First look: Mark Cavendish's Specialized McLaren Venge
Photo gallery: A preview of Cav's new Milan-San Remo rig
Specialized yesterday launched its newest product, the McLaren Venge, an advanced high modulus carbon fiber frame designed to be as light as possible while increasing aerodynamics and stiffness. Cyclingnews caught sight of Mark Cavendish's bike as he prepares for his shot at a second Milan-San Remo title tomorrow.
Only Cavendish, Mark Renshaw and Bernhard Eisel will be atop the Venge for HTC-Highroad in tomorrow's race.
Note the aerodynamic features of the frame, including "cambered airfoil cross-section seat stays", designed to reduce drag in cross-winds, the tapered head tube/steerer which beefs up stiffness - something important for powerful sprinters - and the bladed fork.
Add in details like the internal cable routing, a specially designed bar/stem combination made just for Cavendish by Pro as well as the electronic Dura-Ace group with SRM power meter, and you have the complete package.
View the photo gallery here.
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Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.