ZONE3 LAVA AERO 3/4

Can this aero top battle both heat and chills?

Torbjørn Sindballe’s influence lives on in the Zone3 Lava Aero. After years of struggling in the heat of Kona, the Danish triathlete wore an all-white and long sleeve ‘ghost’ kit in 2007 and would clinch third place. While adding an extra layer when racing in the heat may seem counterproductive, our key ride in the Lava Aero was on a hilly four-hour session on the hottest day of the UK summer. Our temperature felt smartly regulated throughout and we stepped off the bike free from any sunburn due to the UV protection, which is preferable to (re)applying sun cream to the back and shoulders after the swim leg in T1. Other bike-leg benefits include the rear pockets for nutrition and also the aero benefits of going long sleeve, with the consensus among tri designers being that fabric is aerodynamically faster than skin, with studies showing going sleeved can save anything between 45-67secs over the course of the 90km cycle leg. While we’d prefer to see dimpled sleeves on any future versions, this’ll certainly be in our kit bag for any hot long-distance efforts next summer. And there’s also the warmthinducing and wind-blocking gains for off-season riding and duathlon racing as well. racezone3.com