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The bikes of the tour de france: a brief history of the race-winning machines, chris froome won the 2015 tour de france on a super-light carbon fibre pinarello dogma f8. but how did we get to that point.

The bikes of the Tour de France have come a long way since Maurice Garin won the first edition back in 1903.

Chris Froome triumphed in  the 2015 race aboard a Pinarello Dogma F8 – itself an upgrade on Team Sky’s previous Grand Tour winning Pinarello, the Dogma 65.1 Think 2 ridden to victory by both Froome and Bradley Wiggins.

And there are plenty more machines on show in 2016 , with manufacturers using cycling’s biggest race to showcase their latest and greatest bikes.

But how did we arrive at this point? We’ve taken a closer look at the evolution of the Tour de France winners’ bikes.

Maurice Garin won the first ever Tour de France, in 1903, riding a steel La Francaise bike which weighed in the region of 18kg. Black, with a tricolore headtube, it had new-fangled toe clips but the wheel rims were made of wood.

The bike – as all were at the time – was a fixed-gear single-speed machine. Multiple-geared freewheels arrived a few years later allowed for gear changes, but required the rider to get off the bike and reposition the chain and wheel in order to do so.

La Francaise had cornered the market at the turn of the century, with the top five riders at the inaugural Tour de France all riding one of their machines. Garin had also won the Paris-Brest-Paris in 1901 on a La Francaise Diamant.

More-recognisable drop handlebars were introduced as the First World War approached, while it was not uncommon for riders to attach saddlebags and pumps to their bikes given at the time it was against Tour rules to receive external mechanical help – a far cry from today.

Enter the derailleur

It took until 1937 – a decade after the technology first came available – for Tour de France organisers to finally allow rod-actuated derailleur gears to be used. Frenchman Roger Lapebie, who won that year’s edition, used an Osgear Super Champion rear derailleur with a single chainwheel on his Mercier bike. Lapebie’s win was the first at the Tour de France for Mercier, while his bike was also equipped with Hutchinson tyres – still a familiar brand today.

Former Swiss pro Oscar Egg – a two-time Tour de France stage winner and former Hour Record holder – was the man behind Super Champion, whose components were also used by Sylvere Maes in his 1939 Tour victory. In between, Gino Bartali won the 1938 edition on a bike equipped with Vittoria Margherita components. Initial designs by both companies required back-pedalling to change gears, but the tech had advanced beyond this by the time it was permitted in the Tour.

Incidentally, aluminium wheel rims had also become the standard in the pro peloton by 1937. Mavic’s 750g ‘Duralumin’ rims had actually been tested – and raced to victory – in 1934 by Antonin Magne. As they were against Tour rules, Magne painted his rims to look wooden in order to avoid detection.

The parallel years

The post-war years saw big changes in frame geometry, with road surfaces gradually improving allowing for a more aggressive setup. That said, the frames themselves remained largely the same – steel-lugged frames, steel cranks and side-pull brakes.

Gearing also improved further with Simplex introducing their Tour de France rear and Competition front derailleurs. Jean Robic used Simplex components in 1947, as did Fausto Coppi in 1949 and Ferdi Kubler the following year. Significantly, Campagnolo also entered the stage with the Cambio Corsa rear derailleur deployed by Gino Bartali at the 1948 Tour.

Campagnolo’s innovation shone through at an early stage, with the Gran Sport cable-operated front and rear derailleurs paired with double handlebar end levers used in 1951 and 1952. Cable-operated derailleurs sounded the death knell for manual gear changes, with Jacques Anquetil’s 1957 win, with Simplex components, the last instance of a rider winning the Tour using ‘clangers’.

Steel rules the roost

Steel remained the frame material of choice throughout the next few decades with Jacques Anquetil riding a Helyett frame during his four consecutive victories in the early 1960s. Eddy Merckx’s 1969-winning bike, meanwhile – the first of his five wins – was based around Reynolds steel tubes and came with Campag’s Nuovo Record derailleurs.

Gearing had developed even further too, with the ‘slanting parallelogram’ design we know today first patented by Suntour in 1964. Weight had also started to come down, though Joop Zoetemelk’s 1980-winning Raleigh Team Professional weighed in excess of 10kg.

Experiments with carbon tubes bonded to aluminium lugs also enjoyed some success in the late 1980s – most notably when Greg Lemond won the 1989 Tour on a TVT carbon bike. Interestingly, Lemond’s victory was also the only one using Mavic components in an era dominated by Campagnolo.

Clipless pedals were becoming the norm by the late 1980s, meanwhile, with LOOK having invented the system in 1984. Stephen Roche was the last rider to win the Tour de France while wearing toe clips in 1987. Roche’s bike was a Battaglin, crafted from Columbus tubing.

Aluminium experiments

Steel’s days were numbered – at least as far as the Tour de France was concerned  – when manufacturers started to experiment with other frame materials. Miguel Indurain was the last man to win the Tour de France on a steel bike – an Oria-tubed, TIG-welded Pinarello (rumoured to actually have been made by Dario Pegoretti) weighing in at around 9kg for his size 59cm frame in 1994.

Indurain won his fifth and final Tour on an aluminium Pinarello Keral Lite the following year, with Bjarne Riis riding the same model in 1996. Riis’ 1996 bike – which used round tube profiles – was equipped with Campagnolo’s Record groupset, a 3T aluminium handlebar and Selle Italia Flite saddle.

Aluminium’s reign was short-lived however – Marco Pantani was the last man to win aboard an aluminium bike in 1998. Il Pirata ’s Bianchi used the compact geometry (rather than a horizontal toptube) which has become common in the modern peloton, though unusual at the time, and the weight was said to be down to just shy of 7kg. The bike was painted in an eye-catching celeste and yellow, and was equipped with Campagnolo’s Record drivetrain and Electron tubular wheels.

Carbon becomes king

There are some (unverified) suggestions Pantani’s bike was not even made from aluminium, but boron instead. But what is for certain is carbon became king the following year and has been almost ever since. Lance Armstrong’s Trek 5500 was the first full-carbon frame to be piloted to Tour de France victory – albeit a ‘win’ now scratched from the records.

Shimano supplied the groupset for the first time and, by 2000, the quill stem had also been replaced by a tapered steerer as the modern bike took shape. In 2003, Shimano Dura-Ace went to ten-speed and the Japanese firm’s latest  gruppo was used for the first time on a machine said to be the lightest ever used in the Tour – Armstrong kept weight down further by using a downtube shifter on mountain stages.

Magnesium’s one-hit wonder

Pinarello have been the most successful bike brand when it comes to Tour de France victories in the last three decades, with 12 race-winning bikes bearing the Italian firm’s badge. From Indurain’s steel machine, through to the aluminium used by the Spaniard and then Bjarne Riis and Jan Ullrich, and on to the carbon bikes of Wiggins and Froome, the Italians have proved their versatility across the board, too.

And Oscar Pereiro’s retrospective 2006 win came on the firm’s magnesium Dogma. Adopting the curvy seatstay profile later used on the carbon Pinarello Dogma 65.1 Think 2 – Team Sky’s race-winning bike in 2012 and 2013 – the frame was crafted from an AK61 magnesium alloy, but with a Pinarello Onda carbon fibre fork and rear triangle. Campagnolo Record 10 groupset and Bora Ultra wheels completed the setup. It was the first – and only – Tour-winning magnesium bike as Pinarello ditched it in favour of carbon fibre soon afterwards.

