A Wind Tunnel Day With Craig Alexander

Testing out the new Specialized S-Works McLaren TT helmet for the first time.Mat and Craig look at his position.

3-time Ironman World Champion Craig Alexander came to the A2 Wind Tunnel in Mooresville, NC today to test out a few helmets in his quest for another title in Kona.

At the 2010 Ironman World Championships Crowie was sporting a road helmet, recorded a 4:39:35 bike split and finished fourth, and was not too happy with his outing.  He then returned to Kona in 2011 with a new attitude, aboard a Specialized Shiv and a Giro Advantage 2 aero helmet and took the win with a very fast 4:24:05 bike split.

As he is now getting ready to defend his title in October, Crowie is fine tuning a few details, and looking closer at the helmet situation is one of those tasks.  The Giro Advantage 2 has tested very well and is popular with many athletes, but there are many more choices out there.

Mat having Craig try different hand positions looking for any free speed that might be out there.

During a day at the A2 wind tunnel in Mooresville the team around Craig Alexander tested several helmets and the new Specialized S-Works McLaren helmet was very impressive.  The improvements over said Advantage 2 for one were significant and we actually observed that the data closely matched numbers Specialized had published when the helmet was released at the beginning of the Tour de France.  But with its CE certification this helmet is only legal in Europe and for the Ironman World Championships in Kona.

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All images © Herbert Krabel / slowtwitch.com