seasoned.
Image > Russ Lamoureux
MAVIC ZAP
In 2009, one of the most important products ever created took cycling
by storm. It signaled the beginning of a new era, unlocking the door for
electronic integration of frame and components, integration that raced
and won on the biggest stages in the world, and under some of the biggest
names in the peloton. Shimano’s Di2 launched the electronic revolution.
Except it didn’t.
Text > Ben Edwards
Images > Russ Lamoureux & Mavic
Shimano was beaten to the punch, and
badly. Shimano was simply following
a path blazed by another, many years
ago. Launched 16 years before Di2,
Mavic’s Zap was raced across Europe,
from cobbled classics to Grand Tours—
and had some huge success.
and scientific approach to racing
and training. Today he is responsible
for the technical supremacy of the
British track program, as well as the
man behind Boardman Bikes. This
technical passion and know-how
made him the perfect rider to put Zap
through its paces in the pro ranks.
It was a rider nicknamed “the
Professor” that secured Zap’s biggest
results: Tour de France yellow jerseys
after victories in the prologue in both
’ 94 and ’ 97. The rider was Chris
Boardman, renowned for his analytical
“The Zap system was both very
crude and elegantly simple. There
was a small toggle switch glued to the
back of a standard break lever and
a remote button that could be put