Super-light, super-aero

The UCI introduced the 6.8kg minimum weight limit for racing machines in 2000 and all bikes since then have not been allowed to dip below that mark.

With bike manufacturers comfortably able to hit the weight limit – and the lightest frames around just 700g – an advantage has instead been sought elsewhere.

While there’s certainly no shortage of super-light frames in the peloton, the focus has fallen on aerodynamics – take Froome’s latest winning bike, the Pinarello Dogma F8 , or the  Canyon Ultimate CF SLX on which Nairo Quintana finished runner-up on in 2015 – both look to combine their incredibly low weight with a subtle aero advantage. Canyon are also among the many brands to offer a fully-fledged aero bike, with the Aeroad ridden by Katusha sprinter Alexander Kristoff.

While not as important to pro riders as weight or aerodynamics, comfort has also become a consideration, particularly in the cobbled Classics (and Tour de France stages which are run over the cobbles) – aiming to deliver the rider to the finish in as fresh a condition as possible. Look at the latest iteration of the Trek Madone – a machine which originated as Armstrong’s lightweight all-rounder, but which has morphed into a super-aero machine which still weighs a claimed 950g for the frame, keeping it suitably light, and includes a version of Trek’s comfort-boosting IsoSpeed decoupler.

What’s next for the Tour de France bike? The UCI is rumoured to be considering scrapping the 6.8kg weight limit, while disc brakes are of course taking their first – tentative – pedal strokes in the peloton. How long until a disc-equipped bike wins the Tour de France? We wouldn’t want to place a bet on that.

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As yet another hugely entertaining Tour de France is set to start, we have been considering the influence carbon fibre has had on the world’s largest annual sporting event and on the world of cycling as a whole.

When you think of the humble bicycle, the word ‘innovation’ doesn’t quickly spring to mind. But as with any sport, competition to be the best leads to innovation everywhere possible and in recent years the humble bicycle has seen some incredible changes, thanks to the help of carbon fibre technologists.

1960 saw the development of the Bowden Spacelander, the first all fibreglass bicycle frame. It was certainly an eye-catching design, but it was expensive to manufature and only 544 Spacelanders were ever sold.  The first all carbon fibre commercially available production scale bicycle, the iconic Kestrel 4000, was produced some time later in 1986. Prior to this, carbon fibre had been used in bike manufacture but only through utilising CFRP tubes glued to aluminium lugs.

1989 saw the start of the carbon fibre revolution in the Tour de France, with Gregg LeMond’s Look TVT. At this stage, carbon fibre was still produced in standard diameter tubes bonded to aluminium lugs. The build design was practically identical to the earlier aluminium bikes but despite this lack of imagination, the Look TVT was around 1kg lighter than its aluminium competitors! Little wonder, that LeMond won the 1989 and 1990 tours. Perhaps is LeMond raced on an aluminium bike, like Laurent Fignon, the famous 8 second tour victory would have swung the way of the Frenchman.

Metal bikes continued to feature in the tour for a further decade but with dwindling success. Miguel Indurain was the last person to win the Tour on a steel bike in 1994; his Pinarello bike weighing 9kg. For a short period aluminium ruled the roost, but that wasn’t to last long either. In 1998 Marco Pantani’s Mercatone UNO Bianchi Mega Pro Xl was the last aluminium bike, and with that the last non carbon fibre bike, to win the tour, weighing 8.1kg.

In 1989 Trek also jumped on the carbon fibre bandwagon with the Trek 5000, but the bike suffered many quality problems due to poor lamination methods and production was discontinued after only one year of production. In 1990, after attending an aerospace industry trade show, Trek started working with a company called Radius Engineering. By September 1991, the Trek 5500 OCLV (Optimum Compaction Low Void) bicycle was launched and the bike was so successful it nearly put innovators Kestrel out of business!  It was the Trek 5500 OCLV, rode by Lance Armstrong, that really made the Tour de France breakthrough for carbon fibre in 1999. Prior to this, carbon fibre’s use was low key, but Armstrong’s success suddenly made the carbon fibre bicycle the must have for any serious cycling enthusiast.

For those with a British interest, it was 1992 that saw Chris Boardman become the first Briton to win a cycling gold at an Olympics for 72 years. With Britain’s recent track and road success, it is now hard to imagine such a barren run, but his carbon fibre bike designed by Lotus revolutionised the cycling world. This bike challenged the ethos of how bikes should be designed and also introduced aerodynamics into the design thought process.

The move to carbon fibre meant a change of production methods. Carbon epoxy prepreg was now the manufacturing route of choice, and with racers unable to gain further weight advantages, aerodynamically efficient shapes, that weren’t possible with metal became the main consideration of the manufactures.

It is now commonplace to see bike and rider in a wind tunnel in a bid to gain advantage over their rivals. Spokes have been ditched for time trials, however they remain for most riding conditions because disc wheels are still a liability in cross winds. The flexibility in design that carbon fibre gave opened up real opportunities for innovation, such as internal cable routing. However again, in 2000, the UCI stepped in to limit the full flexibility of design available to the manufacturers. Tougher regulations have since been introduced restricting riders to specific saddle tilts, bar position and even saddle seatback, but still bike design innovation presses on.

Beyond the obvious weight savings of years gone by, the appeal of carbon fibre in bicycles is now its superior stiffness. Carbon fibre has a specific stiffness 3-4 times higher than any other material used in building bike frames, meaning more of the rider’s power is transferred to the wheels of the bike. This along with the additional benefit of having 10-15 times more shock damping, the racer of today experiences a much more comfortable and efficient ride.

However, carbon fibre’s story in cycling isn’t completely without its challenges. Carbon fibre doesn’t dissipate heat well, which has meant that braking performance has degenerated significantly. This isn’t as big a problem as you might expect, but it does offer the manufactures a frontier for new technologies and improvements.

It is thought that future developments will see the introduction of graphene. This ‘miracle material’ dissipates heat better than metals and the use of graphene in bicycle wheels could see a marked improvement in braking performance. An additional benefit to graphene is it is a very good electrical conductor and as we are now seeing a move the re-introduction of electrical gear shifting technologies, the introduction of graphene into the bike frame may see the end of bike cabling altogether. In 2016 Dassi introduced a bicycle, the Interceptor, to the market that contains graphene, while Italian company Vittoria has invested €45 million in introducing graphene into tyres and wheels to reduce rolling resistance, enhance durability and increase grip. Vittoria also claim that the tyres will be 15% lighter and have 18% better impact strength than their rivals.

Other technologies have also been adopted with impressive innovative results. In 2013 the National Composites Centre in Bristol were charged with producing Carbon fibre PEEK chain rings for the Australian Olympic pursuit team. Using automated fibre placement, they managed to produce chain rings that improved performance by 7%, making the Australians genuine medal contenders. Fortunately for the UK they came away with the Silver medals, but world records were broken along the way to the final!

So what is the real terms effect of all these changes brought on by the use of carbon fibre? The bike frames are 32% lighter, 25% stiffer and 20% more aerodynamic than their metal predecessors. According to Chris Boardman on ITV4’s coverage of the Tour De France, these improvements would make a rider on average 0.5km/h faster for the same energy output. Although that doesn’t sound too much of an advantage, over the course of a tour, it would make a rider over an hour faster.

Carbon Fibre and related technologies have certainly had an impressive impact on the world’s largest annual sporting event and there will certainly be much more innovation in future Tours, but one thing is for sure, since 1999 carbon fibre has been the real yellow jersey winner.

