# Kristina Vogel recently stormed to three world titles.
Helmet manufacturer Casco has made a name for itself in the track cycling world over the past decade. Back then, a small revolution began for the company, which is now based in Saxony. This revolution has led to a large portion of the international track cycling elite relying on Casco's expertise: In 2004, the German sprint elite, including double Olympic champion Jens Fiedler, debuted the Warp helmet at the anniversary Games in Athens . The result is well known. With Fiedler setting the pace, René Wolff paved the way for Stefan Niemke's gold medal lap in the team sprint.
# The Olympic gold ride of the sprint trio around Jens Fiedler.
Even back then, the guiding principle in the production of the distinctive helmet was " aerodynamics in action ," meaning that considering sport-specific movements played a key role. And it still does today. "We are convinced that the focus will continue to be on the aerodynamics of helmets in the future. Besides body position and bicycle, the helmet is a crucial factor in increasing the athlete's aerodynamic efficiency ," says Alexander Aeschbach, who has been working for the company for some time. The Swiss cyclist was one of Switzerland's leading track cyclists until his retirement last year, but he was also successful on the road.
#Alexander Aeschbach was one of the most successful Swiss professionals in recent years.
“Up to more than 70 watts can be saved by improving the aerodynamics. The construction of an aerodynamic helmet is not child's play. There is a lot of know-how and basic knowledge behind it, since a helmet has to perform in many more aerodynamic situations than a static object." Regarding the Warp the developers optimized this approach for the first time on Bahnsprint and Keirin. The basic concept behind this approach is very simple: Since a rider, and here in particular the rider's head, is moved much more often in the wind than is the case with a frame, for example, the streamlines have to be interpreted differently. 
The Warp , a so-called ball helmet, is the result of these interpretations. Casco dispensed with the elongated tail found on other aero helmets, thus allowing the rider to remain aerodynamically neutral during head movements in that area. Instead of a tail, the Warp features Casco's patented airflow lines, typical of the brand. And the numerous titles at the Olympic Games, World Championships, and European Championships validate Casco's approach.
# Joachim Eilers became runner-up in the 2014 meter distance at the 1000 World Championships in Cali – with the Speedtime.
Over the past two years, Casco has worked intensively on further developing the concept. The goal was to transfer this expertise to helmets for road use. The result of this development is the Speed series, which consists of two models: the Speedtime and the Speedairo.
“Currently, other helmet manufacturers also seem to be discovering the field of aerodynamics for themselves. However, a general problem here is that some products on the market are aerodynamic only in name and are functionally very unconvincing ,” Aeschbach points out.
“We developed the concept of adaptive aerodynamics in the wind tunnel, but also in field tests. One of the many trailing edges at the rear of the helmet ensures the best possible aerodynamics for any given situation, depending on the current position of the head.” This is intended to offer riders outstanding aerodynamics at all times during use. The visors are also integrated into the concept; they are designed to guarantee a wide field of vision while still remaining consistent with the overall helmet design.
For this reason, the two Speed models are largely identical when compared side-by-side. They differ only in their intended use. While the Speedtime is primarily designed for time trials, the Speedairo 's aerodynamically optimized ventilation system is intended to provide the best possible performance on long rides. It proved quite convincing in our test report last year [ Link ], not least because it also boasts several other exciting features that contribute to comfort. "The goal is to create helmets that make no compromises in terms of aerodynamics in practice or comfort, without sacrificing either ," Aeschbach concluded. It will be interesting to see in which direction Casco further refines its focus.
Graphics and photos: Casco, private (unless otherwise stated)