Marianne Vos proved she was a force to be reckoned with one again, securing her sixth world cyclocross championship in Louisville, Kentucky. The 25-year-old Dutch powerhouse rode away from her competition aboard a Giant TCX Advanced SL.
The TCX Advanced SL has short seat stays that join the seat tube about a hand’s width below the top tube and is one of the few ’cross bikes still sporting a seatmast.
The Rabobank racer rides a size small frame. It has a 535mm effective top tube a relaxed head angle of 71°. Vos has a very aggressive position on her bike—notable for a 5-foot-6 female—with a staggering 10cm of saddle-to-handlebar drop. The fit does appear to be optimized for riding on the hoods; Vos also runs top-mounted brake levers.
Vos' aggressive fit suits her off-the-front racing style
Vos runs a 10-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 group, which has proven itself reliable throughout frequent muddy races and subsequent power washings. Other notable components include ovalized Rotor chain rings. Vos is a firm believer in their effectiveness in eeking out every last possible watt from her pedal stroke; she uses them for 'cross as well as on the road.
Rotor chain rings mounted to 172.5mm Dura-Ace crankarms propel Vos around the course
Like many other Shimano-sponsored ’cross racers Vos uses Shimano’s 35mm deep C35 carbon tubular wheels. She chose to run Dugast Typhoon tires for the frozen-yet-slowly-thawing world championship course.
Complete Bike Specifications
- Frame: Giant TCX Advanced SL (Small)
- Fork: Giant TCX carbon
- Stem: PRO PLT, 110mm -6°
- Handlebar: PRO Vibe Anatomic, 40cm (c-c)
- Front brake: Giant/Rabobank team edition cantilever, carbon pads
- Rear brake: Giant/Rabobank team edition cantilever, carbon pads
- Shift/Brake levers: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Dual Control ST-7970
- Auxiliary brake levers: Tektro RL721 cross top levers
- Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 FD-7970
- Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 RD-7970
- Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace CS-7900, 12-27T
- Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace CN-7901
- Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace FC-7950, 172.5mm, with Rotor 46/36 chainrings
- Pedals: Shimano XT PD-M780
- Wheelset: Shimano Dura-Ace C35 carbon tubular
- Front tire: Dugast Typhoon tubular, 32mm
- Rear tire: Dugast Typhoon tubular, 32mm
- Saddle: Fi'zi:k Antares
- Seatpost: Integrated
Critical Measurements
- Rider's height: 1.68 m (5ft 6in)
- Rider's weight: 56kg (123lb)
- Saddle height: 71cm
- Saddle setback: 5cm
- Seat tube length, c-c: 50cm
- Tip of saddle nose to C of bars: 53cm
- Saddle-to-bar drop (vertical): 10cm
- Head tube length: 130mm
- Top tube length: 535mm
- Total bicycle weight: 6.9kg (15.2lb)
