We’ve all seen the ‘Speed Sniffer’ head tube on the Specialized Tarmac SL8, a pointier take on the classic head tube for purported aero gains… well, now we’ve got a literal one, as Dylan Groenewegen of Jayco–AlUla has been spotted wearing a radical new pair of Scicon aero sunglasses with a pointy ‘beak’ covering most of his nose for extra aero gains in today’s Tour de France sprint stage. How many watts would you need to save to switch to an aero beak?

2024 Dylan Groenewegen aero glasses @sprintcycling
2024 Dylan Groenewegen aero glasses @sprintcycling (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)
Pic: @sprintcycling

Riders often do radical things in the search of aero gains, and this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Groenewegn test some new tech. Last season, Groenewegen won at the Saudi Tour whilst using an aero cover over his Giant Pursuit helmet. The downside of this lid, as far as we can tell, is that it doesn’t look very breathable. 

2023 Groenewegen aero helmet cover (Greenedge cycling facebook)
2023 Groenewegen aero helmet cover (Greenedge cycling facebook) (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

> Has aero gone too far in cycling?

However, Groenewegen’s latest solution won’t impede the breeze through his hair but does have other downsides, as pointed out on social media among other less favourable comments: “This is getting ridiculous”, “It’s a bird” and “Batmaaaaaan” being some of the highlights so far. 

This isn’t the first time that brands have turned to glasses in search of aerodynamic benefits. For example, POC released their aero £230 Propel sunglasses last year, and we didn’t dislike them at all! 

We have only seen Groenewegen wearing these so far, and since he is the team’s sprinter, we assume this is for aerodynamic reasons; although, some have pointed out that it could also provide some extra sun protection around the hooter area. 

The ‘beak’ appears to be an add-on to Scicon’s Aeroscope sunglasses, but without a closer inspection, we are unsure whether this nose piece will fit on to other Scicon glasses. 

At least the team see the funny side to it!

2024 Greenedge cycling insta story Groenewegen glasses
2024 Greenedge cycling insta story Groenewegen glasses (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

What are your thoughts on these new sunglasses? How many stages will Groenewegen have to win for this not to look silly? Let us know in the comments section below…