Cyclingnews 2005 Reader Poll Results

Best team bike

Bobby Julich's CSC Cervélo Soloist
Photo ©: Hedwig Kroner

After two years in the number two spot in this category, CSC's Cervelo bikes finally rise to the level of most desirable bikes in the peloton ahead of Domina Vacanze and Rabobank's Colnagos and bumping Discovery Channel's Treks into third place.

Cervelo's relationship with the CSC team has been incredibly fruitful for both partners. In three years, Cervelo has gone from being a small but highly regarded marque, specializing in time trial bikes, to designer of some of the most sought-after bikes around. The company's owners and chief engineers, Gerard Vroomen and Phil White, have used feedback from CSC to create and refine a quiver of bikes that suit every major road racing situation from prologue time trials to Tour de France mountain stages.

On the way, Cervelo has been able to provide CSC with exactly the bikes that the team wants. Team manager Bjarne Riis has frequently credited the team's partnership with Cervelo as a substantial factor in its success as the bikes have carried team riders to victory in events such as Paris-Nice, Criterium International, Tour Mediterranean, Benelux Tour and stages of the Tour de France, Giro d'italia and Vuelta a Espana and many more.

Vroomen and White have used the success of the last couple of years to build the company, though Cervelo is still by no means an international mega-corporation. Phil White told Cyclingnews earlier this year that his company is still the smallest bike maker in the ProTour, and Cervelo is still an engineering-heavy firm, with a third of its 25 staff in the engineering department.

With Cervelo also snagging our 'best product' award, it's clear that Cyclingnews readers believe this small Canadian tech powerhouse is a source of good stuff.

Results

                                             Votes    %ge
 
1 Cervelo - CSC                                1422  20.1
2 Colnago - Domina Vacanze; Rabobank            761  10.8
3 Trek - Discovery Channel                      733  10.4
4 BMC - Phonak                                  523   7.4
5 Time - Bouygues Telecom, Quickstep            443   6.3
6 ScottUSA - Saunier Duval                      419   5.9
7 Pinarello - Fassa Bortolo                     416   5.9
8 Specialized - Gerolsteiner                    369   5.2
9 Cannondale - Lampre                           324   4.6
10 Bianchi - Liquigas                           289   4.1
11 Ridley - Davitamon-Lotto                     278   3.9
12 Orbea - Euskaltel-Euskadi, Jelly belly       235   3.3
13 Giant - T-Mobile; Health Net                 216   3.1
14 Look - Crédit Agricole                       213   3.0
15 Wilier Triestina - Cofidis                   182   2.6
16 Opera - Illes Balears                         95   1.3
17 Lapierre - FDJ                                76   1.1
18 Liberty Seguros - BH                          58   0.8
19 Decathlon - AG2R                              15   0.2

Total                                          7067