FAST START: TCR ADVANCED SL PROTOTYPE UPDATE

Unveiled to the public just four short months ago, Giant’s new TCR Advanced SL prototype road bike has not only caught the attention of the international media, but has proven itself as a world-class contender through an unprecedented number of early-season victories. Here is a quick update on this still-in-development prototype:

"We've built a bike that is lighter than what our previous TCR Advanced was, we've built a bike that's significantly stiffer than what our TCR Advanced was, and we've catered it specifically for the team's needs," said Giant Global Product Marketing Manager Andrew Juskaitis during the official team presentation in Palo Alto, California held on February 15th, 2008.

Key changes to the new TCR Advanced SL frameset include square-profile tubing in the down tube and seat tube, an oversized steerer tube that tapers from 1 1/8" up top to 1 1/4" at the crown and the use of Shimano's press-fit bottom bracket cups that affords a substantially broader downtube and more widely set chainstays. These chainstays are also noticeably asymmetric with a taller and narrower driveside stay and a wider and rounder profile on the non-driveside. Interestingly, the last section of rear brake housing pierces through the toptube as it makes its way from the tube's underside near the seattube intersection.

"We increased stiffness significantly, but one of the things we didn't want to give up was ride quality and that's always the balance," Juskaitis said. "When you make something stiffer, a lot of times it's often going to ride like a rock. We weren't going to, nor was the team going to, accept a bike that rode like a rock. One of the secrets up our sleeves is that ride compliance can really be tuned quite a bit through the integrated seatmast."

According to Juskaitis, the bike has been in development for over two years and the team has been evaluating near-final prototypes over the last year in order to firm-up any remaining details. In this final stage of testing, Team High Road will continue to use the new TCR Advanced SL prototype in actual race conditions to fine-tune the high performance characteristics of this breakthrough race bicycle. Stay tuned for more information as the development story continues to unfold.

The following is a list of early-season 2008 victories achieved by the men and women of Team High Road onboard the prototype TCR Advanced SL:

JANUARY
Tour Down Under
Precursor – Andre Greipel
Stage 2 – Andre Greipel
Stage 4 – Andre Greipel
Stage 5 – Andre Greipel
Stage 6 – Andre Greipel
Overall – Andre Greipel

FEBRUARY
Tour of Geelong
Stage 2 – Oenone Wood
Stage 3 – Ina-Yoko Teutenberg

Tour of Algarve
Stage 5 – Bernard Eisel

Merced Criterium – Merced, CA
Winner – Emilia Fahlin

Snelling Road Race – Snelling, CA
Winner – Kim Anderson

Tour of California
Stage 7 – George Hincapie

Tour of New Zealand
Stage 2 – Oenone Wood
Stage 4 – Oenone Wood
Stage 6 – Ina-Yoko Teutenberg

MARCH
Merco Cycling Classic - Merced, CA
Winner – Emilia Fahlin

Central Valley Cycling Classic - Fresno, CA
Winner – Ina-Yoko Teutenberg

Sequoia Classic – Visalia, CA
Winner – Ina-Yoko Teutenberg

San Dimas Stage Race – San Dimas, CA
Opening TT – Mara Abbott
Stage 1 – Alex Rhodes
Stage 2 – Alex Rhodes
Overall – Kim Anderson

Criterium International
Stage 3 – Edvald Boasson Hagen

APRIL
Redlands Bicycle Classic – Redlands, CA
Prologue – Mara Abbott
Stage 3 – Emilia Fahlin

Three Days De Panne
Stage 2 – Mark Cavendish
Stage 3 – Mark Cavendish

Hel Van Het Mergelland One-Day
Winner – Tony Martin

Tour of Flanders
Winner – Judith Arndt

Drentse 8 van Dwingeloo
Winner – Ina-Yoko Teutenberg

Tour of the Basque Country
Stage 2 – Kim Kirchen
Stage 4 – Kim Kirchen

Ronde Van Drenthe
Winner – Chantal Beltman

Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen
Winner – Mark Cavendish

Grand Prix de Denain
Winner – Edvald Boasson Hagen