’s easy to wear with a cycling cap, headband, or balaclava and sunglasses can be held securely in the two top helmet’s vents.

Peeves: I found the Aeon’s straps to be a bit fussy. I’m willing to accept that part of the problem could be my clumsy fingers—but I’ve never such problems before.  

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International Cyclocross Power Rankings, #13

Posted on December 15, 2011 by

PHOTO BY BALINT HAMVAS | CYCLEPHOTOS.CO.UK

1. Sven Nys (2) – A two-win weekend, albeit in smaller races, and Nys goes back on top of the Power Rankings. He’s having the kind of season that anybody else would kill for. 

2. Bart Aernouts (4) – After bridging up to the lead group on Sunday, Aernouts was the only rider who could stay with Sven Nys. He remains winless this season but adds second place in Overijse to his list of fine results. 

3. Tom Meeusen (3) – Meeusen occasionally looks so excited to be at the front that he rides enthusiastically and foolishly, making rookie mistakes. It happened on Sunday – perhaps he saw the possibility of a win after a fine second place the day before. 

4. Kevin Pauwels (1) – Something happened this past weekend. Pauwels fell victim to a couple crashes and a flat tire, but his head never seemed in the game and the two courses seemed to challenge his technical abilities. Pauwels can take solace that such a down weekend came on a somewhat minor one – though Scheldecross and Overijse are C1 races, they’re not part of any series and had decidedly slimmer fields than bigger races. 

5. Klaas Vantornout (9) – Klaas scores a podium result on the weekend. He’s an up-and-down rider still looking to match his World Cup podium earlier this year. 

6. Rob Peeters (7) – Perhaps the most consistent rider of the weekend who wasn’t Nys was Peeters, who managed 4th and 6th on the weekend. A really nice result is never too far outside of Peeters’ grasp, as he showed with his third place several weeks ago. 

7. Zdenek Stybar (6) – The World Champion has struggled in recent weeks, and took the weekend off from racing to rest and train. With a couple World Cups, a Superprestige, a GVA race, and Holy Week all on tap, it sounds like a good idea. Will it revive his middling season?

8. Dieter Vanthorenhout (9) – Snagging 3rd at Scheldecross on Saturday is Dieter’s standout performance of the year. He was unable to double up on Sunday after a tricky corner sent him crashing through the tape. 

9. Francis Mourey (5) – Francis Mourey won a race in France. 

10. Radomir Simunek (10) – the same corner that claimed Dieter V also stole Simunek’s race. He remains hovering around the 10th spot once again.

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North American Cyclocross Power Rankings, Week #14

Posted on December 14, 2011 by

Jeremy Powers Wins Gateway Cross - courtesy of Gateway Cross

1. Jeremy Powers (1) – With a two-for-two weekend even after coming off a post-Koksijde lull, Powers makes it five consecutive US Gran Prix victories, and his second overall win in the series. If he continues to build to Nationals, we’ll see him in stars and stripes – finally. 

2. Tim Johnson (2) – this weekend answered our questions about Johnson, his sixth place on Sunday notwithstanding. His season has been built around one long, slow build to form in January. He just might time it to perfection and challenge Powers in Madison.

3. Jamey Driscoll (4) – Driscoll had a huge weekend. Fourth place and second place are great results for a rider who’s used to a few more podium performances throughout the year. He can credit his podium place on Sunday to Summerhill’s wipeout, which let him off the front, but Power is as elusive as being in the right place at the right time. Who’s to say which it was?

4. Danny Summerhill (nr) – As a junior and then as a U23, Summerhill was really, really good at cyclocross. He’s prioritized a road career and got a deal with Garmin, but this weekend was just a glimpse at what he could do if he had somebody paying him to ride knobby tires full time. Maybe if that was the case he wouldn’t have bobbled himself out of the lead group on Sunday.

5. Geoff Kabush (6) – Kabush raced aggressively all weekend. On Sunday he rode at the front of the race, only to be pulled back and then gapped by a crashing Summerhill. That said, while he looked comfortable, he also looked like a guy who could use another couple of races in his legs. A high-powered lead group seemed to catch him easily. Kabush’s podium potential is robust but this weekend he found himself with significant competition.

6. Christian Heule (7) – the Swiss National Champion concludes a moderately successful season with sixth in Bend. He’s had some nice wins and a couple injuries, but overall, we tip our caps to him for being one of the Euros making a season of it in the United States.

7. Chris Jones (4) – Jones is a hanger-on on the lead group of the race, but half the time can hold on just long enough to pull out a fine result. He did so this weekend, but the field was deep.

8. Chris Shepperd (10) – look who’s building form! Shepperd built on the success a week and a half ago with a few fine rides in Oregon.

9. Troy Wells (nr) – Todd’s brother can be relied on for some impressive top ten rides in big races, and he showed up to Bend and performed finely. 

10. Tristan Schouten (nr) – A top ten Sunday in Bend shows once again that Schouten is indeed among the country’s elite cyclocross racers. If only he had a bit more time and resources to race. We’d like to place him tied with Zach MacDonald (nr) for 10th place – the young Rapha-Focus rider won his own competition, clinching the USGP U23 title with a pair of top-ten rides. He deserves a kudos. 

Dropped this week: Luke Keough, Todd Wells, Ben Berden. Keough rode high until last week, winning the Shimano Series, but didn’t take his form over to Bend. Wells hung up his cross wheels for the season, and Berden performed well on Saturday before DNFing Sunday, a disappointing conclusion to his US season. It’s been a fine one overall, though, and we wish him the best back in Belgium. 

 

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