Russian WorldTour team Katusha are switching from Focus to Canyon bikes for 2012. The 29-man squad will have both the Ultimate CF SLX and the Aeroad CF at their disposal.
The former is a classic lightweight race bike, which will likely be favoured by the team's sprinters and climbers. Stiffness is the name of the game, with the sub-kilo frame boasting a tapered head tube, massive down tube, patented asymmetrically offset Maximus seat tube and super-deep, slightly tapered chainstays.
Efficient power transfer doesn't come at the expense of comfort, though. Canyon use their VCLS (Vertical Compliance, Lateral Stiffness) technology on the seatstays, seatpost and fork legs to reduce road vibration. For more details, check out our reviews of the 2010 Team model, 2011 8.0 and 2011 9.0 SL.
The Aeroad is a different beast altogether – one of the new generation of aero road bikes. It's heavier and less stiff than the Ultimate but is designed to slice through the air, with 20 percent less frontal area. It also has adjustable fork trail, so you can shorten the wheelbase for improved agility or lengthen it for time trial stability.
Katusha say it's "best for classic races (including cobblestone races) and for mountain stages" and "excellent for offensive and aggressive riders, who love to attack and to break away". Check out our review of the Aeroad CF Limited and our pro bike feature on Philippe Gilbert's (Omega-Pharma Lotto) 2011 ride.
As well as supplying Katusha (and the other Russian Global Cycling Project squads) with bikes, Koblenz-based Canyon will also provide technical support. German sprint legend Erik Zabel and his compatriot Michael Rich, winner of a gold medal in the team time trial at the 1992 Olympics, have both joined the management team for 2012.
Canyon say: "Rich and Zabel have been partners of Canyon for many years now. Both are deeply involved in our R&D process and possess a detailed knowledge of the bikes and the technologies. A perfect platform to get the best from what is already a very strong team."
Look out for more news on this tie-up on Cyclingnews next week. You can view the 2012 Katusha team roster below:
Management:
- Holczer, Hans-Michael (general manager)
- Christian Henn
- Uwe Peschel
- Michael Rich
- Torsten Schmidt
- Erik Zabel
Riders:
- Belkov, Maxim
- Brutt, Pavel
- Caruso, Giampaolo
- Florencio, Xavier
- Freire, Oscar
- Haller, Marco
- Galimzyanov, Denis
- Gusev, Vladimir
- Horrach, Joan
- Isaychev, Vladimir
- Ignatenko, Petr
- Ignatyev, Mikhail
- Kristoff, Alexander
- Kritskiy, Timofey
- Kuchynski, Aliaksandr
- Losada, Alberto
- Menchov, Denis
- Moreno, Daniel
- Paolini, Luca
- Porsev, Alexander
- Rodriguez, Joaquim
- Selig, Rudiger
- Smukulis, Gatis
- Spilak, Simon
- Trofimov, Yuriy
- Tsatevich, Alexey
- Vantomme, Maxime
- Vicioso, Angel
- Vorganov, Eduard
