Olympic Bike: Laura Bennett’s BMC TMR01
- By Aaron Hersh
- Published Aug 3, 2012
- Updated Feb 19, 2013 at 11:31 AM UTC
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Laura Bennett's BMC TMR01, a new aero road frame for the flat course around Hyde Park.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Integrated front brake covered behind a carbon plate.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The fork also shields the headtube, and downtube comes close to the front wheel.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The rear triangle looks identical to the TM01 tri bike, except for geometry.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
BMC's tri bike design has obviously influenced this road model.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The seat tube has a slack angle, a the post allows a fairly wide range of fore-aft adjustment.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The seatstays connect to the frame half way up the seat tube.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Small rear wheel cut-out.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Both brakes are V-style, probably less stopping power than a Shimano Dura-Ace caliper, but the brakes on the TM01 are more than functional
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
BMC's "trip-wire" design to keep passing air attached to the tube.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Aero design.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The fork extension joins with the upper bearing dust cap.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The front view of Laura Bennett's BMC TMR01.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Olympic rules allow only one logo per piece of equipment, so the small logos around the frame are covered with tape.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Integrated bearing cups.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Bennett uses the seatpost and saddle rails to achieve a fairly forward position.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The rear dropouts.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Bennett's tight gear cluster.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Shimano Dura-Ace SRM with 172.5mm crankarms.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Her Di2 wiring is hidden along the brake housing.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
She has a K-Edge chain catcher to ensure it never falls off to the inside.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Both front and rear are Zipp 303s with Vittoria Corsa Evo CX 23c tires.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Her traditionally-shaped road drop bars.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The rear V-brake hidden beneath the chainstays.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Bennett uses Zipp's aluminum Service Course stem, 8mm in length.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The aerobar clamp seems to be Hed's Clip-Lite with Zipp pads mounted on top.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Her aerobars are noticeably longer than the other Americans'.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Her ISM Adamo is not only more comfortable than most, it also helps get her further forward.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Two round bottle mounts in the frame.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The extensions are Zipp's carbon S-bends. She seems to have left a few mm on length to shorten the bars should referees decide they are too long.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Connector bridge keeps her bars legal.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Electrical tape with Velcro patches on the right shifter.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The rear brake housing and both shifter wires route through the same opening on the non-drive side.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The opening arund the tire is fairly broad.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Zipp 303 rears with Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubulars.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Shimano Dura-Ace Carbon SPD-SL pedals.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The wire and cable housing stick out slightly.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Zipp skewers.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The Olympic policy of limiting each piece of gear to a single logo results in a clean (and good looking) bike.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
The top of the fork blades are fairly broad and square.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
Laura Bennett's Olympic BMC TMR01
Bennett has 3 1-cm spacers to lift her stem.
This prototype aero road bike from the Swiss bike maker is tuned specifically for the London Games.
Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.
Laura Bennett is one of the best swimmers in the ITU pack. With her elite open-water speed, she is likely to face the wind during the early stages of the ride and might even set herself up for a breakaway. On the utterly flat bike course, riding solo means aerodynamic drag can have a bigger influence on her performance than many other athlete and she has just the right bike for these conditions.
At the Tour de France last month, BMC unveiled the TMR01, this entirely new aero road frame designed with some of the concepts in their TM01 tri bike. Bennett got one of the very first frames and has it built for the Olympic triathlon. The tubeshapes behind the head tube look identical to the tri bike. They have the same tapered shape and “tripwire” dip on the leading edge.
Aerodynamic tubing on road frames is nothing new, but the TMR01 also has a feature that other aero road bikes lack: and integrated fork and front brake. Like BMC’s triathlon bike, its uses a V-brake hidden within the fork. A molded carbon plate bolts on to the front of the fork to shield the caliper. The upper segment of the fork stretches up to block the headtube. The front brake cable and housing route through the top of this fairing. BMC hid the rear caliper—also a V-brake—beneath both chainstays. Its cable routes through the top of the headtube on the non-drive side and the cluster of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wires route through the same hole. The rear shift wire emerges behind the seatstay so almost none of it touches the air.
The components used to create her fit were carefully chosen to maximize her comfort in the aero position. ITU rules state that the aerobar tips cannot extend past the longest point of the shifters. Road drop bars have evolved in the past few years to have a shorter horizontal reach distance from the clamp to the tip of the bars. This change brings the shifters closer back to the rider, which limits the aerobar length an athlete can ride. The tiny aerobars used by most ITU racers provide very little surface for the forearms to rest, so the rider must support their own weight muscularly rather than comfortably leaning onto their forearms.
Team USA mechanic Joe Santos confirmed that Bennett specifically selected her Zipp bar and stem combination to maximize the length of her aerobars. Instead of using a new-style drop bar with a 10cm stem, she opts for an 8cm stem with a traditional long-reach bar. As a result, her aerobars—which look like Hed Clip-Lite clamps with Zipp pads and S-bend extensions—are nearly two centimeters longer than the other athletes’. They are wrapped with electrical tape instead of traditional bar tape, and the right shifter has two Velcro patches with nothing attached. Perhaps she will use them to carry something on race day. Her stem is positioned in the negative 6-degree orientation and is propped by three centimeters of riser.
Her TMR01 rolls on Zipp 303 wheels with 23c Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tubular tires glued to the rims. Santos says she plans to ride 100-105 psi if it is dry and will go all the way down to 90psi should it rain. She is riding a Shimano Dura-Ace SRM power meter and uses a SRM Power Control 7 computer mounted between her aerobars.
Santos recommended that all the athletes use cassettes with gears tightly clustered instead of wide-ranging options such as an 11-25. Bennett and the other Americans are on 12-23 cassettes with 53-tooth chainrings. The flat course makes it highly unlikely that they will need a climbing gear or the bigger gears required to hit 40+ mph. “Quicker, tighter shifts” was Santos’ reasoning for recommending these tight gearing ratios.
Bennett was one of the first athletes to adopt an ISM Adamo saddle, and she still rides one. Her crank arms are 172.5cm and she opts for two bottle cages on the downtube.
FILED UNDER: Bike / Gear & Tech / Olympics / Photos TAGS: BMC / Laura Bennett / USA Triathlon
Aaron Hersh
Aaron Hersh is the Senior Tech Editor of Triathlete magazine. To submit a question, write Aaron at Ahersh@competitorgroup.com.
