Flatlay: Rapha Lombardia Kit

This year marked my first successful Festive 500, despite having attempted it 6 times and coming tantalizing close in the past. So, what was the big difference between my previous attempts and this year? Planning. I knew what to wear no matter the weather, something that took me a few years to really get a good grasp of. Almost any ride will implode if you're freezing on descents, or soaked through in less than an hour. In each of my flatlay posts I'll explain the conditions I expected, and why I chose the piece of kit for the day item by item.


This kit was intended for a day hovering just above freezing, overcast, and little chance of sun. Rain was unlikely, but breezes on the tops and cold mist in the valleys did mean some extra warmth was essential. I planned for a steady pace over 120 kilometers with two major passes and plenty of intermediate climbs.

The Kit

Baselayer: Sportful Bodyfit Pro Long Sleeve

No matter the conditions, I start all of my kits with a baselayer. A baselayer adds a layer of functionality to any jersey that you can tailor for any situation. The Bodyfit Pro is a lightweight offering from Sportful that adds high performance moisture wicking and breathable warmth to a long sleeve jersey. The fit is like a second skin, but the quality and finish of the fabric makes it almost unnoticeable once you're on the road. Cold weather jerseys can be muggy on long climbs which necessitates a baselayer that won't overheat you and keep you dry for the descent. This baselayer excels under a jacket or thermal jersey, but also compliments a lighter long sleeve jersey.

Jersey: Rapha Lombardia

Style and substance define the Lombardia Jersey. It has a one of a kind look, even when compared to Rapha's other limited edition jerseys. The wooden buttons and embroidered detail can make any one feel like a king of the road from the golden age of cycling. This is especially important as looking cool is as essential as going fast. The fit is relaxed, without being baggy and ideal for a long steady day. The fabric is not windproof, but the wool and polyester blend contends well with cool weather and road spray. The high collar helps to keep a draft out, especially when paired with a decent neck warmer. Without a zipper it's not suited for a ride where conditions and pace will fluctuate so riding with finesse is essential.

Shorts: Rapha Core Bib Shorts

Rapha's Core Bib is just that, a core element of a cyclists wardrobe. The chamois is substantial, but not bulky and is well-suited for a long day in the saddle. The multi-panel construction doesn't offer a premier fit, but won't hinder your performance. The mid-weight fabric is ideal for cool weather especially if your wardrobe is limited to shorts and not knickers and tights.

Leg Warmers: Castelli Nanoflex

Castelli's Nanoflex offerings are my choice for their high degree of water resistance and cozy brushed fleece interior. The water resistant treatment provides a good degree of wind protection on the front of the leg for descents while the back panel keeps you from cooking on the climbs. With the proliferation of social media in cycling, you might feel your whole kit needs to be brand unified, but a set of black warmers for arms and legs will expand your wardrobe in the cold seasons without ruining your look. Rather than buying 4 pairs of a tights from different manufacturers, a single set of quality black legwarmers will serve you far better. Sportful's No-Rain series offer the same performance with a subtler logo.

The Accessories

Helmet: Catlike Whisper

This is my standard helmet choice. It's nothing particularly special, despite it's one of a kind honeycomb look. I choose it time after time because I know it's comfortable no matter how long I wear it. All that ventilation does mean a good hat or skull cap is key for keeping the wind off.

Hat: Rapha Festive 500 Winter Cap

Winter caps can be tough, too thick and you'll have sweat in your eyes like it's a summer day, too thin and you'll have a blinding frost headache. Rapha's cap is an ideal weight for true winter rides around freezing, but will be warm if you're expecting sunshine and blues skies. The ear and neck band provide essential coverage without an overly snug fit. The rainbow band provides a bit of flair to what is a utilitarian piece. The peak is modest and relatively soft so there's no pressure on your forehead even with a helmet over top,. The real benefit of this specific cap though was motivation. If I was going to own the cap; I'd better complete the challenge.

