At almost the opposite end of the spectrum to the GC riders are the sprint specialists, seeking out glory on specific days rather than playing the long game. As befits any specialist activity, these trophy hunters have some very defined needs.
With huge power needed to ride at 70km/h, the sprinters bikes need to be absolutely rock solid. Out of the peleton, they are often the riders least worried about overall weight - resistance to their pedaling input is paramount. More sprinters are starting to use Aero bikes too, when they are stiff enough, and Andre Greipel has used a mix of standard Ridley Noah's alongside the new FAST bike. Other sprinters will often use special variants of their team bike with extra carbon laid into the frame to increase stiffness.
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We rode and reviewed the Ouray, Parlee Cycles' first new bike model since facing bankruptcyThe storied American brand continues with a Portugal-made carbon steed that goes zoom but doesn’t fit like a race bike
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