WOMEN'S S-WORKS TARMAC SL6

When you're chasing someone down on a climb, you want to be able to respond comfortably and quickly. But when it's you that's putting the cat among the pigeons you want to be able to spring a snappy acceleration on your opponents and leave them in a panic.

The Women's S-Works Tarmac SL6 with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 is there to help you race any way you like, sitting at the top of the women's race tree in all aspects of performance and panache.

We've managed to bring the frame weight down to just a shade under 800 grams, and we've done so by completely re-engineering our new FACT 12r carbon using advanced aerospace composite optimisation software. It is the most advanced material and schedule we've ever put together. These adjustments reduce the weight by 200 grams or 20% making it the perfect steed to set new PBs on any uphill segments you might have your eye on.

By using the thousands of Retl data points available to us, as well as detailed input from our extensive list of top professional riders, we've also further improved the Tarmac's geometry for 2018. Newly improved Rider-First Engineered technology means we're able to give you a new Tarmac that's stiff in all the right places without compromising that all-important compliance elsewhere. It means an ideal combination of snappy front end with a short wheelbase for perfect power transfer and precision handling.

Of course, stiffness isn't the whole story the compliance we've built into the frame (and the top part of the seatpost), plus the newly shaped and dropped seat stays, mean you get a fast bike that rides easy, without leaving you with a crooked spine and sore joints.

We've also increased tyre clearance to 30mm which, as a for-instance, will let you run a set of Roval CLx 50 wheels with 28mm Turbo Cotton tyres. By doing this we can run bigger tyres at lower tyre pressure for increased traction, more comfort and lower rolling resistance. Added up, this gives you a Tarmac that remains a true racing machine, but that takes some of the sting out of road imperfections. Ride it 100 miles, then thank us.

All this is fine and good, but we know the best way for us to make you faster is to improve aerodynamics. Our pro riders on Boels-Dolmans are always hassling us to give them aero improvements on every bike, and we're only to happy to rise to the challenge.

For the 2018 Tarmac range, we set out to find ways of adding aero improvements for free' without taking away the best bits of what makes the Tarmac what it is. In six months we found three key areas to do so, with a new fork shape, a D-shaped seat post and seat tube, and then dropped seat stays with a new aero profile. The end result should speed you up by 45 seconds over 40km, compared with other lightweight bikes in this category. Exactly what you want when attacking off the front of the race.

If you're serious about training, you need to train with power. Luckily, we've combined our lightweight and incredibly stiff carbon fibre S-Works road cranks with a dual-sided power measurement, and added this fearsome tech to the Women's S-Works Tarmac SL6. You're going to love the results you get from training with the lightest (440g for the 172.5mm model) and most accurate power meter (1%) out there.

Combining the power meter with Shimano's new Dura-Ace 9150 groupset and direct-mount brakes means this bike is ready to race straight outtta the box. Roval CLX 50 hoops with 26mm Turbo Cotton Tyres and touch points specifically for female riders (bar width and saddle, to crank length) complete the awesomeness.

• Featuring our Rider-First Engineeredâ„¢ design that ensures every frame size has the same legendary climbing responsiveness and descending prowess you'd expect from a top-performance race bike. The S-Works FACT 12r frameset is our highest quality carbon frame, offering the ideal blend of light overall weight and targeted stiffness.
• S-Works-specific FACT full carbon fork with tapered construction provides incredible front end stiffness and steering response for instantaneous accelerations and high-speed descents.
• A 52/36T S-Works carbon fiber crankset offers the ultimate in power transfer, with a chainring grouping that's equally suited to big alpine climbs as it is to throwing down the gauntlet on the flats.

Please note that this bike does not come with pedals.