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How has carbon fiber changed the history of the Tour de France and cycling?

In a retrospective look, we revisit crucial moments that shaped the influence of carbon fiber on the largest annual sporting event, the Tour de France, and the cycling landscape.

In 1960, the Bowden Spacelander, a precursor to the fiberglass frame, emerges, but the true revolution occurs in 1986 with the Kestrel 4000, the first mass-produced all-carbon bike. The Tour de France sees, in 1989, the debut of Gregg LeMond’s Look TVT, marking the beginning of the carbon era. Metal persists, but in 1994, Indurain wins for the last time with a steel bike.

Trek, in 1989, joins the revolution, facing initial challenges, but in 1991, the Trek 5500 OCLV, ridden by Lance Armstrong in 1999, makes carbon fiber shine in the Tour. In 1992, Chris Boardman, with a carbon bike from Lotus, becomes the first Briton to win Olympic gold in cycling in 72 years, revolutionizing design and introducing aerodynamics.

The shift to carbon redefines production methods. In 2000, the UCI limits design flexibility, but innovation persists. The appeal of carbon today goes beyond weight savings; its specific stiffness 3-4 times greater and aerodynamic efficiency transform the experience for contemporary cyclists.

What is the Real Effect of Carbon Fiber?

So, what is the real effect of all these changes brought about by the use of carbon fiber? Bike frames are 32% lighter, 25% stiffer, and 20% more aerodynamic than their metal predecessors. According to Chris Boardman in ITV4’s Tour de France coverage, these improvements would make a cyclist, on average, 0.5 km/h faster for the same power output. While this might not seem like a significant advantage, over a tour, it could make a cyclist over an hour faster.

Carbon fiber and related technologies have certainly had a striking impact on the world’s largest annual sporting event, and there will undoubtedly be much more innovation in future Tours, but one thing is certain: since 1999, carbon fiber has been the true winner of the yellow jersey.

Challenges arise, such as insufficient heat dissipation affecting brake performance. Future innovations may include graphene, promising improved heat dissipation. Since 1999, carbon fiber has been the real winner of the yellow jersey, shaping the history of the Tour de France and cycling.

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Tour de France bikes history – Part Two

• Bikes , Cycling , Road cycling
• 01.07.2022 07.07.2022

In part one , we looked at the bikes that initially participated in the Tour and how brakes, freewheel and gear shifting gradually appeared in their design. In our second article, we are going to take a leap in time right to the 1990s and the early 2000s, when the greatest changes in materials and bike designs took place. Hold on, the curves are about to come, just like in Alpe D’Huez. 

The farewell to steel, the transitory aluminum and the advent of carbon

Miguel Indurain’s fourth Tour riding Pinarello in 1994 was the last one to be won on a steel bike. At the end of the 1980s, with the victories of Greg LeMond and Pedro Delgado, we saw the appearance of the two materials that would mark the years to come: aluminum and carbon. However, it was not until Indurain’s fifth and last Tour in 1995 that steel began to disappear. His Pinarello model that year was made of aluminum, and so were all the winning bikes until Lance Armstrong’s first Tour. Among them, Marco Pantani’s beautiful Bianchi Mega Pro XL Reparto Corse that ended the dominance of Pinarello during those years. 

In 1999 the American won the first of his seven Tours. Although we already know how it all ended, the American’s Trek 5200 marked two milestones: it was the first 100% carbon bike to win the Tour and it meant the first victory for Shimano, the Japanese manufacturer of bike components. Since then, Shimano have only failed to win on 6 occasions (4 times against Campagnolo and 2 against Sram) and today it is the brand used by the vast majority of World Tour teams. Besides, the construction of Trek itself was a novelty as it was the first bike not manufactured using traditional methods (tubes joined by welding or lugs), but instead came out of a mold like the vast majority of current carbon bikes. 

The yellow jersey gives you wings, but aerodynamics makes you fly

For today’s generations, Pogačar’s comeback over Roglič in the individual time trial on the second to last day of the 2020 Tour was a huge surprise; but what American Greg LeMond did in the ITT on the last day of the ’89 Tour on the Champs Elysees, with more than half the world watching and with all of France waiting to see Frenchman Laurent Fignon celebrate the victory, was not only a history-making moment for winning the Tour with the smallest margin, but also the first proof of the importance of aerodynamics. 

Although plenty has been written and debated about the final outcome of that Tour, the fact is that Fignon was 50 seconds ahead of LeMond before the 24.5 km time trial and at the end of the day he was 8 seconds behind the American, seeing him raise his arms in the yellow jersey on the Champs Elysees. LeMond beat him by 58 seconds, 2.3 seconds per km, riding at 2 km/h more on average than Fignon. It’s true: LeMond was better at time trial, but then why didn’t Fignon use the same (or similar) handlebars as the American, why didn’t he wear a helmet and different cycling glasses instead of riding with his hair pulled back in a ponytail and glasses with high air resistance? He can’t say he was caught by surprise and didn’t have time to look for alternatives and test them out. LeMond had already used the triathlon handlebars and aero helmet in the previous time trial stages of that Tour. Fignon simply didn’t bother, and once he did, two months later in the Grand Prix des Nations , he was unstoppable.

Aerodynamics applied to cycling was there to stay for good together with some very radical and groundbreaking designs on the bikes and time trial equipment of the 1990s. It lasted until 2000, when the UCI set very strict rules for bikes and equipment. It was the end for Pinarello Espada (Indurain’s bike) or Lotus (Chris Boardman’s bike) that you could see in the photos in the first part of the article on Tour de France bikes history .

We have to go back to 2003 and the Cervélo Soloist model from Team CSC to see the first regular road bike featuring an aero concept in the Tour de France. The name of the bike spoke for itself. An aluminum bike with flat rather than round frame tubes, designed to be as aerodynamic as possible and to offer additional “advantages” to the rider when riding solo. What was then considered a very specific design for certain circumstances or stages has now become standard on all Tour teams’ bicycles.

Changing geometry

Finally, something that may seem minor, but it is quite the opposite: bike geometry. The design of the two triangles and the fork means that there are angles and measurements that affect the performance and reactions of the bike as much as the material it is made of or even more. However, the material together with the technology and components available at the time, also determine the final shape and design of the bike. 

If we compare the 1903 bike with the 2021 bike, we will see that Maurice Garin’s bike has an approximately 1.2 m wheelbase, a tighter head tube angle and fork rake further forward. It is designed to absorb road shocks, be stable and easy to ride. The Colnago on the other hand, with around 1 m wheelbase, a 73° head tube angle and minimal fork rake, is designed to be agile and transmit every watt of power coming from Pogačar’s legs.

The first change occurred in the bicycles at the end of the 30s (in the picture above, you can see the Legnano of Bartali, winner of the 1938 Tour). Around this time, the two triangles became smaller and the wheelbase was reduced. Roads, materials, components and bicycle manufacturing technology improved to some extent. The change in angles and sizes became even more noticeable post-war. Below, you can see the Bianchi on which Coppi won the 1949 Tour.

The geometry changes between the Coppi’s Bianchi and Pantani’s Bianchi from 1998 are minimal, but a year later the Giant TCR (Total Compact Road) made its Tour debut with the ONCE team. 