Glasses: Oakley Jawbreaker Splatterfade (Clear Lenses)

I've always been a fan of Oakley; I've spent at least two prize purses buying them in the past. There's an argument to be made against expensive shades, but for me there's no price too high to protect my eyes. A pair of glasses with easily interchangeable lenses is a must, and the Jawbreakers are certainly a paragon. I chose clear lenses as it was going to be a dark day and I wouldn't be needing sun protection, just something to keep my eyes from watering and any road debris or spray out.

Collar: Etxeondo

If you were an Alberto Contador fan, then you'll probably recognize this piece from his brother's clothing line. The wool collar can also double as an emergency beanie with a cinch top, but it's nice for keeping out the chill and is good as a face mask in the first 20 minutes to keep the cold air from hitting your lungs so hard. It's not tightly woven so it's not as warm as some fully synthetic options, but it does the job nicely when paired with a collared jersey.

Gloves: Planet X 365 Convertible Gloves

I've owned a lot of expensive gloves, but none of them have performed as admirably as this budget pair from the discount hub, Planet X. They have a brushed fleece interior for insulation and windproof and water resistant exterior. The weight is perfect for maintaining a loose grip on the bar, and the convertible mitt means that you can cope with the real biting cold at the end of the day. The mitt does make braking and shifting in the hoods more difficult, but I tend to commit to the drops and race home if it's that cold.

Overshoes: Rapha Reflective Oversocks

They're not waterproof, they're not particularly insulating, but they do what they say on the tin. The reflective band over the top is an essential piece for safety when the sun is going down early and the light is poor. I'm not interested in being a traffic cone, so I always go for subtle, but effective, choices. Moving reflective panels and lights are much more effective for safety around motorists than static fluorescent. When I'm not in need of a lot of warmth they're my go to overshoe.

Ridden: Austro Daimler Ultima Carbon Limited

 It's hard to find a bike today that has a special feeling. Bikes in the past were handcrafted custom made to order creations. Now they're stamped out in the hundreds after prototyping and analysis. Tube shapes are optimized for the greatest wind cutting performance and computer modeled to perfection, but they're dimwitted. Aero bikes tend to be incredibly stiff, super aero, and not much else. Bikes are losing their soul.That's where the Ultima enters the scene. It's a bike that brings style back to performance.

The bike boasts a look reminiscent of the Cervelo S3, aero shapes on the front end with a performance minded rear triangle. Except that the Ultima is wrapped in the luscious "Thornsdorf Purple". The tube shapes also don't have the aggressive airfoil shapes or shrouds of the more expensive aero bikes. Chunky stealth fighter shapes and razor thin tubes are the norm in the newest generation of Aero Bikes, but Austro-Daimler is bucking the trend. While I don't know how well the tube shapes perform in the wind-tunnel, I do know they are a thousand times more beautiful than their competitors. It does lack the aero bells and whistles that are appearing like wheel cutouts, aero seatposts, and cockpit integration, nonetheless the aero benefit is still noticable over a standard road bike. The bike doesn't lack technology either, internal routing, an aero front-end, and a pressfit bottom bracket keep it modern and competitive. Performance is of course the greatest factor for any bike.
The beautiful thing about the Ultima is that it is a perfect balance of form and function. Power transfer is regular and the bottom bracket is firm but not unforgiving and that's why it seems to glide along over 20mph. The rear wheel is firmly planted even under maximum effort. The bike is not the greatest climber, but out of the saddle it is responsive. The engagement through both the front and back wheels is noticeable and definitely leads to more confidence and higher approach speeds in the corners. The bike leans intuitively in the bends and still manages to be incredibly nimble. The twitchiness that comes with some "performance" bikes is not a part of the Ultima.
The bike is billed as a "breakaway" style bike and is an excellent straight line cruiser. That's where the Ultima really shines. As the road opens up in front of you it's hard to not push up to 300 watts and hammer down the road. Ride quality is not uncompromisingly harsh, although I didn't try any carbon wheels and I rode 25mm tires. Bumps and rough patches on the pavement aren't particularly anxiety producing, but they aren't unnoticeable. On the open desert roads of my test there were only a few gaps that disturbed my ride.
Mechanically the bike is sound, the cable routing was pretty simple, and the difficult long downtube wires were a breeze with a vacuum and are so cleanly routed through the underside of the bottom bracket.  There are some small problems though, the little rubber cap on the seatpost clamp, which is beautifully situated inside the junction with the top tube typically comes back from a ride facing backwards (fixed with a little electric tape to mark post height). And the largest size is not that big, comparable to a 58 in most brands. But what the Ultima lacks in those "second saving" features and various sizes it makes up with panache.
The Ultima is a Kickstarter project from Austro-Daimler, a small Maine based company. The company is a single man, Fred Thomas, with the power of Taiwanese manufacturing behind him. The glut of secondary Taiwanese imports on eBay and the accompanying horror stories of catastrophic failures make a bike like this a murky prospect. However, that single man has made some quality assurances. Each bike is backed by a 2-year  warranty and crash replacement to the original owner. The company has a recognizable name to a lot of Master's racer, the naming rights coming direct from the Austro-Daimler of yore. Again this might have a lot of consumers worried about the "Motobecane effect", but the frame is no slouch, and the company isn't a faceless Chinese factory. It's easy to engage with the man behind the bike.
Fred also personally attends to each order, checking that the frame is up to par before being dispatched to the customer, every box is hand labeled. The price for the frame and fork is a hefty $3,000, but this isn't a departure from aero frames in the top-end range, although the Speciaized Venge comes in $1,000 cheaper. A Di2 equipped bike like the one  tested would easily come in at nearly $4500 and larger companies have offerings that easily beat this price point. The A-D has something that the big companies have lost, and that's the elegance and character of a small batch bike. You can be confident you'll be getting plenty of questions on your local ride and you won't be seeing a hundred of them at your next race.

