WORLD D CLASS S BIKES
Five rides inspired by the pros
Yorkshire is known for its grand scenery and ability to produce a seemingly endless stream of strong, resilient cyclists
The bikes raced by the world’s top professionals are out of financial reach for most riders. By looking a little further down the range of each model, however, we can get a taste of the performance the very best riders enjoy.
With this season’s World Road Championships taking place in the UK for the first time since 1982’s uninspiring Goodwood event, not only will the planet’s finest oneday racers be gunning for rainbow jerseys, but an ever-increasing crop of talented Brits have a huge incentive to perform. With that in mind, we thought we’d select five bikes that cost roughly half of those that some of our British pro contenders ride, and put them through their paces.
Known for its grand scenery and ability to produce a seemingly
endless stream of strong, resilient cyclists, Yorkshire’s roads have made their mark on the cycling landscape. Even before taking the bikes to the home Holme Moss, Buttertubs and Grinton Moor, with some careful route planning, we created a test route with endless ups and downs. The mixture of longer duration and short, punchy climbs, punctuated by Dales-like narrow, windy lanes, with technical bends and few places to relax (all ridden at a solid intensity) made for a Worlds worthy workout and a challenging test of our carbon contenders.
Just as we did, the rainbow chasers will be asking how to best balance aerodynamic benefits with speed, handling and efficiency on such challenging terrain. To say it’s been fun exploring the differences would be an understatement.