A bike by one of the most important bike designers in history, Mike Burrows, inspired by mountain biking to develop a groundbreaking idea compared to what was on the road bike market at the time. It is much more compact, with the distinctive sloping on the top tube that reduces the size of the main triangle. The rear triangle is also smaller, with very short chainstays and seat stays that attach to the seat tube below the top tube. All this allows for reduced weight, more stiffness, better handling, as well as more balanced frames for shorter people. 

The design from 1997 was so groundbreaking that Giant still has the TCR model in their catalog to this day. It has been aesthetically and technologically updated to keep up with the latest innovations, but many of the bikes we see today at the Tour de France are clearly inspired by the Burrows design. What will be the next big thing? We may already be experiencing one: the introduction of disc brakes; however, the strict UCI regulations don’t leave much room for innovation either. In other words, the world governing body for cycling is acting like Henri Desgrange in those early editions of the Tour de France.

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8 thoughts on “Tour de France bikes history – Part Two”

Great articles on bike evolution! Realy enjoyed reading about all the changes over time

Thanks loads for reading our blog!

You forgot to mention that Oscar Pereiro won the 2006 Tour aboard a Pinarello Dogma made of magnesium, the Dogma FP Ak61. It was the last metal frame to win the Tour.

You’re right, but we wanted to focus on the most important materials of the Tour de France bikes: steel, aluminium and carbon. Even Oscar Pereiro’s Pinarello has a carbon fork and carbon seat stays.

Thanks for reading our blog and commenting.

Excellent article, great research and very informative pieces

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The Tour's Top-3 Tech Innovations

Pure talent isn’t enough to win the Tour de France. This is the history of aero, carbon fiber, and electronic drivetrains, plus a look at future tech like disc brakes and tubeless tires.

Written by Bruce Lin

Pure talent isn’t enough to win the Tour de France . To compete against the world’s best, you need a good team, some good luck, and a very, very good bike . For bike nerds, the Tour is the best place to see the latest and greatest bike tech in action.

The basics of a road race bike haven’t changed — two wheels, a frame, and pedals. The bicycle has evolved a lot in 120 years, but over the last 30, there have been huge leaps forward in bike design and construction. These technological shifts have shaped modern Tour de France bikes into the pedal-powered rocket ships they are today.

As we watch the Tour and ogle the flashy new bikes , let’s look back at the history behind three of the biggest technological shifts in the Tour: aerodynamics , carbon fiber , and electronic drivetrains . We’ll also take a quick peek at three pieces of new tech we’ll see on Tour de France winning bikes in the future.

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The age of aero

Since the late 1800s, cyclists have understood that air resistance is the greatest force to overcome. Drop handlebars were perhaps the original aero component, allowing riders to get in lower positions. The first aerodynamic disc wheel dates all the way back to 1895. And in the early 1900s, riders were trying to set the hour record using bikes equipped with aerodynamic fairings before the UCI outlawed them.

Largely due to the UCI’s restrictive regulations, aero bike design stagnated for decades. But in the early 1970s, bike builders began experimenting with aerodynamic frame tubing and designs that could fit within the regulations.

Aerodynamics finally reached the tipping point in the 1989 Tour de France. American Greg LeMond trailed French rider Laurent Fignon by 50 seconds. Commentators thought this deficit was too large for LeMond to close. So, with nothing to lose, LeMond made the bold decision to put aero bars on his bike and to wear an aero helmet for the final time trial.

LeMond’s critics called these new devices ugly and unsafe, questioning if they would make any difference. But he won the stage and, more importantly, beat Fignon in the general classification by eight seconds — the smallest winning margin in history. With an average speed of 54.545kp/h (34.52mph), it was also the fastest time trial ever ridden in the Tour.

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This was the beginning of the aero revolution. Aero bars and aero helmets are now standard equipment in time trials.

Steel was the de facto frame material for over 100 years, but aero steel tubing never really caught on due to the cost, weight, and fabrication challenges. Manufacturers began experimenting with aluminum and carbon fiber frames that were lighter and easier to form, allowing designers to create competitive frames with deep airfoil-shaped tubes.

In 2001, Canadian brand Cervélo introduced the Soloist, which claimed to be the first, true aero road bike. With its “crushed tube” shaping, the Soloist claimed to have 4-6x less drag than traditional round-shaped tubes found on other bikes at the time. Radical geometry adjustments such as shortening the top tube while keeping a consistent seat tube angle helped the rider achieve an aero-optimized riding position as well. Until then, aero frame designs had mostly been limited to track, time trial, and triathlon bikes. In 2003. Cervélo sponsored Team CSC, and several CSC riders used the Soloist on flat stages of the Tour.

The Soloist may seem tame now, but at the time, many were shocked by the enormous three-inch-wide down tube, and the prominent airfoil tube shapes.

Not only did it have groundbreaking aerodynamics, but the early model was one of the few aluminum frames that achieved success against carbon fiber rivals, with a claimed weight of 16 pounds (more on that later). American Bobby Julich used the aluminum Soloist to win Criterium International and Paris-Nice in 2005.

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Aero designs also received a boost when the UCI introduced the 6.8 kg (14.99 lb) minimum weight limit for racing bikes in 2000, still in place today . Bike manufacturers were already able to build bikes below the weight limit — the lightest frames weighed around 700g — but with the new restriction, riders couldn’t use them in competition. Thus, advantages needed to be found elsewhere. Chasing aerodynamic gains was the obvious answer.

Aero bikes like the Specialized Venge, first released in 2011 , took off in popularity, especially after Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan rode them to several stage victories in the Tour. With its “teardrop-shaped tubes” and a claimed weight of 15 pounds, thanks to FACT 11r carbon, the Venge was the company’s first aero-specific superbike. 

Now manufacturers spend large amounts of time and money on computational fluid dynamics and wind tunnel testing to develop new, more slippery bikes.

“Other than fitness, aerodynamics is the most important single factor that influences your speed on a road bike,” says Mio Suzuki, Senior R&D Engineer leading aerodynamics at Specialized. “As low as 13mph you’ll begin to see speed benefits. Pros riding 20-30mph see an even bigger benefit. There's no question, [aero bikes] definitely make you faster.”

Even GC-winning all-rounders like the Specialized Tarmac and the Pinarello Dogma use extensive wind tunnel testing and aero shaping to gain a subtle advantage. With an increase in aero-optimized performance across all their road bikes, Specialized eventually dropped the Venge in their lineup as the Tarmac SL7 took over the top spot as their aero-race bike in 2022. To stay competitive in the modern Tour de France peloton, all bikes have to use some form of aero shaping.

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Lighter, stronger, faster

The last non-carbon bike to win the Tour de France was Marco Pantani’s aluminum Bianchi Mega Pro XL Reparto Corse in 1998. The Mega Pro XL weighed a mere 15 pounds, utilizing titanium parts and tubular wheels. For the last 20 years, carbon fiber has dominated professional cycling. Now, every bike in the Tour de France peloton is carbon, and that probably won't change.

Carbon fiber originated in the aerospace industry. It's made of loose fibers composed of carbon atoms that are suspended in resin. As mentioned earlier, carbon is a perfect material for constructing lightweight aero frames because it’s easy to form into complex aerodynamic shapes.

But there’s more to the story than that. Carbon is extremely strong for its weight, and it can be engineered to behave differently in different directions. You can design a carbon frame to be rigid in a specific direction, or rigid torsionally, while still having compliance in a different direction.

