To be fair, it was probably my doing. I was attracted by the drop in price, the quality of the components and the comfort, speed and responsiveness of the ride when I test rode it. I compared the geometry of the Giant Defy too and they are pretty similar. The LBS did tell me it was usually used for sprinting and faster rides leading the pack (neither of which I'm likely to be doing although I will be racing 10-20k for fun).