Nat Bromhead
Following what was arguably its most successful year ever, a racing season that included its first ever grand tour victory at the Giro d’Italia, multiple UCI world championship titles in elite men’s and women’s categories, and winning both the Green jersey and King of the Mountains jersey at the Tour de France, Team Sunweb and Giant have extended their partnership for the 2018 road racing season.
Giant will again outfit Team Sunweb’s UCI WorldTour team, Continental Development Team and Liv sponsored Team Sunweb women’s squad with bikes and gear. This year, in addition to supplying all of the team’s bikes Giant is also expanding into several key new categories including wheels, saddles, and a prototype cycling shoe.
From the first training ride of the year riders of all three Team Sunweb squads will be using a new team-issued wheel system from Giant. These feature Giant’s innovative Dynamic Balanced Lacing (DBL) technology, and are available in both tubular and tubeless rim configurations with a variety of rim depth options depending on the race, weather and course conditions.
New Components For Tour Down Under
When the 2018 UCI WorldTour kicks off at the Tour Down Under, Team Sunweb riders will also be using Giant helmets, saddles, stems, handlebars as well as Giant AirWay cages and DoubleSpring water bottles. Giant say they are working with Team Sunweb riders to develop and test its latest footwear, and several riders will be racing with prototype and production shoes featuring the company’s ‘Motion Efficiency’ system (MES) throughout the season.
Here’s a look at the Giant bikes and gear that Team Sunweb riders such as Tom Dumoulin, Michael Matthews and Wilco Kelderman will compete with in 2018.
Bikes For 2018
TCR Advanced SL: Known as the “Total Race Bike”, this is the choice of Team Sunweb stage racers, climbers and all-rounders such as Tom Dumoulin and Wilco Kelderman. With the highest stiffness-to-weight ratio of any road bike on the market, it’s the perfect choice for long training days, critical stages, and any race with challenging terrain.
Propel Advanced SL Disc: This aero road platform has won Tour de France stages, monumental classics and sprint finishes all around the world. Expect to see the team’s designated sprinters, including Michael Matthews, on the latest generation Propel Advanced SL Disc when the sprints heat up this season.
Defy Advanced SL: For the hardest races with the most punishing terrain, including cobblestone classics like Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, Team Sunweb classics riders choose this smooth-riding endurance road bike. Engineered for compliance, it gives them lightweight efficiency with added comfort and control.
Trinity Advanced Pro TT: Designed and developed with the team’s top time trialists, this is the machine that Tom Dumoulin rode to a UCI world championship title last summer. It was also used to win the team time trial world championship in both the elite men’s and women’s races, and was the bike that helped Dumoulin win the Giro d’Italia in a dramatic final-stage TT in Milan. Engineered to push the envelope of aero performance, it’s the bike of choice when racing against the clock.
Wheel Systems And Tyres
As part of Giant’s expanding line of performance products, Team Sunweb riders now have a full selection of Giant WheelSystems and Gavia Tubeless Ready tyres to train and race on throughout the season. The elite team will race on composite tubular rim options with various choices in rim depth.
The development squad will race primarily on Giant’s Tubeless System, pairing various WheelSystems with Gavia Tubeless Ready tyres. All of Giant’s team-issued wheels feature the innovative Dynamic Balanced Lacing technology. Team Sunweb riders will also work with Giant to test and develop the next generation of WheelSystem products and technologies.
Helmets
Pursuit: Pursuit combines the aero speed of a TT helmet with the head-cooling ventilation of an all-rounder helmet. Tested and proven at the highest level of competition, including stage victories at the Tour de France, it’s a top choice for all-around aero performance.
Rev: Lightweight, comfortable and engineered for maximum ventilation, Rev is the go-to helmet for summit finishes and long, hot stages in the mountains. Tom Dumoulin wore the Rev on several key mountain stages during his victorious 2018 Giro d’Italia ride.
Rivet: Proven through multiple wins by the team’s top sprinters, this aero road helmet was developed in the wind tunnel and refined in the pro peloton. It offers superior aero performance without compromising fit, ventilation and light weight.
Rivet TT: Front to back, every curve of the Rivet TT is fine-tuned through Computational Fluid Dynamics for optimal time trial aerodynamics. With national championships, world championships, grand tour stage wins and Olympic medals to its name, Rivet TT helps Team Sunweb riders shave seconds off their time trial efforts.
Saddles
Contact SLR/SL Saddles: Using Giant’s Dynamic Cycling Fit philosophy, which helps all riders achieve the perfect fit for body, position and riding style, these premium saddles play a key role in optimizing comfort and efficiency for long, hard days on the bike. Both also feature Particle Flow Technology to reduce pressure points by more than 20 percent. The SLR model has lightweight carbon rails, and the SL model has stainless steel rails.
Cockpit
Contact SLR/SL handlebar and Stratus bar tape: Engineered with ultralight composite (SLR) and aluminum (SL) materials and available in multiple shapes and sizes, these handlebars return as the team’s top choice for road stages.
Contact SLR/SL stem: Lightweight and super stiff, these composite (SLR) and aluminum (SL) stems deliver uncompromising performance for sprinting, cornering, climbing and descending.
Cycling Footwear
New footwear models featuring Giant’s already established Motion Efficiency System are being developed and tested with Team Sunweb riders this season. The latest prototypes being ridden in training have a similar look and design to the current Surge model, with several key updates to further optimize performance and comfort. Further details coming soon on this.
Team Kit
Designed in collaboration with the team and constructed by Etxeondo, a respected manufacturer of high-tech fabrics and racing apparel, Giant supplies Team Sunweb riders with the latest products to advance their performance and keep them comfortable while training and racing.
To learn more about the bikes and gear being ridden by Team Sunweb, go to www.giant-bicycles.com and to follow the team check out TeamSunweb.com