"There is absolutely no doubt that, as a structural material, carbon is the best one for bicycles,” says Sam Pickman, director of product at Allied Cycle Works . “If you want to change how a metal bike feels, you have very little variables to play with. You have the thickness of the material and tube size.”

“With carbon, you unlock a whole different world,” Pickman says. “What it allows you to do is change and tweak the characteristics that affect how a bike feels along the tube to hone it to do pretty much whatever you want it to do. It just gives you an unbelievable amount of control."

Carbon bikes can be designed to have desirable properties like aero shaping, light weight, and targeted stiffness, without compromising strength or comfort. Comfort may not seem like the most important trait for pro riders, but it can help riders arrive at the finish with less fatigue from road vibration and impacts. That adds up over 21 days of racing.

Bike manufacturers like Peugeot in France and Kestrel in the U.S. began experimenting with carbon frames in the early 1970s. There was a steep learning curve and it would be several years before modern monocoque frames came to market.

French manufacturer, Look , made its first carbon frame, the KG 86, with a lugged construction. The carbon tubes were made by a French company, TVT, which combined Kevlar with layers of woven carbon fiber for additional strength. The tubes were then bonded with epoxy into aluminum lugs. The KG 86 achieved legendary status when Greg LeMond (yes, LeMond again!) rode it to victory in the 1986 Tour de France. It was the first carbon bike to win the Tour. The precise quality of this 100% handmade bike made it just as good to look at as it was to ride, with the claimed weight being 16 pounds. 

Steel and aluminum Pinarellos would dominate for the next decade, but after Marco Pantani’s 1998 Tour win, carbon came into fashion with the advent of Lance Armstrong. Though later stripped of his victories, Armstrong collected seven yellow jerseys aboard Trek ’s OCLV carbon fiber frames. OCLV stands for “Optimum Compaction Low Void” and refers to Trek’s process of placing carbon fiber sheets into a frame mold.

Armstrong won the 1999 Tour on a Trek 5500. (Interesting tidbit: Thanks to Armstrong, 1999 was also the first-ever Tour victory for a Shimano-equipped bike.) Armstrong continued using Trek's 5000 series OCLV carbon frames until the carbon Trek Madone was released in 2003 (though he didn’t race it in the Tour until 2004). The first Madone had an average weight of about 16 pounds, whereas the modern Madone weighs around 17 pounds depending on the size. Increased weights can be attributed to stronger carbon fiber layups and hydraulic disc brakes, a fair trade for powerful stopping capabilities, and increased frame stiffness. 

In the last 30 years, Carbon has proliferated far beyond the Tour and the bike frame into every major component of the bike in all disciplines of cycling. For example, aerodynamic carbon wheels are standard equipment for professional racers. You will see plenty of pro bikes with carbon stems, handlebars, and seatposts. Now, it’s unlikely that we will ever see a non-carbon bike win the Tour again. There is a chance though, we’ll see some new carbon composites win in the future, but more on that later.

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Battery-powered

Derailleurs have been around nearly as long as the bike itself. Derailleur systems were already being designed and built in the late 1800s, but Tour de France founder Henri Desgrange didn’t allow riders to use derailleurs in the Tour until 1937. He was afraid the technology would make the race too easy. Before derailleurs, riders had two cogs on their rear hub and they had to stop and flip the rear wheel around to change their gearing.

Until very recently, all derailleurs were actuated using cables. Then, in 2009, Shimano unveiled its Dura-Ace Di2 electronic drivetrain . SunTour, Mavic , and Campagnolo had all experimented with electronic drivetrains in the ‘90s and early ‘00s. But Dura-Ace Di2 was the first commercially viable electronic drivetrain. Shimano’s Di2 groupsets radically improved shifting with only a minor weight penalty of about 80g vs their mechanical counterparts. 

It ignited an electronic drivetrain revolution. Other manufacturers soon followed suit with Campagnolo releasing Super Record EPS and Record EPS in 2011, and SRAM releasing Red eTap in 2015.

For racing, electronic shifting provides a clear advantage.

“The biggest advantage is just how easy it is to shift,” says JP McCarthy, Road Product Manager for SRAM. “It may sound like a small thing, but cycling is a sport obsessed with marginal gains. Bikes are so good now that performance gains have to be squeezed out of the tiniest details. By making the act of shifting just a bit less physically or mentally demanding, an electronic drivetrain can allow riders to dedicate more focus and energy to other tasks like handling and producing power.”

Electronic groups also produce more consistent shifts.

“The [electric] motors on the derailleurs actuate at the same rate every time,” says Nick Legan, Road Brand Manager for Shimano North America. “You will hit the gear you want every time, perfectly. It does give you a competitive edge.”

“An electronic setup is actually exceptionally weatherproof,” says Legan. “You don’t have to worry about water, grit, and mud. As long as there's power in the battery, the shifting doesn't degrade.”

Despite these claims, many pros were initially hesitant to go electronic, fearing reliability issues. Then in 2011, Cadel Evans broke through . Not only did he become the first Australian to win the Tour, but he was the first to win with an electronic drivetrain. His BMC Teammachine SLR01 was equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, and he suffered no Di2-related mechanicals on his path to victory.

In 2012, Bradley Wiggins backed up this success by winning the Tour with a Dura-Ace Di2 equipped Pinarello Dogma 65.1. Amazingly, nine of the last ten Tours have been won using an electronic drivetrain (Vincenzo Nibali won in 2014 with a mechanical Campagnolo Super Record drivetrain).

With all the current Tour de France GC favorites on electronic drivetrains , it's clear that it’s the new standard.

“If you're looking for every little last performance advantage, electronic is the only way to go,” says Legan. “it is just a little bit faster, and a little consistent than a mechanical setup. At that level, it really matters.”

“The pros don't ride mechanical anymore,” says McCarthy. “At some point, you won’t see mechanical bikes winning any major races anymore.”

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What to look for in future of Tour de France bikes

Disc brakes.

One could argue that disc brakes are already here. After wavering back and forth, The UCI finally approved the use of disc brakes for good in 2018. Despite many riders embracing the new technology, there are still big teams and riders who have stuck to traditional rim brakes.

Most notably, Team INEOS, Team Jumbo-Visma, and UAE Team Emirates (who have 2020 winner Tadej Pogačar) stuck to rim brake models for the 2020 Tour. For 2021, INEOS was the only team still fully committed to rim brakes, but they’ve finally switched to disc for 2022, meaning there are no more rim brake bikes left in the peloton. 

There's a chance some teams might switch to lighter rim brakes on the toughest climbing stages as riders seek every advantage, even if it is only in their head. After all, new disc-brake frames regularly come in under 800 grams, so it's not hard to get down to the 6.8kg weight limit with disc brakes. Knowing the UCI, I wouldn’t be surprised if they change the rules in the future, making disc brakes the only option. 

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Tubeless tires

On stage 2 of the 2020 Tour de France, Julian Alaphillipe won on clinchers. The year before, his Deceuninck–Quick-Step teammate Fabio Jakobsen won a stage at the Tour of California on tubeless tires.

These were both historic wins since tubular tires have been the standard in professional racing over 100 years. Deceuninck–Quick-Step and its sponsor, Specialized, are leading the charge away from tubulars.

Though Alaphilippe’s Roval wheels (a Specialized brand) were clincher-only, the updated version released for 2022 is fully tubeless-ready . Tubeless technology has already become the standard for mountain and gravel bikes, and the benefits for rolling resistance, puncture protection, and serviceability are hard to ignore. I suspect tubeless will become the top choice for top racers and the Tour de France in the near future.

