In the snow and the ice of yesterday’s Milan-San Remo, shots emerged of new aero helmet designs from Specialized and Scott.
Specialized debuted a sculpted, pinched and blacked-out helmet worn by riders including Mark Cavendish, Vincenzo Nibali and Matti Breschel. Front on, the resemblance with the Californian company’s flag-bearing Prevail was unmistakable. The side and back, however, were far more formed and honed than those on in-filled aero helmets from other manufacturers.
Meanwhile, over at Australian team Orica-GreenEdge, some of the riders were snapped wearing a new solid design from kit supplier Scott. UK distributors confirmed it was a design they had not seen before.
Specialized were at the forefront of the aero road helmet curve when Mark Cavendish won the Copenhagen world championship title in 2011 with a snap-on cap that covered the vents of his Prevail.
Since then, the UCI have banned covers and manufacturers have responded with a number of solid helmets. Team Sky riders have used Kask’s Vertigo Tri and various Giro-sponsored outfits have sought the aero advantage with the Air Attack.
The aero lid shown by Scott