Austro-Daimler Ultima Carbon Limited- 4/5

Style- 5
Stiffness- 4
Handling- 4
Mechanical- 5
Price- 3

Rubber Meets Road: Vittoria Open Pave Review

Larger diameter tires are quick becoming the accepted standard in road racing, and have been the paragon of classics racing since time immemorial. With this in mind Vittoria produces it's Open Tubular (Clincher) in a 24mm diameter, and the tubulars come in 24 and 28mm varieties. A wider tire not only results in a broader more effective contact path but also a smoother ride over all surfaces, paired with an incredibly supple casing makes it an ideal tire for rougher road racing.

My test set of Pavés were 24mm open tubulars, and in testing proved to be ideal for rougher roads. While Tucson is a poor analog for the country roads of the Ardennes it did offer up plenty of shattered road and precipitation during the monsoon season, as well as the world-famous Saturday Shootout.

The first discernible difference of the tire came from sitting on the bike, a quick look down revealed the tire deformation was much more noticeable than similar race tires. This is an attribute of the cotton casing of the tire; while many manufacturers rely on the rubber carcass (outer skin) of their tire to be exceptionally tacky, Vittoria believes good grip should be more than skin-deep. Cotton Corespun K casings in the tires are a throwback to a time before synthetic fabrics dominated the market, and allow a more flexible and supple performance from the fully inflated tire, like a traditional tubular; they do add a bit to the price, but the performance of the tire is more than worth it. The K stands for Kevlar, as the Pavé is reinforced for more rigorous parcours with a hint of the ubiquitous ballistic material. The rubber, a standard silica and rubber mixture, on the outside of the tire is not like the smooth treadless patterns of Michelin or Continental, but a unique Twin Tread Technology. It features a series of small prisms in the center of the tread and a set of elongated prisms on the edges. This leads to enhanced cornering grip and water shedding. The pairing of this tread with an ultra-soft casing with the highest commercially available TPI provides, as the company claims, "A grip that never lets go."

The first true test of the tires came high up on the slopes of Lake Peak in Santa Fe; rain had left the road strewn with gravel, as well as a good bit of moisture clinging to the road. The tires not only maintained speed well, but also accelerated comfortably. The descent down the mountain was a dream, and the cornering capabilities really opened up on cracked pavement, with less of the jarring feedback typical of fully inflated race tire. They performed just as well in flat, smooth, and wide open racing on dry pavement.