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This is the big one. Graphene is a new, super-strong material that could change carbon frame construction as we know it. It’s an allotrope, or a different form of carbon (carbon can also take the form of diamond, graphite, and charcoal). Explained more simply, it is a single atomic layer of graphite arranged in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice.

Its primary use in cycling would be as a carbon fiber additive. It improves strength because it chemically bonds to both the resin and the carbon fiber, increasing the “interfacial shear strength.” Instead of the resin and carbon fibers being separate, you get a single material that is stronger and more uniform.

Frames made using graphene will be stronger and weigh up to 50% less. Also, graphene is incredibly conductive. There is potential to build graphene circuitry into graphene bike frames so riders can have built-in electronic drivetrain wires, integrated sensors, or other electronics.

Some manufacturers are already experimenting with putting graphene in frames and other cycling components. But it will likely be several years before we see these products hit prime time in races like the Tour de France. The UCI will likely need to change its restrictive weight limit for riders and manufacturers to take full advantage of graphene.

What did I miss? What's your opinion on disc brakes and tubeless tires in the Tour? What new tech are you excited to see? Let us know in the comments!

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Results have arrived, stieda’s secret weapon: bringing carbon to the tour.

Alex Stieda of the 7-Eleven team was the first North American to wear the yellow jersey. Like Greg LeMond, he brought a carbon road bike to the Tour, but kept it a secret.

Written by: Spencer Powlison

Published on: Jun 28, 2022

Posted in: Road

Alex Stieda was elated to claim the yellow jersey in his debut Tour de France on the first stage. His team director, Jim Ochowicz (R), was none the wiser that Stieda had secretly brought a carbon bike to race in the 1986 race. Photo: Cor Vos

Alex Stieda was nervous. Hell, the entire 7-Eleven team was nervous. In 1986, they were slated to race the Tour de France. And to the man, all 10 of them, were completely new to the world’s biggest bike race .

“We had no idea,” Stieda told The Pro’s Closet. “Everyone was going in completely raw. We were nervous and excited, but apprehensive.”

So what do you do when you feel underprepared for a potentially career-defining moment? For Stieda, he looked for every advantage he could find, and that meant sourcing a special, secret bike.

“Our bikes were 23 pounds,” Stieda adds. “I’m not a climber, I know that. I just needed every bit of advantage I could get.”

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Back in the mid-1980s, bike technology had yet to hit the growth curve that popularized technology like carbon fiber, integrated shift/brake levers, aerodynamic wheels, or high-tech apparel. That was all to come in the 1990s. Instead, like most teams, the 7-Eleven outfit relied on equipment designs that hadn’t changed much since the rise of Eddy Merckx — downtube shifters, aluminum rims with worthless brake tracks, and above all, lugged steel frames.

Hoping for an edge on the Pyrenean and Alpine mountains — as yet completely unknown to him — Stieda went shopping. He sourced one of the few carbon fiber bike frames on the market. He took it to a friend in Vancouver who painted it to exactly match the 7-Eleven team’s steel bikes. Then, he handed it off to his trusted team mechanic Rich Gilstrap to build up, when he arrived at the Grand Depart in Boulogne, France that year.

“I didn’t ride the carbon bike until the mountain stages,” Stieda said. “Richie [Gilstrap] didn’t want to have it too exposed. I agreed. Ok, it’s a good idea let’s just keep it in the back of the truck. We had a little pact.”

None of his teammates knew. His team director Jim Ochowicz (now head of the CCC pro team) didn’t know. And certainly his rivals didn’t know.

“Every day, we’d be having coffee with the guys in the start village, the other riders,” Stieda said. “The English speakers usually sat together, and I just so wanted to tell them, but I didn’t want my secret to get out.”

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Fortunately, Stieda had other things to talk about. On stage 1, he became the first North American rider to wear the yellow jersey. Unfortunately, a comedy of errors led to him losing that lead later that afternoon in the team time trial. Nonetheless, it was a strong start for the rookies from across pond.

When Stieda finally got to ride his carbon fiber bike on stage 12, through the Pyrenees to Pau, he couldn’t have been happier.

“I was so desperate to ride it because it was so much lighter,” he said. “Oh yeah, it was totally a noticeable difference. It changed the bike completely.”

However, his secret carbon frame met an end almost as ignominious as Stieda’s stint in the yellow jersey. On stage 18 to l’Alpe d’Huez, descending the Col du Galibier mid-stage, he crashed and the frame cracked.

Stieda can’t quite recall which company actually made his secret carbon fiber frame. There’s a good chance it came from French manufacturer TVT. In addition to making its own frames, TVT provided carbon tubes to Look for its KG86, a carbon bike ridden by another North American pioneer at the 1986 Tour, Greg LeMond.

LeMond and his La Vie Claire team rode the KG86 alongside Stieda in that Tour. The American went on to win his first Tour, and the first for an American after a pitched battle with his own teammate, five-time yellow jersey winner, Bernard Hinault.

La Vie Claire embraced technological advantages like that carbon frame, which was uncommon in that era. Stieda said that 7-Eleven’s upstart status allowed him to sneak a secret weapon into the world’s biggest race.

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“If I was on a European team there’s no way I would have tried to get away with that,” he said.

“We were the freakshow from the U.S.,” Stieda said in an earlier interview. “Och [Ochowicz] and the team realized that technology could be something that could help us.”

Even when it came to his kit, Stieda turned heads by wearing a skinsuit in the Tour’s first road stage after the opening-day prologue. Maybe he wasn’t so crazy, because even without his secret carbon frame, that was the race where he earned the yellow jersey.

“That was a small thing, but it was another example of riders like myself not being afraid to take chances and do something different,” he added. “It’s a small thing, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s significant. We didn’t have to adhere to all of tradition.”

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100 Years Of Tour De France Bikes Map The Evolution Of Modern Cycling

The Tour de France entered its 100th year this month, and now is a great time to take a look back at the evolution of the road bike. We ran across a great collection of bikes used on the Tour this week, courtesy of Emile Arbes at Le Blog de Velos Vintage , and added extras from around the internet, below. The collection begins at the very beginning, when road-ready meant extra mustache wax, and extends to the modern day, when bikes are so light riders often have to weight them to stay legal.

But keep in mind, we haven’t spent much time focusing on contemporary technology — that’s another post for another time. For more coverage of this year’s tour, check out Velo City on Kinja .

Sixty cyclists set out to compete in the first Tour, and only 21 finished. Maurice Garin, aka the Little Chimney-Sweep, won the day on this steel La Française. His heavy frame featured new-fangled toe clips — invented only a few years prior.

A more modern geometry was emerging a decade later — check out the drop handlebars on this 1914 Thomann-Joly, which belonged to Belgian star Léon Scieur, who won the tour in 1914 riding what was likely a very similar bike. Also check out the pump on the seat tube — back then, riders still did their own maintenance. In fact, it was against the Tour rules to receive help.

The Tour’s first Italian winner, Ottavio Bottecchia, rode a flashy AuTomoTo-Hutchinson to victory in 1924. Three years later, he was found dead of a skull fracture on the side of the road with his bike untouched. His death still remains a mystery, but some attribute it to Mussolini thugs, wary of Bottecchia’s anti-fascism.

