Rode to victory! Check out Wout van Aert's Cervélo R5-CX cyclocross bike

Wout van Aert’s cyclocross season is underway and his second cyclocross race proved to be a winning one at the World Cup round in Dublin last weekend. With three cyclocross world titles already to his name, will he be adding another one this season aboard his Cervélo R5-CX in Jumbo-Visma colours and on the same course he won his U23 title?

Van Aert rode to his first win of the cyclocross season at Dublin last weekend but the event was not without alarm. He found himself behind early on due to a mechanical and a mechanic's towel getting jammed in his rear derailleur while passing the pits. He initially lost contact with his rivals but went on to win the race ahead of Laurens Sweeck with Tom Pidcock finishing third.

Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com

The Cervélo R5-CX cyclocross bike was designed in team Jumbo-Visma colours for riders Marianne Vos and Wout Van Aert, who have 11 cyclocross world titles between them. 

The R5-CX was initially only available to the pros but has since been made available to the general public making it Cervélo's first production cyclocross bike, available to purchase as a frameset or complete bike since the summer.

> Cervelo officially unveils R5-CX, its first production cyclocross bike

The carbon frameset is compatible with disc brakes and electronic drivetrains only to avoid cable entries and exits, which Cervélo says is to minimise water ingress.

Van Aert uses a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 12-speed groupset comprising of shifters, brakes and rear mech and unlike we see on many cyclocross bikes Van Aert also uses an R9200 front mech and double chainring setup rather than a single ring up front.

He has opted for Shimano XTR pedals which are Shimano’s lightest double-sided pedals with a claimed weight of 342g. 

> Shimano clipless pedals 2022 — your complete guide

The DURA-ACE C40 Tubular Disc Brake wheels are fitted with Shimano MT900 brake rotors, these were first introduced on the mountain bike XTR groupset but now also come as standard on the latest Dura-Ace groupset. With no major descents or heavy breaking zones, Van Aert opted for 140mm brake rotors front and rear whereas many are using 160 front/140mm rear.

Tyres are obviously very important in cyclocross and Van Aert, like many of his competitors has opted for Dugast 32 mm tyres. For UCI-sanctioned events, the maximum width allowed is 33 mm. The tread on these tyres is for muddy courses with pronounced nobbles, this was obviously a good shout because by the time the Senior men were underway the ground had thawed and parts became unrideable.

Finishing off the spec, Van Aert uses a Fizik Arione saddle with carbon rails.

> 6 reasons to try cyclocross this winter — have crazy fun, build skills & maintain fitness in the mud

The beady-eyed may have also noticed the D-shaped seat post features a double clamp. This was a specific request from Van Aert and Vos, who helped develop the bike, as it keeps the saddle facing forwards in the event of a crash. 

Overall, the R5-CX draws much of its performance and design from the R5 (road bike) but features a smaller BB drop, and shorter head tube, giving lower stack heights and as you’d expect, the head tube angles are a little slacker and front-centre distances a little longer than the R5. The chainstays are longer too – 425mm rather than 410mm – in order to accommodate larger tyres.

> Bike geometry 101: Find out why stack & reach are important

Framesets are available to purchase in four sizes (51, 54, 56, 58cm) for $4500 (around £3700 ) with complete bikes costing up to $12,000 (around £9800). 

Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com

www.cervelo.com

Will Van Aert add another world title to his collection in Hoogerheide, Netherlands? Let us know what you think in the comments section below...