German riders gift pursuit handlebars to underdog Nigerian track team

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Handlebar extensions, which are often referred to as "clip-on aero bars," "triathlon aero bars," or "tri-bars," are handlebar extensions that mount close to the centre of the handlebar and cantilever out over the front wheel. Aero bars, as the name suggests, allow you to get into a more aerodynamic position by lowering your upper body and aligning your arms with your torso. Aero bars have both hand grips and armrests, reducing the amount of stress on your wrists and hands in comparison to other handlebar positions. The best clip-on aero bars have a wide variety of adjustments to the height and separation of the bars and armrests, allowing you to find the right balance of aerodynamic positioning and comfort.

The German women's team's chasers noticed that the relatively new team from Nigeria was competing in a mass start bars system and after the race they were fitted with aero bars for all of their bikes. One of the contestants, Yekin Oytayo Tawakalt, expressed her gratitude on Instagram after Franziska Bruce and Mike Krueger presented them with their new gear. “Thank you so much @franzibrausse and @mieke.kroeger, this means a lot to us, words alone cannot express our gratitude to you, it is a gradual process and we thank you for trusting us and encouraging us in this process. We encourage you both and you inspire us a lot.” Nigeria's four-man women's team made its debut at the 2021 World Championships after qualifying in Cali, Colombia for the UCI Track Nations Cup round.

Grace Ayuba, Oyitayo, Mary Samuel and Issie Okpisaray represent their country at the World Championships in France, with riders taking part in both endurance and sprint events – team pursuit, team sprint, elimination race and 500m time trial. As a junior team, the women in green and white are still making progress in technique and fitness, but one stark difference between them and their competition is the lack of aerodynamic equipment. Prowse and Kruger spoke, revealing that they privately conspired to get a gift for the Nigerian team. At last year's World Cup in Roubaix, we saw them make a mass start for the first time, and again in Glasgow in the Nations Cup. “Then we thought we had to do something about it!” “Exactly,” Krieger added.

“Then we were on our way and thought, 'They'll need to get a time trial wheel, come on, we'll arrange that.' The handlebars for time trials are through the regional federation NRW, but they're no longer compatible with the UCI. Braus said the idea had been brewing for a while, but a few weeks before the World Cup, he scoured the Internet for suggestions on cobblestones that could be adapted to fit the Nigerians' bikes. "I found some very reasonable ones and bought them, but at a discount because I told the supplier what we were planning. So we ordered them and brought them here," he said. Kreger said the plan was to give out bars when practice began before the race, but they couldn't find any, so they were introduced after Wednesday's pursuit race. "It was very nice how grateful and nice they were." He also offered to help advise riders when the track will open this weekend. “Yes, I might still be here on Sunday. And if there's still track time and they're interested, I'll go out to the track with them again and give them advice. Because, especially starting from standing, some still begin to sit down, etc. Here are some tips that you may be able to give. But, in general, we think they are very, very brave!'