Next year's Etape du Tour isn't as hard as 2004's leg-wobbler but keen amateur riders of the mini-me Tour de France stage could still be very interested in Shimano's triple front chainring, slated for release in May.

Shimano to introduce Etape-friendly Dura Ace triple

"We all want to ride like a pro," opines Harald Troost, Shimano Europe’s press officer, "but let’s face it: not everybody has the legs for it."

Hence the release of the Dura-Ace Triple front chainring.

Troost says this allows "riding with professional level components, with the advantage of a much wider gear range."

The Dura-Ace 10-speed triple is compatible with the recently introduced Ultegra 10-speed triple. It has a standard chainring combination of 52-39-30T and the following crank arm lengths will be available: 165/165,5/170/172,5/175/177,5 and 180mm.

"Since the introduction of our new Dura-Ace group last year, we have been receiving strong requests for a triple version," said Troost.

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