New Cannondale SuperSix Evo: Fulminant race premiere at the Tour Down Under

Cycling fans don't just look to Australia for the Tour Down Under in January for the first assessment of the current situation. The start of the men's and women's World Tour season traditionally also provides a glimpse of new equipment. This was also the case for EF Education-Oatly with overall winner Noemi Rüegg (Switzerland) and world champion Magdeleine Vallières (Canada): Like their team-mates, the duo were riding a SuperSix Evo, which Cannondale has not yet officially unveiled. The pros from EF Education-Easypost will also compete in the first World Tour race of the season on the new model.

>> The latest Cannondale SuperSix Evo in the TOUR test

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The revised SuperSix Evo looks very similar to its predecessor and should retain its character as a versatile competition bike. The old model already managed the difficult balancing act of speed, lightweight construction and comfort in the TOUR test. With an overall score of 1.7, the exclusive Lab71 version, which is also ridden by Rüegg & Co, was one of the best racing models in the world. Our 6.8-kilogram test bike needed 210 watts in the wind tunnel to overcome its own air resistance.

Aero tuning at the front

Although the SuperSix Evo was in the tightly bunched top group of the fastest professional bikes, it was a few watts slower than the absolute fastest bikes. The updates to the new model should now be aimed precisely at minimising the gap that can sometimes be decisive in races. Changes can be seen on the head tube in particular. Overall, the head tube on the new Cannondale is longer. In addition, the race pictures from Australia show that the engineers have also reduced the frontal area of the head tube.

Even more spring comfort?

The rear triangle has also been updated. The seat stays are "kinked" at the height of the dropouts and the seat tube looks even more filigree than on the SuperSix Evo presented in 2023. The design is already familiar from the Marathon bike Synapse and Gravelbike SuperX known. The new racing machine from Cannondale could therefore be even more comfortably tuned than the previous bike, which already absorbed bumps in the road surface excellently.

Another important change can be seen on the cockpit: while the pros were still riding Vision models last year, they are now apparently travelling with a proprietary Cannondale development. The control centre is characterised above all by a slightly curved top link, which indicates a long reach and therefore a stretched riding position. The US brand also relies on UDH dropouts for the new SuperSix Evo, which makes it easy to configure the bike with a 1x13 setup from SRAM. Both EF teams have been using the American brand's drivetrains since this season, after Shimano was the supplier last year.

It is not known when the new SuperSix Evo will be launched on the market. However, thanks to the successful race premiere in Australia, amateur athletes probably won't have to wait much longer. Cannondale lists the current model in various quality levels at prices between 3999 and 15499 euros.