Apparel specialist Castelli has been showcasing the latest iteration of its PR Speed Suit… ‘The suit of choice for [pro triathletes] Laura Philipp, Patrick Lange and Cameron Wurf.’
Castelli notes that the suit set a new course record at Kona in its first race with Cameron Wurf last year. The company claims that the tri suit offers real time savings on the bike leg while providing cooling and comfort on the run.
It was made with the expectation of being worn under a swimskin or wetsuit for the swim… ‘It’s optimized for high speeds — top age groupers or pro athletes, or anyone looking to set a new PR.’
In 2016 Castelli started its aero research project with the Norwegian Technical University in Trondheim. The apparel utilised ‘a couple of brilliant professors and PhD students to come up with ideas and do the basic research… They have a couple of wind tunnels, rapid prototyping capabilities, CFD analysis and a true desire to make fast stuff.’
Castelli adds that the suit… ‘isn’t UCI legal (but neither is your bike). It’s faster than the pro cyclists’ suits and very illegal due to the silicone ribs in the arms. The main body fabric is an impossibly light 50 denier – usually in sports clothing 40 denier is considered ultrafine.’
The legs and sleeves are long for aerodynamics, while the light fabrics are designed to deal with heat ‘since they’re thin enough to not get weighed down, yet the 8% Lycra content holds a bit of moisture next to your skin for rapid cooling.’
