Here’s what Team Katusha will be riding in the pro field this year, starting with the Tour Down Under on January 18, which should help it stand out among the myriad, largely indistinguishable-at-a-glance team bikes in the black/blue section of the color wheel.
Full press release and info after the break…
PRESS RELEASE:
ProTour Team Katusha to Contest 2011 Season Aboard FOCUS Bicycles
Riders including UCI #1 ranked rider Joquim Rodriguez and Milan-San Remo winner Filippo Pozzato to ride Izalco Team and Chrono.
FOCUS Bicycles continues its commitment to the highest levels of the sport with their sponsorship of ProTour Team Katusha. The 30-man outfit recently had its first chance to throw a leg over their new FOCUS team bikes at a pre-season camp in Calpe, Spain. Led by UCI #1 rider Joaquin Rodriguez, Filippo Pozzato, and Leif Hoste, the team will make its major competitive debut January 18-23 in Australia, at the Tour Down Under.
“For nearly 20 years, racing and the learning that comes from it has been a vital part of our company’s DNA,” says FOCUS Bicycles USA CEO, Scott Rittschof. “We consider ourselves very fortunate to work with riders like UCI #1 Joaquin Rodriguez, because their input simply helps us make every bike we build better.”
For 2011, FOCUS has further evolved the Izalco Team model that the Katusha riders will call their workhorse.
Refinements include precision-engineered internally routed cables, which decrease aerodynamic drag and make an already clean design look even better. Up front, the tapered head tube houses a matching Rigida Pro fork that marries ultimate stiffness to all-day comfort, while the oversized bottom bracket continues the BB30 standard for the greatest possible power transfer. The Izalco Team model is outfitted with a SRAM Red groupset, Vision wheels, Continental tires, FSA components and a Pro Logo saddle. For riders everywhere, FOCUS sells a full line of bikes with the Izalco chassis; including six models priced between $7,500 and $3,100.
For time trials, the Katusha riders have selected the proven Izalco Chrono. Designed by aero guru Andreas Walser, the Chrono features an extremely narrow frontal profile and high modulus carbon frame for extremely low drag and maximum performance under pressure. Consumers in the USA will have access to the Izalco Chrono 1.0 and 3.0 at $7,600 and $3,600 respectively.
