Some considered spec choices make this one of the most interesting pro bikes of the season.
Alex Hunt
Marianne Vos entered this year’s Gravel World Championships as the defending champion, having outsprinted Lotte Kopecky for the rainbow jersey last season. A perennial threat on any terrain, Vos was again among the favourites in Maastricht, a course demanding both speed and precision.
Before the start, we had the chance to inspect Vos’ Cervélo Áspero 5, a bike that initially echoes the Caledonia she rode to victory last year, but with a setup fine-tuned for the high-speed, mixed-surface nature of this year’s route. Now with the Aspero 5 getting an aero update for 2025, it was the logical choice for a fast European course.
Updated with 45 mm tyre clearance and a claimed 37-watt aero saving over its predecessor, it is purpose-built for this kind of terrain: smoother gravel racing where aerodynamics matter more than technical capabilities. Vos’ setup reflected that focus.
The women’s race covered 131 km with around 1,100 metres of elevation gain and relatively tame gravel sectors, fast-rolling hardpack interspersed with stretches of tarmac and a few short, loose descents. It was a far cry from the rockier, more rugged courses typical of US gravel, but still enough to demand careful equipment choices.
Her bike featured a mixed road/gravel tyre setup optimised for efficiency on fast sectors. At the rear, Vos ran a 42 mm Vittoria Corsa Pro Control, technically a wide road tyre, chosen for its lower rolling resistance, and with a dry weather forecast, rear wheel traction was less of a consideration. Up front, she opted for an aggressively treaded Terreno T70 gravel tyre for better steering confidence through looser corners. The combination suggests a clear priority on maintaining speed, while trusting her handling skills to manage the rougher sections.
One standout feature of the Visma-Lease a Bike setup is the Gravaa wheel system, which allows on-the-fly tyre pressure adjustment. Using the rotational energy of the hub to drive a compact compressor, it lets riders raise or lower tyre pressure via two small buttons integrated into the tops of the handlebars, a clever way to balance traction and efficiency without stopping. Vos used the same system to great effect in her 2024 win, and its inclusion again points to the team’s focus on adaptable race-day performance.
Vos’ Áspero 5 runs a SRAM Red XPLR groupset, providing a 1x drivetrain with a 10–46T cassette. The 1x setup eliminates the front derailleur for better chain security and fewer mechanical risks on rough sections, while the 46T chainring offers a balance between top-end speed on tarmac and enough range for the short, steep climbs scattered through the course. We have seen various Visma riders use the 1x setup throughout the last few seasons, so it was no surprise to see it in action in Limburg.
It’s a bike that speaks to the position of UCI gravel racing, closer to road than mountain bike, and with the emphasis firmly on speed, precision, and efficiency. On a course that demanded exactly that balance, Vos’ Áspero 5 looked perfectly dialled for the job.
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