Simon Yates's Tour de France victory on the mountainous Stage 12, over the Col de Peyresourde and Hourquette d'Ancizan, was a perfect showcase for the brand new top-spec Scott Addict RC.
Playing super-domestique to his brother, Adam, we may not have expected to see much of Mitchelton-Scott's Simon Yates on the podium this year, but sprinting to a win from a long break, he showed his incredible form.
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170mm cranks
Yates' bike is a size small, roughly 52cm top tube, befitting his 5'8" frame. With that in mind, it's no surprise to see rather short 170mm Shimano Dura-Ace cranks being used. The non-standard spec attests to meticulous attention to bike fit.
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Perhaps more surprising is the use of several spacers below the stem, lifting the front end. However, the deep drop classic bar shape suggests that Yates sides for a low position in the drops but a relatively relaxed position when sitting on the tops.
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Scott will no doubt be happy that he sided for the Syncros spec saddle rather than going for an unbadged Fizik saddle, as many in the peloton have. Indeed, the Syncros Creston IC SL stem-bar combo is also an off-the-peg option, with a bit of minor customisation for length and drop.
Aero and discs
Many super-domestiques and GC contenders have opted to stay with rim brakes. Yates' new Addict RC is disc-brake only but still comes in only 50 grams above the UCI minimum weight at 6.85kgs. The bikes use 140mm rotors as standard.
The disc integration has helped the bike's aerodynamics, which are now much closer to the standards of Scott's top tier Foil, with complete integration of cables and dropped seatstays.
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The handlebar-stem is also incredibly neatly integrated into the headset, and should couple stiffness and front end aerodynamic efficiency. There's also a subtle set of Di2 satellite sprint shifters tucked into the inside of the handlebar drops, which no doubt came in handy in his sprint finish.
Yates has sided for Pirelli tubular tyres, which are fairly new the WorldTour peloton but are clearly proving themselves. On Yates' bike, they've been paired with a set of Shimano C35 Dura-Ace wheels.
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That's all complemented by a Shimano Dura-Ace power-meter integrated into the chainset, which is bulky 53-39 standard double. Yates clearly has no trouble striking a cadence uphill.
We'll hope to see plenty more of Yates, and his bike.
