After her commanding win at CrossVegas, Rabobank’s Sanne van Paassen has returned to the old country to see if she can continue her winning ways. Before she left, however, we borrowed her Giant TCX Advanced SL carbon cyclocross bike for a little photo-op.
Sanne van Paassen's Vegas-winning Giant TCX© Cyclocross Magazine
The Giant TCX Advanced SL was reviewed in Issue 17, but van Paassen’s carbon composite cyclocross frame, decked out in a Rabobank paint job, differs a bit from the race-oriented, ultra-stiff model we tested or the model we see Lars van der Haar cleaning himself. The TCX Advanced SL typically has an integrated seat mast, but van Paassen’s small model features a standard seat post. Her model also features internal Shimano Di2 wiring in the downtube – a retrofit to keep the wires out of the way. The top tube cable guides look down right naked with just the rear brake housing.
The US Giant cyclocross team rides SRAM components, but the international Rabobank/Giant team of van Paassen, van der Haar (and former team of Katie Compton) races on Shimano. On van Paassen’s bike, a 10-speed Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain handles shifting, but a cyclocross-specific CX70 crankset with 36/46 rings replaces a Dura-Ace crankset.
For stopping power, van Paassen ran Giant long arm low-profile brakes – the same as the Velo Orange brakes we reviewed in Issue 17. Time ATAC XS Absalon pedals and Vredestein-marked tubular tires (which look to us to be Dugast Typhoon tubulars) complete her rig.
Sanne van Paassen’s Giant TCX Advanced SL Photo Gallery:
Don’t miss our endless stream of cyclocross tech content from Interbike 2012.
Sanne van Paassen kicks for a last lap come-from-behind win. ©Thomas van Bracht
