Rudy Project have officially launched its new aero helmet, the Wingdream, which will be used by Bahrain Victorious at the Giro d'Italia on Friday's stage seven time trial.
It is not actually new, having broken cover at Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice earlier this season, but it was overshadowed by Visma-Lease a Bike's new offering from Giro, the Aerohead II.
Both proved controversial, with the UCI announcing a review into helmet regulations in light of these extreme examples. However, both the Aerohead and now the Wingdream have seemingly been approved, at least for now; the UCI banned the head sock on the Specialized TT5 almost two years after it made its debut.
On Friday, the Rudy Project Wingdream was officially launched, and therefore has changed colour from the camouflage it was previously in to Bahrain-Victorious white.
The shape of the helmet, which looks fairly ludicrous, is so air is directed down a rider's shoulders, which enhances aerodynamics, according to the Italian brand.
The press release says that 10 watts is saved compared to the previous model, the Wing, which equates to four seconds every 10km. The helmet comes after two years of development.
This new take on an aero helmet follows other models like Uno-X's Redeemer 2Vi, and the Specialized S-Works TT5 time trial helmet, now without head sock. EF Education-EasyPost's still use the 'duck-bill' POC Tempor TT helmets, too.
"Helmet development is a world akin to Formula One: it requires engineering creativity, 3D studies, prototypes, wind tunnel tests, and athlete testing," Norberto Fava, Rudy Project's head of helmet production and industrialisation, said. "There is a lot of research behind a product like this, which is subjected to continuous checks by the UCI and certification bodies. And, of course, there are significant financial investments.
"Many models available on the market today do not feature vents. Both Wing and Wingdream, on the other hand, have central vents to ventilate the cranial vault area. Our challenge was precisely to create a helmet that allowed good aerodynamic savings, while also being comfortable.
"Head temperature management is crucial: cyclists push at speeds exceeding 45 km/h for 40 minutes during a time trial, triathletes even longer. The benefits of aerodynamic penetration are quickly nullified if head overheats."
It might be on the head of Antonio Tiberi and his teammates on Friday, but the helmet will not be on public sale until October.
