When Anna van der Breggen retires at the end of this season, there is no doubt at all that she will take a place at the top table in the cycling hall of fame. An Olympic gold medal, three Giro Rosa overall victories, two Liège-Bastogne-Liège wins, and multiple other Monuments demonstrate her versatility and staying power.
Her palmarès is legendary, but perhaps her most impressive victories have come at the UCI Road World Championships. Chief among them was her performance during last year’s championships in Imola, where she took the rainbow jersey in both the road race and time trial. This made her only the second rider ever to complete the double, the first being Jeannie Longo in 1995. Naturally, as a Specialized athlete, Van der Breggen would need an appropriately designed bike for the season ahead. Let’s take a look at her summer-ready S-Works Tarmac SL7.
With summer racing in mind, our super aero S-Works Tarmac SL7 has been redesigned by concept artist Elena Aker, giving it a mostly white colourway. This new design adorns both Van der Breggen and men’s world champion Julian Alaphilippe’s bikes.
This new look certainly does justice to the 31-year-old’s status as a world leader. She first rode the new design at Liège-Bastogne-Liège where she raced in support of SD Worx teammate and eventual winner Demi Vollering. Since then, she has gone on to win the Gran Premio Ciudad de Eibar, Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria and the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas.
In terms of specifications, the ability of this phenomenal athlete is complemented by a SRAM Red eTap AXS groupset. Van der Breggen is also one of the world’s best bike handlers and a pair of Zipp 202 disc wheels certainly help her out in that respect. Her bike is also equipped with a Zipp handlebar and stem, Specialized Turbo Cotton ‘Hell of the North’ 28mm tubular tyres, and a Specialized S-Works Power with Mirror saddle (more on them later).
Prior to Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Van der Breggen rode a predominantly black design that was very similar in aesthetic to Jordan Sarrou’s MTB. She was no less successful on that design, winning both the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and her seventh Flèche Wallonne.
Our S-Works Tarmac SL7 will make you feel like a champion in no time. Using our FreeFoil Shape Library, the Specialized design team was able to construct an all-new Rider-First Engineered frame that combines aerodynamic and weight saving features. This means that the bike performs equally as well when you're dancing up a climb, flying down a descent or battling headwinds on the flat. The bike comes with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset with power meter and Roval CLX Rapide wheels that complement the rest of the build perfectly. Like Van der Breggen, you can also ride the bike equipped with SRAM RED eTap AXS.
The world champion’s big goal this year will be the first ever women’s Paris-Roubaix at the beginning of October. She will likely aim to race it on the Turbo Cotton ‘Hell of the North’ 28mm tubular tyres. Made to glide over cobbles, the updated tyre boasts a 15% improvement in dampening compared to its predecessor thanks to a 320 TPI cotton casing. The GRIPTON® compound used in its construction also offers less rolling resistance and the BlackBelt puncture protection is ideal for use on rough roads.
With the ‘Queen of the Classics’ in mind, you can emulate Van der Breggen with our cobble-ready Roubaix range, designed for the toughest of terrains.
Van der Breggen rides on an S-Works Power with Mirror saddle. Making the very best of Body Geometry, the saddle blends performance and comfort with next generation construction – so called because of the absence of foam. Instead, there is Mirror technology. By 3D printing a liquid polymer, Mirror can perfectly reflect your anatomy. This means that the material’s density can be tuned to each individual rider. Combine that with a FACT carbon shell and ultra-light rails, and you have a saddle that helps you perform at your very best.
Van der Breggen’s race day look is completed with a rainbow-detailed S-Works Evade with Angi helmet, and super lightweight S-Works 7 road shoes.
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To find out more about all these bikes and more, come down to one of our stores. Search out the Tarmac SL7 and quality Specialized components, and start riding like Anna van der Breggen. Speak to one of our friendly staff members, work out what equipment suits you best, and learn all about the innovations we’re making at Specialized.
