Pro Bike: Lars Van Der Haar’s Giant TCX Advanced SL
- By Logan VonBokel
- Published Feb. 2, 2013
- Updated May. 3, 2013 at 4:06 PM EDT
Pro Bike Gallery: Lars Van Der Haar's Giant TCX Advanced SL
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (VN) — Dutch Rabobank rider Lars Van Der Haar had one of the most impressive performances of the day, riding to third in his debut elite world championship. Van der Haar's Giant TCX Advanced SL is one of the smallest, lightest bikes in the pro 'cross ranks. Even with a subtle black and orange colorway, Van Der Haar's TCX stands apart from the average Giant. Photo: Logan VonBokel | VeloNews.com
Pro Bike Gallery: Lars Van Der Haar's Giant TCX Advanced SL
Vredestein cotton tubulars? I'm not sure about that. Those are Shimano C35 tubulars — though when we caught up with Van Der Haar's ride after the race, it appeared that the power washers had removed some of the decals from his rims. Photo: Logan VonBokel | VeloNews.com
Pro Bike Gallery: Lars Van Der Haar's Giant TCX Advanced SL
"Made by A. Dugast." Well, that makes a bit more sense, seeing as how that tubular is clearly a Dugast Rhino. It also appears that these wheels are on loan from Van Der Haar's U23 teammate, recently crowned world champion Mike Teunissen. Photo: Logan VonBokel | VeloNews.com
Pro Bike Gallery: Lars Van Der Haar's Giant TCX Advanced SL
A very clean name decal helps the Dutch mechanics keep track of riders' bikes. Photo: Logan VonBokel | VeloNews.com
Pro Bike Gallery: Lars Van Der Haar's Giant TCX Advanced SL
Like many of the European pros, Van Der Haar has been running Shimano 7970 Di2 all season with good success. His TCR has some custom tweaks to keep the electronic cable routing clean. Notice the rear derailleur wire held in place with some tape emerging behind the 46x39t crankset. Photo: Logan VonBokel | VeloNews.com
Pro Bike Gallery: Lars Van Der Haar's Giant TCX Advanced SL
Like most smaller riders, Van Der Haar needs his stem slammed all the way to the top cap to get his needed amount of drop, but cyclocross headset top caps, with a built-in cable stop, add more stack height. The solution is a custom spacer that doubles as a hanger. Photo: Logan VonBokel | VeloNews.com
Pro Bike Gallery: Lars Van Der Haar's Giant TCX Advanced SL
Van Der Haar's mechanics go above and beyond by hiding a barrel adjuster next to the finishing tape so that the cable tension can be easily adjusted in the pits. Special cable housing is used to help the cable make the sharp bend into the cable stop. Photo: Logan VonBokel | VeloNews.com
Pro Bike Gallery: Lars Van Der Haar's Giant TCX Advanced SL
A great mechanic can get by with naught but a three-way allen wrench, zip ties and electrical tape. Here, Van Der Haar's mechanic keeps his rider's front derailleur wire tight against the seat tube with an incognito zip tie. Photo: Logan VonBokel | VeloNews.com
Pro Bike Gallery: Lars Van Der Haar's Giant TCX Advanced SL
Rabobank's team engineers have been machining custom brakes for years. Van Der Haar runs them with SwissStop yellow brake pads on his C35 rims. Photo: Logan VonBokel | VeloNews.com
Pro Bike Gallery: Lars Van Der Haar's Giant TCX Advanced SL
This TCR is fresh off crossing the finish line in third place without even having time to get to the power washers on the other end of the course. Here's hoping it gets a bath before its trip back to the Netherlands. Photo: Logan VonBokel | VeloNews.com
Pro Bike Gallery: Lars Van Der Haar's Giant TCX Advanced SL
Even the infallible Dugast Rhinos were gumming up with Lousiville mud today. Riders were pitting at least once a lap. Photo: Logan VonBokel | VeloNews.com
Pro Bike Gallery: Lars Van Der Haar's Giant TCX Advanced SL
Giant uses a Powercore bottom bracket that accepts a BB86 press fit bottom bracket. So buyers can run Shimano and SRAM GXP with a pressfit system without additional adapters like on a BB30 frame. Photo: Logan VonBokel | VeloNews.com
FILED UNDER: Bikes and Tech / Cyclocross / Gallery / News / Pro Bikes TAGS: Lars Van der Haar / Pro bike / UCI Elite Cyclocross World Championships
Logan VonBokel
Equally at home on a mountain bike above treeline and chasing down moves in the heat and humidity of a Midwest criterium, Logan Vonbokel is something of an oddity in cycling. Since he first swung a leg over a road bike as a freshman in high school, Logan has been a lover of both cutting-edge technological innovations and the clean lines of classic handmade bikes. Logan joined the tech team in May 2012, bringing with him nearly a decade of high-caliber road racing experience and his undying love for the mud, cowbells, and culture of cyclocross. Logan still races at the Cat. 2 level on the road and in cyclocross, and carries a seldom-used Cat. 1 mountain bike license.
