Unreleased Kask helmet with ear covers spotted on Filippo Ganna

Two-time world time trial champion Filippo Ganna has taken to Instagram wearing an unreleased Kask helmet, which appears to close the gap between road and time trial helmets.

As the 2024 season begins, the obligatory shots of riders in their new racing livery duly surfaced this week. For Ineos Grenadiers, the changes are minimal, with a tinker in the red/orange of their kit and bike colourway, but aside from that nothing that we haven’t already seen. That was until Ganna released his shots of the new kit, where he can be spotted wearing something we haven’t seen before on his head.

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Although we cannot say with 100% certainty, we are pretty sure that the helmet that Ganna is wearing in the shots is a revised version of the Utopia aero helmet. The new design sees the profile fall more closely in line with that of a time-trial helmet.

Most striking is the inclusion of a dropped profile that covers the tops of riders' ears. This is most certainly in a bid to smooth the airflow around this area. However, it is a design choice that has opinions split, at least aesthetically.

Interestingly, the UCI rules and regulations around equipment specifically regarding helmets do permit the use of full-on time-trial helmets in road races. There are several reasons that riders do not do this, chief among them being cooling and comfort. This new helmet from Kask looks to incorporate elements from both the Utopia aero helmet with its cooling channels and the Mistral time-trial helmet.

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When compared with the current Utopia helmet, the ear covers aren't the only new feature. The vents have also seen a relocation and a reduction in number. The two central vents have moved closer together and the upper vent looks to have been increased in size. The side vents are now only present at the very front of the helmet, with the second side vents being removed in this new version.

It can be assumed that the placement of the vents has been moved to optimise the cooling on offer to a rider for the lowest increase in aerodynamic drag.

As we find out more information on this new unreleased helmet we will keep you updated. For all other tech-related cycling news head over to our dedicated tech news section.