Published October 8, 2010 05:56PM
As recently as last June, Yvonne Van Vlerken was thought to be the biggest threat to Chrissie Wellington. The Dutch triathlete held the Ironman world record (8:45) and a lethal bike/run combination from her days as a world champion duathlete. YVV wasn’t able to seriously threaten Wellington that year, but her horsepower makes her a serious threat this weekend.
Van Vlerken rides a Cervelo P4 with Campagnolo Record 10-speed components. Campagnolo released an updated Record groupset with 11 speeds two years ago, but they still haven’t made triathlon shifters that are compatible with the 11-speed drivetrain, so Van Vlerken rides the older group. She also uses a Zipp VumaChrono aerodynamic crankset instead of the Campagnolo Record crank. Zipp 404’s with a power tap rear hub are her race wheels of choice and she rides Speedplay Zero pedals and sits on a Fi:zi’k saddle.
To stay hydrated during the ride, she is carrying the Cervelo water bottle that integrates into the frame to create a more aerodynamic shape and Beaker Concepts Hydrotail rear hydration system with a single bottle cage. She also has a Bento Box behind her stem.
The most distinguishing feature of YVV’s P4 is its paint job. It features soft blue Hawai’ian flowers on the seat tube and a sea turtle on the head tube, with a custom baby-blue Cervelo head badge to match the paint on the frame.