First Look: Normann's Kona Ride

When 2004 Ironman World Champion Normann Stadler pulled into the parking lot at Starbuck's in Cardiff, CA, I couldn't help but notice the incredible bike inside his SUV.  After a little sweet-talking by Jessi, we convinced him to give us a glimpse of the latest work of art from Kuota.  Let's take a look...

In 2004, Normann Stadler shocked the triathlon world with his decisive victory in Kona.  He did it by riding away from a stellar pro field on an exotic carbon & Kevlar monocoque rig produced by Kuota Bicycles, a brand that was making its Hawaii debut. 

There were only 2 Kuotas in the 2004 field.  However, just one year later, 66 Kuota bikes were counted on the Queen K Highway (according to Dan Empfield's bike survey).   What did the Italian masters of high modulus carbon have planned for 2006?

Having ignored the roof racks,  Normann gently lifted his baby out of the plush back seat of his SUV.  The first thing I noticed was its eye-catching graphics.

Thanks to a Montreal painter who normally embellishes the face masks of NHL goalies, Normann will launch himself out of T1 on a gaudy yellow and blue Kuota Kalibur.  He promised that a matching helmet and outfit will complete his ensemble, so he'll definitely be hard to miss.

Although we couldn't weigh it in the Starbuck's parking lot, this Kalibur felt extremely lightweight for a time trial machine.

It was certainly all gussied up for the big luau:  Profile cockpit and saddle, Zero Gravity brakes, a Stronglight Pulsion carbon crank and a dimpled Zipp 606/999 wheelset completed the high performance package. 

But back to the bling...

I can't imagine how long it took to paint this bad boy, but I guarantee you that Normann (and the artist) will cringe when someone tries to zip-tie a race number to the frame. 

Go ahead... Look more closely.  There are silhouettes of palm trees around the bottom bracket and rear stays, and a rendition of Maori tattoos entwine the main triangle. 

The finishing touch was the display of his nickname -- the Norminator -- across the top tube:

Is he really going to sweat, drool and smear Power Gel on this thing?!

Normann Stadler's 2006 Kuota Kalibur is one fast-looking beauty.   I hear that the engine on it is pretty good, too.

Comments

[Flatman]

That's one sweet steed.

[Iron Pol]

Definitely a cool paint job. His paint probably cost more than my entire bike. We can only hope he fares better with tubes, this year.

[peter]

Nice ride, buy we all know the motor makes the difference, not the paint job.

[LE MOING ERIC]

hello
i like a bike and if norman don't biking with kuota kalibur
he give me his bike
thank you norman
good luck for the race
bye bye
and i'm sorry to my english
because i'm french
bye