While as a training tire it was not very resistant to cutting or puncture, and was susceptible to quick wear, the tire is not made for day-in-day-out use. This is a race-tire, which means it only comes out for race day, or the essential Saturday group-ride. Vittoria's Pavé EVO CG belongs in any riders arsenal, whether racing clinchers on rough rural roads stateside, or tubulars in the pinnacle of the European spring classics season.

Rubber Meets Road: Continental Grand Prix 4 Season Review

Since moving to Tucson durable tires have become a must for me; there's nothing I hate more than a flat during a good ride or a double flat leading to a long walk. My trusty Ultra-Sports had stood up to the Flagstaff winter, but were no match for the myriad of debris that lives on the roads of Tucson.
Continental sent us some nice Grand Prix 4 Season tires to test, so I pulled off my Gatorskins to give them a try. I was worried about switching to Four Seasons over the nearly indestructible Gatorskins, but was interested in a tire that is billed as a faster training option. They mounted easily enough and I got off to a good-start on them.

The first concern was that the test tire lacked the triple layer Poly-X-Breaker of the Gatorskin, but the 4 Season is actually a more robust and durable offering, with a double layer Vectran Belt and a Dura-Skin wrap over the sidewalls. The puncture resistance of these tires was phenomenal, and I found myself really trying to test them. I rode gravel, loose wood bridges, through some good size piles of glass, and of course plenty of small bits of metal. In 1,500 miles of riding I never had a puncture. I had one flat in the entirety of my time on the tires, when one of my tubes blew in the furnace like June weather. I normally replace my tires every 2,000 miles or when they wear flat, but after 1500 miles they still have visible mold lines. A long wearing tire can often let down on speed and handling, and these tires needed an appropriate test to dispell that dogma.

Luckily Tucson has some great race-pace group rides, like the infamous Shootout, to put tires to the test. I expected to suffer a little bit more because of rotating weight and more rolling resistance, but these tires upped the ante again. While they weigh in at 242 grams for a 700x23, one gram more than the Ultra Gatorskin, the real difference comes in rolling resistance. By no means do they roll as well as a Black-Chili Grand Prix 4000; however, there is a palpable increase in speed versus a Gatorskin. I was easily able to power up and roll along in the front group without a noticeable amount of drag unlike my normal training tires. The cornering and grip was also phenomenal for an all season tire; most tires in the same class are notoriously gummy and weak in corners. They stuck in the corners and descents almost as well as race tires, and the little bit of tread made them acceptable on a few dirt-road excursions

On the whole, the tires met and surpassed my expectations. The only flaw for me was that the ride of 700x23s was a little harsh, but 700x25 tires are available, so it's not a drawback at all. A platform with exceptional puncture resistance and rolling performance, that wears well is a rarity and a pleasure. I'll definitely be riding them as my training tire in the future, and as race tires in a pinch

Off the Rack: Castelli Velocissimo Due Shorts Review

Castelli's motto is "An Unfair Advantage," and while the Velocissimo Due Bib may not be an unfair advantage it does have its perks. Velocissimo is Castelli's mid-range short line, but for the price they compare to the high-end models of many other companies. Italian apparel is known for a tighter fit and higher grade matierial, along with a higher price tag, but this bib hits the mark of the former without the latter.
The most prominent feature of Castelli shorts is a fit that varies highly from the standard offerings found in the States. What first piqued my interest in the Italian manufacturer was the longer sleeves and legs of its winter clothing, and when spring came I knew I would want more. The sizing is consistently smaller than most other brands that I have experience with; I typically wear a medium, but a large in Castelli. The overall cut is much more suited to the build of a serious cyclist: thin at the waist, but with plenty of girth for the thighs, as well as a good length that keeps away from the short-short look of many Euro-style brands in larger sizes. Giro3 cuffs finish off the legs; these elastic bands provide a snug fit without any binding, or annoying silicone grippers that tend to bite and pull at any hint of unshaved legs. Holding the legs down is pertinent, but the advantage of bibs is that they stay up; and the mesh straps while not being anything special, are comfortable and long enough, even for me, at 6'4". Quality fit also comes from the 10-panel construction of the short which allows the short to expand and contract in individual areas without pulling on static areas; this is made possible by Castelli's Affinity Lycra, which provides an optimal amount of stretch and durability. Affinity is not an airy fabric like the Breathe and Energia materials found in Castelli's high-end shorts, but it performs spectacularly and the black shorts don't cause legs to cook in the Arizona sun.