André Leducq, who won the Tour in ’30 and ’32, rode this sea foam-coloured Alcyon-Dunlop. Still no gears to be seen — it’s hard to imagine riding a single speed bike over the forbidding Alpine climbs today. The derailleur was introduced to the Tour seven years later, in 1937, but before that, riders would have to get off their bikes and change wheels to switch between terrains.

Antonin Magne — aka “the Monk” — won the Tour in ’31 and ’34, when he secretly tested the first Mavic “Duralumin” rim during the race. He even went so far as to paint wood grain on the rims to avoid detection — such tech was against the rules at the time.

1947 Tour winner Jean Robic, “the hobgoblin of the Brittany moor” (great nickname!) rode this 1952 Colomb-Clément. Check out the sweet steel lugs — and we’re now well into the era of derailleurs! Robic was also one of the first riders to wear a helmet after fracturing his skull, in 1944.

Jacques Anquetil (seen on the right, with Eddy Merckx) won the Tour five times riding a Saint-Raphaël-Helyett 1962. Check out the sweet Evian water bottle.

Felice Gimondi — who won the Tour in ’65 — rode a Celeste-green 1967 Bianchi for several years. Contemporary Bianchi fans will recognise his initials — they’re used for the company’s FG Light frames.

Eddy Merckx is probably the best-known ride of the 20th century — he won the Tour five times, and went on to become what some claim is the most accomplished cyclist of all time. There’s plenty to say about Merckx, but it’s far more exciting to watch him in this excerpt from A Sunday In Hell , a documentary that covers the famously brutal Paris-Roubaix.

The bespectacled Laurent Fignon rode a steel Gitane to his Tour victory in 1983 and 1984. Picture: Flickr

Greg LeMond was the first non-European cyclist to win the Tour, in 1986, and won it a second and third time in in ’86 and ’90. Here, you can see LeMond’s distinctive sunburst paint job — as well as his clipless pedals, which became common in the late ’80s. Picture: C.Cal.Shoot /Flickr

The very last time a steel frame bike was ridden to Tour de France victory was in 1994, when Miguel Indurain clinched his fourth of five wins. His 9kg Pinarello, according to some sources, was only branded as Pinarello — in reality, it was custom-built by Dario Pegoretti , the iconic Italian frame builder.

Now we’re getting into the contemporary era, with companies experimenting with non-steel and, eventually, carbon fibre. Marco Pantani’s Bianchi Mega Pro XL Reparto Corse, a custom-built aluminium frame, was the last bike to be ridden to Tour victory that wasn’t made of carbon fibre. It was the end of an era.

Sure, Lance Armstrong has since been stripped of his titles, but his steel 1994 Motorola-Eddy Merckx (above) is fascinating to compare to his later rides. Armstrong went on to become an early adopter of contemporary cycling tech, mostly in partnership with Trek. In 1999, he became the first Tour winner to ride a carbon fibre bike from start to finish. And in 2003, he rode the lightest bike ever used in the Tour (a 6.5kg Trek 5900 SL) before organisers instituted a minimum weight of 6.8kg.

Alberto Contador, aka El Pistelero, won the Tour in ’07 and ’09 — this year, he’s still two minutes behind frontrunner Chris Froome according to today’s report . Contador is known as a climber, and his bikes are tailored to play to that strength — check out the wide cassette on this specialised Tarmac SL4, which lets him to stay on the “big ring” of his crank set during long climbs.

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20 Years and Counting: How The Bikes of the Tour de France Have Changed by Matt Stephens

Since Škoda’s partnership with the Tour de France began 20 years ago, the bikes at the Tour have undergone remarkable transformations, fuelled by advancements in technology and the pursuit of optimal performance.

In this article, I’m going to explore how these bikes have evolved, focussing on gearing ratios, aerodynamics, weight, and specialised designs for the various terrain the Tour offers. Additionally, I’ll delve into the developments in wheel technology and the increasing emphasis on wider tire widths. First up though, let’s look at gears.

(Note, you’ll see the word ‘optimise’ used a lot in this article, just saying).

Gearing ratios

One of the significant advancements in cycling tech over the last couple of decades has been the continued refinement of gearing ratios. In the early 2000s when I was riding as a pro, we primarily relied on traditional double chainring setups with a limited range of gear options. In fact I had 8 sprockets to choose from where the pros now have 11 or 12. The lowest gearing I had back then was 39 x 25 for the hardest mountains. Looking back, I don’t know how I did it! However, with the introduction of compact chain sets, more gears and larger sprocket sizes, riders have now gained a much wider spectrum of ratios to choose from. This has enabled them to maintain an optimal cadence over various terrain, improving efficiency and reducing fatigue. A typical gear set up for a mountain stage of the Tour de France these days would be 36 x 32, with the option to go even lower should the climbs necessitate.

The advent of electronic shifting systems, such as Shimano’s Di2 and SRAM’s eTap, totally revolutionised gear changing by providing faster, more precise shifts. These electronic systems eliminated the need for traditional mechanical cables, resulting in faster, smoother gear changes and enhanced reliability. The seamless integration of electronic shifting systems has now become a standard feature in pro cycling, with wireless shifting now commonplace too. Although I don’t race anymore, I’d never go back to the old gear days!

Aerodynamics

Aerodynamics play a crucial role, where even the slightest reduction in wind resistance can translate into valuable time gains and/or watts and energy saved. Over the last two decades, bicycle manufacturers have invested heavily in wind tunnel testing and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to refine frame designs and improve aerodynamic efficiency. This search for more ‘free speed’ is neverending.

Modern bikes in the Tour feature frames with intricate tube profiles, aerodynamically optimised forks, and integrated components. The focus is on reducing drag by minimising the frontal area or leading edges of the bike, smoothing airflow around key areas such as the head tube, handlebars and integrating brake cables into the frame to reduce turbulence. This also gives these new bikes a really ‘clean’ uncluttered aesthetic. In short, they look great. Although it has to be said, I’m still in love with the look of the traditional steel frames of the past!

Specialised bikes for different terrains

Over the last decade or so teams at the Tour have begun employing a strategy of having specific bikes to suit different terrains. This would include a slightly heavier aero bike designed for flat and rolling stages, where aerodynamics and power transfer are critical. These aero bikes often feature deepsection carbon wheels, integrated handlebars and frames fine tuned for sprinting and efficient riding at high speed.

Conversely, for mountainous stages and demanding climbs, teams will use lightweight climbing bikes. These prioritise weight reduction to enhance the riders’ ability to tackle steep ascents. Climbing bikes typically feature ultralight frames, compact gearing, and minimalistic designs. By employing this strategy, teams can ensure their riders have the most suitable equipment for each stage, optimising their performance and conserving energy. That said, lighter bikes are now more aero than ever and aero bikes are lighter than ever, with some teams now opting for one singular bike for all types of terrain. The Ineos Grenadiers only use one bike for example, their Pinarello Dogmas.

Wheel technology

In recent years, there has been a notable shift towards wider tyre widths in pro cycling. Only 20 years ago, far narrower tyres were used, typically around 21-23mm in width. I remember descending high mountains on wet roads using only 21-23mm tyres running over 100psi in pressure. There’s no way you’d get me (or anyone) doing that now!

However, the now-known benefits of wider tyres, such as improved traction, lower rolling resistance, better puncture protection and increased comfort, coupled with a wider rim and improved aerodynamics, have prompted a paradigm shift in the peloton. With the gradual introduction of disc brakes over the last 5 years, which provide better modulation and stopping power, pro riders have been more open to the use of these wider tyres, which commonly range from 25mm to 28mm. These widths allow for lower tyre pressures without sacrificing rolling resistance, which translates into better handling on a variety of road surfaces for the reasons I’ve previously detailed. Again, I’d never go back to using narrow tyres. 28mm is what I use all the time now.

