'You can't talk about it enough' - Johannes Kulset on cycling's aero bike revolution

Aerodynamics has become an ever more pivotal factor in professional cycling in recent years, with riders increasingly choosing aero bikes even on mountainous terrain, as seen through the setups of the likes of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard during the Tour de France. 

Johannes Kulset has highlighted as much, telling Domestique that his Uno-X Mobility team had noted the benefits on making the switch from Taiwanese bike brand DARE to Belgian Ridley bikes this season. Breakaway specialist Jonas Abrahamsen took the team's first-ever Tour de France stage victory in Toulouse, and Uno-X were an aggressive presence in July.

"I think Ridley must be super satisfied with their new aero bike being in the front all the time," Kulset told Domestique. "The bike is amazing and I love it. It's mostly about Abrahamsen being super strong, not the bike, but still the bike is super good."

The Norwegian rider explained how Ridley's equipment has had an impact on their performance this season. "I can't see that there is any better bikes for aero," he said. "It's maybe a bit too heavy, but on the aero point, it has to be at least top three."

Kulset noted that the focus on the question of aerodynamic is particularly strong in his home region, even at Continental level. 

"In Norway and Denmark the aero focus is crazy," he said. "In junior TTs I could finish top 10 or 11th or 12th in the Nations Cup, and then I can finish 15th in the Norwegian Cup because everybody is so dialled in aero."

The evolution of bike technology in recent years has changed the way riders approach climbs, and Kulset noted a difference between his current Ridley model to last year's DARE.

"It's actually better to climb on because it feels much more natural. The bike we had last year was fast, but it felt like you were riding on a TT bike," he said. "This year it's super smooth and nice in every aspect. If you could just make it a bit lighter then it's the ultimate bike."

The increased focus on aerodynamics has also transformed racing tactics, with riders changing their climbing styles to maximise aero efficiency. 

"Before you saw that the riders were more standing out of the saddle like Contador and those guys, and now it's way more seated, and that's also a lot because of the aero," Kulset explained. 

This was particularly noticeable in the 2025 Tour, where Tadej Pogačar mainly attacked from sitting in the saddle compared to his 2024 style. 

Modern racing has become more demanding throughout entire stages rather than just the finale, with teams hammering the peloton from kilometre zero and the fight for the breakaway becoming a bigger dogfight by the year. 

"The big difference is now the races are hard the whole stage, while before it was more you are fresh and then you go into the last climb," he said.

"When you're out of the saddle you take a lot more wind than in the saddle. With aerodynamics, I think you can't talk about it enough, really, because it's so important in cycling."