Gear

Flanders Pro Bike: Kristoff’s Canyon Aeroad CF SLX

Alexander Kristoff is the defending Flanders champ, and he'll vie for another title aboard a Canyon Aeroad CF SLX.

April 1, 2016 Dan Cavallari

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Flanders — Katusha’s Alexander Kristoff will look to repeat his success from last year’s Tour of Flanders aboard a Canyon Aeroad. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

Flanders — This is actually Kristoff’s spare bike; while we saw his race bike, team representatives wouldn’t let us take photos, but the set-up is nearly identical. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

Flanders — That’s a pretty sharp angle for that brake cable. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

Flanders — SRAM’s eTap wireless shifting will see action on the cobbles Sunday. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

Flanders — The SRAM Red crankset is set up with 53/39 chainrings, though Kristoff’s actual race bike was set up with what appeared to be Rotor chainrings. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

Flanders — The Aeroad is designed for direct-mount brakes, which is problematic for the SRAM-sponsored Katusha team. SRAM does not yet offer direct-mount brakes. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

Flanders — Kristoff uses Swiss Stop pads in conjunction with the carbon rims. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

Flanders — Kristoff’s spare bike is adorned with Zipp 303 wheels and Continental Competition Pro LTD tires. These are 700x25c tires, but team reps said he is likely to use 28c tires during the race. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

Flanders — Integration is everywhere these days. Kristoff’s handlebars are combined with the stem for added stiffness, which will come in handy if the race ends in a sprint. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

Flanders — Integrated bars offer a unique, highly visible place for another Canyon logo. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

Flanders — While the specs reflect what Kristoff is likely to use on his actual race bike, the steerer tube hasn’t even been cut yet on this spare bike. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

Flanders — More of Kristoff’s specs for getting in the perfect position. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

Flanders — It’ll be a long day in the saddle in Flanders. Kristoff rolls with a Selle Italia SLR Team Edition. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

Flanders — It’s not uncommon for water bottles to jettison themselves when the cobbles get really rough. Team Katusha will rely on Elite Custom Race cages to prevent that. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

Flanders — Last year’s Flanders champion faces a lot of pressure to repeat his success, but with stout competition from Peter Sagan, Fabian Cancellara, and plenty of other motivated legs, the task won’t be easy. Kristoff admitted as much at an afternoon press conference. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews

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