Mark Cavendish's change from Team Sky to Omega Pharma-QuickStep in 2013 will see him back on the bike that brought him some of his biggest wins: the Specialized McLaren Venge. We've been given a sneak peek at Cav's new rig before he starts racing on it.
Launched at the start of 2011, the Venge is still the flagship aero machine in Specialized's road racing arsenal. The McLaren version is the cream of the crop, being developed with the UK-based high performance automotive manufacturer McLaren.
Cavendish's 2013 bike is different to the one he raced on in 2011 due to Omega Pharma having different component sponsors compared to his then team HTC. While the frame is the same, pretty much everything else is different. SRAM, Zipp and Quarq have taken over from Shimano, PRO and SRM.
Cav will now have to get used to mechanical shifting again as he's using SRAM Red instead of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 7970 electronic. Similarly the brakes, chain, cassette and chainrings are all SRAM Red. His power meter has now changed from and SRM to a Quarq, and based on his QuickView computer mount he will be using a Garmin of some sort to record his power. Whether he goes with the smaller Garmin Edge 500 or the new Garmin Edge 510 (or possibly the Edge 810) remains to be seen.
A Zipp 145SL stem and bars make up the cockpit
The cockpit consists of a Zipp 145SL carbon stem with Zipp Service Course SL short and shallow 42cm bars. Cav's other contact points are on a Specialized Romin Team saddle and Look KeO Blade pedals.
Keeping things aero are the Zipp 808 Firecrest carbon tubular wheels fitted with low rolling resistance Specialized Turbo Tubular Team tyres. A pair of Tacx Tao bottle cages complete the package.
As for overall weight, when we last weighed Cavendish's bike it was surprisingly 'heavy' at 7.65kg. But this new model weighs in at 6.89kg (15.19lb) with Zipp 404 wheels and 7.13kg (15.72lb) as seen with the 808s.