Throughout his career, Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victory) has shown that, on his day, he is able to mix with the best sprinters in the world. The German driver managed to sprint to victories in some of the biggest races, including Tyrrhenian-Adriatic and the Critérium du Dauphiné, but glory in a Grand Tour has so far eluded him.
Not for wanting to try, though. In his last Grand Tour outing at the 2023 Tour de France, Bauhaus bagged three top three finishes, including second place behind the dominant Jasper Philipsen in stage 3.
The chances that he corrects this wrong Grand Tour seems to be slim to the 2024 Tour of Italy, where a stellar line-up of fast men was drawn from a sprint course. Tim Merlier, Fabio Jakobsen, Caleb Ewan and last year’s points classification winner Jonathan Milan will all take to the starting line, but Bauhaus can take solace in the fact that he beat them all first.
To claim the missing Grand Tour victory, Bauhaus will have to be at his best and have luck on his side, while he will also rely partly on his Merida Reacto bike. Now a Grand Tour veteran, it’s a bike that has had a lot of success in the past, but will it propel Bauhaus to victory in Italy?
We took a closer look at the bike during the UAE Tour before the season.
Read more: Giro d’Italia 2024: essential race preview
A veteran of the World Tour
First breaking cover in 2011 and used in the WorldTour peloton for the first time in 2013 at the hands of Lampre-Merida, the Reacto has earned its stripes at the highest level of cycling, including in the Giro d’ Italy.
At the 2023 edition of the Grand Tour of Italy, Jonathan Milan flew through the stage of the second victory in a sprint, which also delivered the points classification jersey to his shoulders. The Italian did not give up for the rest of the race. It also happened to be Milan’s first and only Grand Tour win to date, so the bike takes precedence for the first Grand Tour win.
Bauhaus will use exactly the same bike as Merida in 2024, bar one obvious change (more on that below). Released in 2021, the latest version of the Reacto has not moved far from its predecessors, and continues to be one of the main aero bikes in the peloton. Except, Merida took a slightly more rounded path with the new bike, putting him on a diet to shed some grams. The results are a frame that tips the scale at less than 1,000 g, in a medium size. That undercuts most of its opposition, but you won’t notice the weight savings when looking at the bike, as it still cuts a traditional aerodynamic figure, with deep tubes and integrated wiring.
What will probably catch your eye when you look at it the bicycle is the new colorwhich marks the only major change from the 2023 season. The look will not affect the Bauhaus as they look for stage wins, but are often a point of debate for fans, and the team’s decision to throw away its red colors and oranges for something a little more discreet has certainly caused a stir.
Is it a good change? We’ll leave that decision up to you.
Read more: Bahrain Victorious swaps red for white for 2024 team kit
Monster chain alert
The world of cycling technology constantly oscillates between new trends and this season is apparently the adoption of larger crowns. Tobias Foss’s 68-tooth setup for the UAE Tour time trial is the title capture example, but many riders make more subtle climbs to the teeth scale.
Bauhaus is one of those, at least if the 56/44t Shimano The Dura-Ace configuration that he used at the UAE is something to go for. In comparison, I more regularly encounter 54/40t chainrings for Dura-Ace systems. It is also important to remember that we met the bike in the United Arab Emirates which, except for a few finishes at the top, stretches largely along pan-flat desert roads. It is unlikely that he will use it for a more punchy terrain, but it may be the habit of the German for certain sprint stages in Italy.
The set-up is also made more viable by the 11-34t cassette which offers a wider range of gears than was available just a few years ago. Most professional cyclists are now taking advantage of the wider range, which has been made possible by the 12-speed gears.
Read more: Why do pros use bigger crowns? – GCN Tech Show
Deep section wheels
Like the gear, the Vision The Metron 60 SL wheelset was also chosen with flat and exposed roads in mind. Its 60 mm rims are on the deeper, more aerodynamic side, but the team can also choose from other wheels in the line, if something shallower is needed.
The wheels were paired Continentaltires Grand Prix 5000. At this point it is almost a given that a rider will use 28 mm tires – with the exception of teams sponsored by Specialized – and Bauhaus has not ignored this trend.
Vision’s influence also extended to the front of the bike in the form of the integrated Metron ACR 5D bar and stem which, as expected, featured fully integrated wiring. This obviously creates a sleek look, but also benefits aerodynamics.
The saddle chosen by Bauhaus was the Prologue Nago C3.
