SRAM Adds Some Juice to Pro Lineup
SRAM announced last week that it has signed Astana to its small list of Pro-Tour sponsored teams. Saunier Duval was the sole SRAM team in 2007, but it looks like the product is catching on. Astana arguably has the best team going into 2008, and SRAM wants to take advantage of that. There was no comment about whether or not Astana would be using Zipp wheels as part of the deal, but my guess is that Zipp will be part of the deal. Whether or not Zipp is used as part of the deal largely will depend on what bike manufacturer Astana uses next year. Rumors have been flying for many months that Trek will be the new bike supplier to Astana. If Trek makes a deal with the team, it is likely that the Bontrager/HED wheels that were part of team Discovery will be the wheel of choice instead of Zipp. That would be a shame, since Zipp is scientifically proven to be much more aerodynamic than any Bontrager offering. Does this open the door for more offerings of SRAM on Trek bikes offered to the consumer? Too many what if’s right now, but SRAM RED on a new Madone would be pretty sweet!
The weight savings on the SRAM Red group might make up for the team’s lack of a “medical program” next year. Imagine that…getting an advantage without drugs. Leave it to a small company from Chicago to make it possible.
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