Joining ten panels of fabric does make for a more labor and cost intensive short, but the construction is superb. The stitching is low profile and keeps away from being irritating at any of the seams found throughout the short, although the edge of the chamois can cause a bit of discomfort if all the essential equipment is not well placed within its confines. Typically with a short made of lighter fabric and low profile stitching a more delicate approach to donning is necessary, but in 3 months of almost daily use, not a single stitch has come undone, and I have not torn any of the panels in a rush to pull up my shorts and get on the saddle.

In putting these to shorts to the test I actually rode several 100+ mile rides in them, my second ride being out to the infamous Kitt Peak. The road out to the base of the mountain is far from smooth, and a chamois that has yet to be broken in is not something I would recommend to the faint of heart, but these shorts performed admirably without an excess of chamois cream. The Kiss3 chamois is light without being too thin, and therefore avoids the diaper like quality of a lot of well padded shorts. I liked the light pad, as it didn't ride up or fold when I stood, and was smooth back in the saddle. With a lighter seat pad comes the threat of being underpadded for a multi-hour trek, but after six hours of rough roads I was still considerably more comfartble and happy than my companions.

My only point of contention is the small rubberized Italian flag on the back of the short, while it does add something to say, "Yes, these are Italian shorts," the plastic stitch that holds it in place tends to scratch at the small of the back if you're a rider who doesn't wear a baselayer. With a bit of baselayer segregating the skin from the plastic thread evrything is just fine, but it's the small style and branding add-ons that define the weakness of Castelli. The sublimated Scorpions have a habit of peeling of some of the other shorts I've had, but these ones are resisting any cracking or peeling. Despite this, they do have sleak style, and come in three colors.

The bottom line is that with the Velocissimo Bib-Short, you get what you pay for, and that's a good bit. Superior fit compared to most brands, quality matierials that make for a durable short, and a chamois that contours well to the body in and out of the saddle. They may be more expensive than what you'd be used to for a mid-level short, but they perform like a top-end pair.

Off the Rack: Castelli Diluvio Gloves Review

It's going to be a cool wet day on the road, the temperature is going to hover above freezing, and you have base miles to get in. The standard long finger glove you've been wearing all fall isn't going to make the grade today. You need something waterproof and insulated, but not so thick you lose a good grip on the hoods. Castelli's Diluvio gloves are the solution; the neoprene construction keeps the water out and the heat in.

When first donning the gloves it's a strange sensation, the neoprene does not conform to the hand but compresses gently. It's not incredibly flexible or particularly bulky, but it doesn't impede dexterity on the levers. They won't be any good for typing on the iPhone at the coffee-shop, but you'll be able to flick the controls all day while it sleets.

The extra grippy texture of the palm

The palms have an incredible texture, and for the first rides the palms would actually stick to each other. The grip feels secure on the bar, and I didn't feel my hands slip, but is a little vague because of the thickness and cushion of neoprene. Unlike most gloves there's no extra pads in the palm, but I had no trouble with them for 4 hours at a time. After the initial odd feelings the gloves felt almost like a second skin and were incredibly comfortable and the level of padding was delightful.

The biggest drawback is that the gloves are too effective; they don't let anything in or out. My hands would become particularly clammy after only a few minutes and well pruned at the end of my rides. The sensation is not particularly bothersome, but for some it is a deal breaker.

On the whole the Diluvios are a pleasant experience and completely different from any other winter glove. The thin insulation is wonderful by comparison to the ski-glove like options from the other companies, and if it's going to open-up with some sleet or rain, they're the best option. There are more tactile gloves and warmer gloves, but the former trades off warmth and the later lacks waterproof finish. Castelli has made a truly unique product, there's room for improvement, but this version is a pleasant new entry into winter gloves.