Bike Check: Wout van Aert’s Cervelo Aspero 5 for the UCI Gravel World Championships

Van Aert's Cervelo Aspero-5 ahead of the UCI Gravel Worlds includes a Sram 2x drivetrain and immense saddle to bar drop.

Published Oct 6, 2023

Alvin Holbrook

Betsy Welch

Photo: Betsy Welch/VELO

This might be Wout van Aert‘s first appearance at the UCI Gravel World Championship, but the three-time cyclocross world champion has both the engine and the bike handling know-how to take advantage of the course this year. His recent victories at Houffa Gravel and the Tour of Britain show that Van Aert is still at the top of his game.

Below is the Cervelo Aspero 5 that Wout van Aert will use at the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships. The Aspero 5 is built in the classic Jumbo-Visma black and yellow colorway. Unlike Jumbo’s road race bikes, however, Van Aert has elected to use a 2x drivetrain. See the full bike breakdown below.

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UCI Gravel Worlds Wout van Aert Cervelo Aspero complete bike 2 — Meet the Cervelo Aspero-5 gravel bike in the team’s classic black and yellow. That level of saddle-to-bar drop is not to be tried at home, folks! (Photo: Betsy Welch/VELO)

UCI Gravel Worlds sram red axs 2x chainrings — Van Aert’s drivetrain of choice is 2x Sram Red eTap AXS. Wout uses a 2x gearing with a 50/37T combination and a Quarq power meter built into the chainring. (Photo: Betsy Welch/VELO)

UCI Gravel Worlds Wout van Aert shimano xtr pedals — Wout’s elected to use Shimano XTR SPD pedals for the race this weekend. (Photo: Betsy Welch/VELO)

UCI Gravel Worlds Wout van Aert Cervelo Aspero fsa slk stem — Slam that 130 mm stem. (Photo: Betsy Welch/VELO)

UCI Gravel Worlds Wout van Aert Cervelo Aspero FSA road handlebar — No gravel bars here: Wout’s bike uses a Cervelo HB13 carbon aero drop bar. That said, it features a shallow 123 mm drop to make moving from the hoods to the drops a bit easier. The Garmin computer mount isn’t fancy but it gets the job done. (Photo: Betsy Welch/VELO)

UCI Gravel Worlds Wout sram force cassette — Wout’s using a Sram Force XG-1270 cassette with a 10-33t cassette. (Photo: Betsy Welch/VELO)

UCI Gravel Worlds vittoria terreno zero 38 mm tires — The Vittoria Terreno Zero is a fast-rolling tire great for the champagne-smooth gravel on course in Italy. The 38 mm Terreno Zero notoriously measures closer to 40 mm when mounted to rims with a 25 mm internal width such as the Reserve 40|44. (Photo: Betsy Welch/VELO)

UCI Gravel Worlds van Aert chainring size — See the chain? That’s a Sram Red powertop chain, but rather than a silver or rainbow finish you can buy from your local bike shop, it’s in gold. (Photo: Betsy Welch/VELO)

UCI Gravel Worlds reserve 44 wheels and vittoria terreno zero tires — Wout’s gone for a Reserve 40|44 wheelset. The 40 to 50 mm rim depth seems to be the g0-to for the pros at the UCI Gravel World Championship. (Photo: Betsy Welch/VELO)

UCI Gravel Worlds fizik antares saddle — The Fizik Antares is the go-to saddle here, lacking the fancy 3D-printed material, cutouts, or short nose style of other saddles. Everyone’s different! (Photo: Betsy Welch/VELO)

UCI Gravel Worlds Cervelo Aspero fork clearance — The honeycomb detail on the inside of the fork is a nice touch you don’t see in most photos. (Photo: Betsy Welch/VELO)

Wout’s representing Belgium at this year’s UCI Gravel Worlds. (Photo: Betsy Welch/VELO)

UCI Gravel Worlds jumbo visma bus — Ah the Jumbo-Visma bus. We’ll have to see what it looks like with the Amazon touch now that the Soudal merger is canceled. (Photo: Betsy Welch/VELO)

Alvin is a tech editor for Velo, covering road, gravel, and e-bikes, as well as the active transportation through the Urbanist Update series. But trust us, he's a whole lot more than that!

Betsy writes about off-road racing, culture, and personalities for Outside’s cycling group. As a rider, she loves big adventures on the bike. Some of her most memorable reporting/riding trips include the Migration Gravel Race in Kenya, bikepacking the Colorado Trail, and riding from Torino to Nice after the inaugural Tour de France Femmes. In the summer, she loves to run, ride, and hike through the Elk Mountains in her backyard; in the winter, she skis uphill.