Aero gravel has quickly moved from a fringe idea to the main event. This year at unbound there are a number of tricks being deployed to make riders faster. For some it will be as simple as deeper wheels and an aero frame. For others bar bags might get the boot in favor top tube bags and frame packs. Look carefully and you might spot the Apidura Ridley aero pack system on some Ridley Kanzo Fast bikes.
Along with all the aero tricks there will probably be a number of people who add hydration packs to the gear list. They are popular with elite riders as a way to make stops faster and less often but they are also popular with riders who will take longer between stops. USWE and Apidura are sure to be popular and it’s likely a number of people will also have the new Castelli Unlimited jersey with an integrated hydration bladder system.
Rapha is announcing the next logical step in this progression.
What is the Rapha Blaero project?
An easy trick to get more aero is to switch from a jersey and bib shorts over to a skinsuit. Silca quotes that “pulling out an ultra-fast skinsuit like the Body Paint 4.x Speed Suit from Castelli can save you 15w at just 25mph.” Rapha meanwhile quotes the consumer version of the Pro Team aero outfit (Pro Team TT Aerosuit, Pro Team TT Aero Overshoes & Pro Team TT Mitts) as being 12.4 watts faster at 55 km/h vs the previous version.
Now the Rapha is taking the obvious next step and combining all these ideas into one system for the brand’s offroad athletes. Keegan Swenson, Alexis Skarda, Jordan Schleck, Lachlan Morton, Sarah Strum, and Ellen Campbell will line up to start the 2024 Unbound with a modified version of the WorldTour Summer Suit first developed with riders from EF Pro Cycling.
The prototype “Blaerosuit (bladder – aero – skinsuit)” as it’s been dubbed adds a number of tricks specifically for long distance offroad racing. The headline feature is an internal bladder pocket on the back with room for a 2L bladder. To make that work, there is an internal strap system designed for stability as well as a pair of mouthpiece holders so riders can choose which side they prefer to drink from. Rapha also makes it clear that despite the empty pockets in the images, full use of “jersey” pockets remains available.
What you won’t find are cargo pockets. Cargo pockets are known to be an aero drag so that makes sense but the need still exists. To address it Rapha added gel pockets to the sleeves and extra pockets on the bottom and back of the bibs.
What about resupply swap outs?
Over the years we’ve seen resupply stops get more and more professional. These days it looks a lot more like an F1 race with careful coordination and speed at the forefront. According to Rapha, the Blaero actually helps make things smoother.
The bladder system is a complete sleeve. According to Rapha, “switching out the reservoir is simple and can be done solo without any crew help at pit-stops..” For riders like Swenson though, that won’t be something that’ll see testing. Instead, Rapha reports that the “swap procedure is quite smooth – rider pulls bladder out of the sleeve while rolling up to aid. Aid support can drop a full, fresh bladder right into the sleeve to replace and the rider is on their way. Tests on Keegan and Ellen resulted in transitions between 7-15 seconds long.”
Where can you buy a Rapha Blaero for your next gravel race?
At least for now, you can’t. Right now every suit you see is “100% focused on the needs of elite professionals racing off-road.” Most likely what that means is that there’s not currently a way to transition from the “made-to-fit specific models for each athlete” to general usability. Apidura spoke at length, in relation to the Apidura Ridley aero pack system, about the difficulty of taking a one-off design and making it work across a range of sizes. Rapha will have the same challenge if the brand expands to a general release.
It does sound like Rapha is looking to ride to that challenge anyway. The brand does have a leg up given the expertise with a traditional aero suit in general release. Rapha also stated that “We will continue to develop the project, with a view to launching a commercial.”
Watch Rapha.cc for more details in the future.