Despite riding two of the most dramatic TT bikes among Giro teams, Team Geox only managed to finish the opening Team Time Trial in 18th place, 53 seconds back from winners HTC-Highroad.
(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
En route to having their Wilier Triestina TwinFoil TT bikes tested at the UCI regulation zone, several Lampre-ISD riders, including former German road national champion Danilo Hondo, were sporting compression socks.
Despite the day being all about the TTT, most teams had their road bikes on display for the fans. Lampre-ISD riders are on Wilier Cento 1 road bikes for most of the Giro. Only two squad members, however, have their bikes covered in a loud, sleek, gloss carbon fiber and electric yellow color scheme: sprinter Alessandro Petacchi and GC contender Michele Scarponi. Lampre is using Fulcrum tubular wheels for the Giro road stages. This is Michele Scarponi's Cento 1 road bike, and he's the only Lampre rider using a one-piece bar/stem combination from FSA. The team is also using Sigma computers.
The Farnese Vini team is riding MCipollini bikes in 2011. Befitting namesake Mario Cipollini, the RB1000 road models feature an eye-catching yellow color scheme and some striking frame sculpture. The bikes are built-up with internally-routed Shimano Di2 drivetrains, Veloflex tires, Time pedals, Selle Italia saddles, and Lightweight wheels (the Fast Forward rear wheels are their trainer-specific hoops).
Like Farnese Vini, Team Leopard-Trek had their road bikes on display - except their Trek Madone were set up on Tacx trainers. Most Leopard-Trek riders are running Shimano Di2 drivetrains on their Madone road bikes. For them, mechanics are running the wiring internally through the downtube's left-hand derailleur cable slot, and capping the right-hand slot with a trek-branded rubber plug.
Team Liquigas-Cannondale are riding the Cannondale Slice for their TT events. In order to meet UCI regulations regarding the horizontal distance of TT bar extensions forward of the bottom bracket, Liquigas mechanics were forced to modify the SRAM R2C shifters by having them constantly point downward.
For the opening Team Time Trial, Astana riders used a Corima disc wheel in back, and a Corima three-spoke carbon fiber, tubular wheel up front. Their tires were Specialized S-Works tubulars.
Team Geox riders had their choice of using either the radical Fuji D6 TT bike or the Kestrel 4000. At the opening TTT, it was close to evenly split, with about half the team rocking the Fuji and the other half the Kestrel.
This close-up shot of the rear triangle of Swiss rider Marcel Wyss' Fuji D6 shows off the bikes dramatic curvature, as well as its rear brake, which is tucked in between the seat stays.
Some highlights of the Fuji D6 include a front brake that's hidden behind the fork for improved aerodynamics, a bulbous headtube, internal cable routing, and a stem that can be easily adjusted vertically, rather than having to fiddle with steerer tube spacers.
All Geox riders, whether they were riding the Fuji D6 or the Kestrel 4000, were using Rotor's olliptical Q-rings and 3D cranks, as well as flashy gold KMC chains.
|