Joanna Rowsell (Wiggle-Honda) went into the British Time Trial Championships as defending champion, finishing 6th on the hilly, technical course behind Emma Pooley. She and her teammates Elinor Barker (4th), Laura Trott (5th) and Dani King (8th) were all aboard their team issue Colnago K.Zero time trial bikes.
The K.Zero is a sleek TT frame, its tubes shaped using NACA aero profiles and its stem and top tube completely flush with each other, sloping down towards the seat tube. External cabling costs seconds and that's been kept to a minimum on this bike. That philosophy is carried through to the TRP brakes, which are hidden behind the fork and on the chain stays.
Rowsell runs her pads with a gap between them, which can help aerodynamics as well as bike handling
Rowsell rides a size S frame, featuring a 51cm seat tube and 52cm top tube. She hasn't gone super narrow on her bar extensions, preferring a wider stance, which can be both an aero benefit, depending on the rider, and help with stability and handling.
Her bike as pictured was set up with an Campagnolo Bora Ultra TT disc and an Ultra front, although she was planning on swapping to an deeper Ultra Two for the race, provided her teammate came back in time. The team ran Vittoria Corsa CX tubulars (23-28), ideal for grip and speed on this course.
The hilly nature of the 21km course saw many riders opt for rear cassettes with a big range, and Rowsell was no exception. She rode a 53/39 front chainring combination with an 11-speed 11-27 rear cassette. All Campagnolo Super Record mechanical with not a hint of EPS electronic in sight.
Other highlights of Rowsell's rig include Speedplay pedals, an SRM Power Control 7 (although the SRM unit was absent) and Fi'zi:k bar tape.
Jo's SRM Power Control 7 on a K-Edge mount - not connected to an SRM power meter though
Complete bike specifications
- Frame: Colnago K.Zero
- Fork: Colnago K.Zero
- Stem: Colnago K.Zero integrated
- Handlebars: Colnago K.Zero
- Tape/grips: Fi'zi:k
- Front brake: TRP TTV Front
- Rear brake: TRP TTV RC
- Brake levers: Campagnolo TT bar-end brake levers
- Front derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record
- Rear derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record
- Shift levers: Campagnolo TT bar-end controls
- Cassette: Campagnolo Super Record 11-27t
- Chain: Campagnolo Record 11 speed
- Crankset: Campagnolo Super Record 172.5mm, 53/39t
- Bottom bracket: Campagnolo Ultra Torque
- Pedals: Speedplay Zero
- Front wheel: Campagnolo Bora Ultra Two
- Front tyre: Vittoria Corsa CX 23-28
- Rear wheel: Campagnolo Bora Ultra TT disc
- Rear tyre: Vittoria Corsa CX 23-26
- Saddle: Fi'zi:k custom
- Seat post: Colnago K.Zero
- Computer: SRM Power Control 7
- Other accessories: K-Edge SRM PC 7 mount
Critical measurements
- Rider's height: 179cm
- Rider's weight: 65kg
- Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 750mm
- Saddle setback: 50mm
- Seat tube length, c-c: 510mm
- Tip of saddle nose to C of bars: 570mm
- Saddle-to-bar drop (vertical): 170mm
- Head tube length: 120mm
- Top tube length: 520mm