Earlier this year Falkenjagd showed us their new 650B titanium hardtail. Now, they have a limited Spartakiada edition of their performance/endurance Aristos road bike.
Frame will have “Spartakiada Edition” on the top tube as well as a stylized ancient symbol of the character “A”. Only 25 will be made, available as a frameset or complete bike equipped with the new Sram RED, lightest Tune- and Schmolke parts and Continental GP Attack / Force tires. Claimed weight for a size Large is just 6.48 kg (14.29lb). PFBB30 and ZS44mm inset headtube combine with a round-to-oval top tube for a blend of stiffness up front and compliance in the rear.
Click through for more pics and the inspiration for the model…
From Falkenjagd:
Historical background of Spartakiada: In 490 BC, according to Herodotus, the Athenian general Miltiades sent a herald to the Spartan king Leonidas requesting reinforcements against the invading army of the Persian King Darius. The messenger, a professional runner named Phidippides, traversed Peloponnese mountains to reach Sparta astonishing 270 kilometers away in phenomenal two days only. The superstitious Spartans hesitated against sending their soldiers during a full moon. On their own and beyond their wildest expectations the Athenians defeated the Persians at the epic battle of Marathon. Phidippides´ tragic run 42 kilometer (26
miles) back to Athens to announce the news of the astounding Greek victory, brought his today legendary glory as he died therafter. In Greece Phidippides is as familiar to Greek school children as e.g. Davy Crockett is to American kids. King Leonidas from Sparta came to glory 10 years later (480 BC) at the decisive Battle of Thermopylae: 300 Spartans faced over 40.000 Persians. Before the battle the Persian king Xerxes requested Leonidas to lay down the weapons. Leonidas just answered with his famous sentence “Molon Labe” – “come and get them”.
The Spartan king with his 300 hoplites could defeat Xerxes and his army for over one month until the Greeks had reorganized their defense. Leonidas died at this famous battle just by reason of perfidiousness.
Today since 1988, in Greece this legendary event is celebrated by the “Spartathlon”, an ultra-marathon, and a cycling challenge, called “Spartakiada”. Both events follow Phidippides’ route as faithfully as possible from Athens to Sparta: The route is 270km long and contains approximately 3.900 meters difference in altitude. Each year thereafter an average 300 cyclists – according to Leonidas 300 hoplites – gather at the Olympic Stadium in Athens at 6:00 am on every first Saturday of October and cycle this daunting route in partly less than 8 hours.
