Ahead of the 2022 Strade Bianche, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl riders were out doing recon on the white gravel roads southeast of Sienna, Italy.
While riders were familiarizing themselves and their equipment with the demands of the paved and unpaved roads, mechanics were kept busy keeping up with the riders.
Dane Kasper Asgreen will ride with two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe as the “Wolfpack” hunts for a win.
Asgreen is no stranger to rough-road riding: on his palmarès are wins at the Tour of Flanders and the E3 Saxo Bank Classic in 2021.
Here’s a look at the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 that Asgreen will race on Saturday’s Strade Bianche.
Asgreen’s Tarmac is fitted with a Roval cockpit and wheels, a Specialized saddle, and a mix of Dura-Ace 9150 and 9250 drivetrain components from Shimano.
Asgreen ✔ UCI ✔ Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl ✔ And that satin paint finish is pretty eye-catching, too! ✔ ✔ ✔
The tall Dane has a long stem with the brake hoses routed underneath.
Bar tape is kept to a minimum on the top of Asgreen’s cockpit.
A Shimano sprint shifter within easy reach of the pilot’s thumb peeks through a hole in the Silca bar tape.
Another look at the sprint shifter on Asgreen’s S-Works Tarmac.
A Shimano Dura-Ace 9250 front and rear derailleur matched with a 175mm Dura-Ace 9100 crank and power meter.
Asgreen is running a Shimano Dura-Ace 9100 crank with a Shimano power meter and 54-40 chainrings.
Kasper Asgeen is not riding a tiny bike; he’s six-foot-four (1.93m) tall. And he uses a 3D-printed Specialized S-Works Romin EVO with Mirror saddle.
VeloNews contacted Specialized about the tires Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl will be using at Strade Bianche. Specialized declined to comment on the tanwall tires with no model name indicated on them.
The new tires have a pressure range labeled as 70-95psi (5.0-6.5bar). Do you think Asgreen, at 175lbs (79.4kg), will be in this range for Strade Bianche?