Kona Tech: Yvonne Van Vlerken’s Cervelo P4

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.