Sometimes, I feel like every tech "spotted" or explainer article I write is about something Visma-Lease a Bike has used. But rather than some fascination for the team, the frequency with which I write about them is due almost entirely to their forward-thinking approach to optimising performance.
Two of the team’s star names, Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert, raced their first time trials of the 2025 season over the weekend with what, for many, is a radically different-looking time trial saddle. And so, here we go again.
The team debuted what appears to be an updated version of the Prologo Predator used by Tadej Pogačar last season. In a funny twist of the winter sponsor merry-go-round, Visma previously used Fizik saddles but switched to Prologo for 2025, effectively swapping saddle sponsors with their nemesis over at UAE Team Emirates-XRG, who are now using Fizik.
Following? Cool: now it gets confusing. Because in 2024, Visma only used Fizik saddles for road racing, turning to American brand Dash Cycle's saddles for time trials.
This isn’t just some sponsorship quirk or explained by some omission from Fizik’s range, nor is the switch to Prologo’s funky TT saddle for 2025 a case of “it worked for Pogačar, we should try it too.” Visma used the Dash last year and this new Prologo saddle this year for aero gains.
Yes, an aero saddle! But while there are some aero tweaks to these saddles, it’s the saddle’s role in facilitating the rider’s aero position and their ability to maintain said aero position where the potentially huge aero gains are found.
Both saddles – with their split-nose, deep central channel, direct-mount setup and an aerodynamic tail – are a significant departure from traditional TT saddles, and the Prologo's design leans heavily on concepts pioneered originally by Dash and more recently by Wove.
Here I’ll break down what exactly such a saddle offers and why I increasingly favour such wild-looking TT saddles for both my road and gravel bikes.
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