Team Novo Nordisk Kicks off 2022 on the Sum Pro
As Team Novo Nordisk kicked off 2022 at the Tour of Oman and Tour of Antalya, we got to see the new Sum Pro in action. So how do pro riders react to a new bike? Argon 18 had a chance to catch up with some of the team members and get their first impressions.
Photos by @veloimages @teamnvovnordisk
“I feel now, with the new bike, this extra little percentage. You know, it’s a feeling of being super agile and fast, and that every pedal stroke goes forward, you don't lose anything. While sprinting, you want your energy to go forward, and if you feel you’re losing energy and you feel the frame moving a little bit, that's where you lose power. It might only be a couple watts, I don't know exactly, but if you lose the sprint by a centimeter, it could be for this reason. But the feeling with the new bike now is incredible. Then there’s the agility of the bike. You can really hook it, throw it into the corner. And since we all have that feeling, we go so much faster through the corners. It's hard to explain, you know, it's a great feeling that the bike listens 100% to you. And this is after 5-6-7 hours on the bike at a time with no issues. When you have that complete confidence in the bike, you're always going to search for the limit. You start searching for the edge. I haven't found it yet. And I'm going faster than ever.”
- Gerd De Keijzer
“I think before you had the two ends of the spectrum, like the really racy, sharp, fast, aero bikes that were really harsh to ride. And then at the other end of the spectrum, we had endurance bikes which were a lot slacker, but more comfortable. But I find this bike, the Sum, it's super light, it's really aero, and it's really comfortable. So yeah, it's a do-it-all bike. I've got really bad roads where I live at home and it just made riding on those roads a dream. So for me, that's a big thing. It ticked that box. Then also there’s the fact that it's so agile, it's got a really good front end - you just kind of tip it in and it goes where you want it to. And it looks great. I love the paint that Argon 18 did for us.”
- Declan Irvine
“The Sum Pro is a phenomenal weapon, really, it's fast, it handles well. I feel that with some bikes, you don't get as much out as you put in. But with the Sum Pro, I feel that what I put in, I'm getting pretty much everything back. And to have a positive feeling on the bike every time you go out goes beyond anything else. So I think it strikes a perfect balance. In my opinion, everything goes back to that very unscientific approach where it just puts a smile on your face.
The front end of the bike very much defines its cornering and its handling, but the rear triangle is important, in terms of stiffness. Other bikes have been slightly more aggressive, which worked in certain situations, but then I was going through corners not being able to fully let go or trust the bike, because there were points where it was a bit twitchy. There's always a point where you're on the limit. But I don't feel that limit is as conservative with the Argon. I feel that I can push it a bit more. I feel I can let go completely on the Argon 18, I feel at home, and I can handle it a lot better. And that’s from day one.
Also, the integration is important, the aerodynamics. You see now like fully enclosed cockpits, and you see integrated cables, like on the Sum Pro, you can't see anything, which is beautiful. It's that sort of next step in development, the clean edges. So to be able to see that on the Sum and on the E-118 TT bike, it's phenomenal.”
- Sam Brand
Photos by @Martin Nordmark
Interviews have been edited for clarity and length.