So, in short, the bikes ridden at the Tour de France over the last 20 years have experienced nothing short of a technological revolution. Each and every aspect of the bikes has been meticulously refined to maximise performance. Of course the quest for optimal performance continues apace, and it’ll be fascinating to witness how upcoming technological innovations shape the bikes ridden in the the Tours of the future. Hover bikes anyone? 😉

Finally and importantly, we can all ride these types of bikes ourselves. The tech ultimately trickles down to the consumer so we can all experience the feel of a thoroughbred machine. A machine that was tried and tested at the Tour de France, the humble bicycle’s ultimate playground.

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The first bike to win the Tour de France

• Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
• Post date June 26, 2013
• No Comments on The first bike to win the Tour de France

The first Tour de France was held on in 1903, and the overall winner was Maurice Garin (3 March 1871, Arvier, Aosta Valley, Italy – 19 February 1957, Lens or Haute-Savoie, France). His bicycle, a La Française was the first bike to win the Tour de France.

The first Tour de France was 2,428 km in length, and was containing only 6 stages!

• Stage 1: Wednesday, July 1, Paris – Lyon, 467 km
• Stage 2: Sunday, July 5, Lyon – Marseille, 374 km
• Stage 3: Wednesday, July 8, Marseille – Toulouse, 423 km
• Stage 4: Sunday, July 12, Toulouse – Bordeaux, 268 km
• Stage 5: Monday, July 13, Bordeaux – Nantes, 425 km
• Stage 6: Saturday, July 18, Nantes – Paris, 471 km

Garin’s La Française bike was weighing 18kg (the UCI limit is 6.8kg and all the bikes are around 6.8-7 kg now). Despite the really long stages, a heavy bike with no gears , and the bad roads, Garin’s average speed was 25.679 kph. He was riding for the “La Française Diamant” team.

Garin’s written notes said:

“The 2,500 km that I’ve just ridden seem a long line, grey and monotonous, where nothing stood out from anything else. But I suffered on the road; I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was sleepy, I suffered, I cried between Lyon and Marseille, I had the pride of winning other stages, and at the controls, I saw the fine figure of my friend Delattre, who had prepared my sustenance, but I repeat, nothing strikes me particularly.”

“But wait! I’m completely wrong when I say that nothing strikes me, I’m confusing things or explaining myself badly. I must say that one single thing struck me, that a single thing sticks in my memory: I see myself, from the start of the Tour de France, like a bull pierced by banderillas, who pulls the banderillas with him, never able to rid himself of them.”

Related: Tour de France Winner Groupsets, Year by Year

• Maurice Garin on Wikipedia
• Recent Posts

• What is a Satellite Rider? [Explained] - July 24, 2024
• Tour de France Winner Groupsets [Year by Year, from 1937 to 2024] - July 21, 2024
• Top 18 fastest Paris-Roubaix editions - April 7, 2024
• Tags La Française , Maurice Garin

By M. Özgür Nevres

I am a software developer, a former road racing cyclist (at the amateur level), and a science enthusiast. Also an animal lover! I write about cycling on this website, cycling-passion.com. I also take care of stray cats & dogs. Please consider supporting me on Patreon .

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Comparing the Tour de France bikes that won on the Plateau de Beille in 1998 and 2024: Marco Pantani's Bianchi Mega Pro XL vs Tadej Pogačar's Colnago V4Rs

Yesterday's Tour de France stage 15 saw Tadej Pogačar produce another convincing victory, this time on the legendary Plateau de Beille that Marco Pantani triumphed on way back in 1998. In the process, the Slovenian destroyed the record time for ascending the 15.7km, 7.8% brute, riding it three minutes and 44 seconds faster than Il Pirata did 26 years previously. 

Some are already calling Pogačar's feat the greatest climbing performance of all time... but surely the much-improved bikes and equipment the peloton are using now compared to 1998 are contributing to faster times and falling records? Not to say it's the only reason, but it's a good excuse to look at just how far bike tech has come on in the last couple of decades, anyway! 

        View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Desktop Peloton Design (@desktoppeloton)

Stage 11 of the 1998 Tour de France was a 170km route from Luchon to the Plateau de Beille, a brutal-by-any-standard 15km hors catégorie climb that averages 8%.

During the final ascent and on a sunny day similar to this year, Marco Pantani rode away from Jan Ullrich who was in the yellow jersey.

While Ullrich mainly sat in the saddle grinding away, Il Pirata was up the road, alternating seated riding with long and intense out-of-the-saddle efforts, his high gearing ensuring a high speed.

Hairless and helmetless, the slight but always-animated figure would pour water over his head to cool down, and while he won the stage by 1min 26 seconds over the Swiss rider Roland Meier and climbed the Plateau de Beille in a record time, by the end of the day he was still only in fourth, three minutes behind Ullrich.

But that day’s ride laid the foundations for his momentous rides in the upcoming Alpine stages, and when Pantani took stage 15 to Les Deux Alpes he rode his way into yellow, which he kept all the way to Paris.

In doing so he became one of the very few riders to win the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the same year, joining an elite group: Fausto Coppi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Stephen Roche and Miguel Indurain.

The Bianchi Mega Pro XL

Carbon? Who needs carbon? Not Marco ‘Il Pirata’ Pantani.

His 1998 Tour and Giro victories were achieved on Bianchi bikes with aluminium frames, in the material’s very brief spell of dominance between the near-century-long era of steel and today’s era of carbon fibre.

Steel was predominant from the first days of the Tour de France until 1995, when Miguel ‘Big Mig’ Indurain won on Pinarello’s steel Espada. He won the previous year on a Dario Pegoretti-welded frame that was badged as a Pinarello.

There had been occasional interruptions to steel’s hegemony, with Luis Ocaña riding a Motobecane-labelled Speedwell titanium frame to a Tour win in 1973. And then, in 1988 Pedro Delgado piloted a Pinarello-badged aluminium-lugged carbon bike made bt TVT, with Greg LeMond winning the following year on a TVT-built bike bearing the Bottecchia name.

Miguel Indurain in 1994 (DenP Images, CC BY-SA 2.0)

But for three short years – 1996, 1997 and 1998 – aluminium temporarily ruled the roost, with Pantani following Bjarne Riis and Jan Ullrich to the Tour podium on alloy machines.

The frameset

Not steel. Not carbon. But a Mega Pro XL frame built especially for Pantani at Bianchi’s Italian factory. It’s made from 7000 series double-butted tubing from Dedacciai.

The 51cm frame has a very slightly sloping top tube – this was the same year Giant’s sloping top-tubed TCR debuted at the Tour – with custom geometry made specifically for Pantani.

The paint finish is of course Bianchi’s Celeste blue, the ‘color of legends and dreams’ albeit with a fade to yellow-orange at the seat tube cluster and towards the fork dropouts.

The Bianchi is skinnier in just about every way than this year’s winning bike.

The head tube is a straight one-inch diameter affair – no tapering here.

The bottom bracket looks equally slimline compared with today’s oversize designs, the Italian-threaded bottom bracket having a square-tapered spindle.

Compared with this year’s bikes where just about every component can be made from carbon, it’s virtually absent from Pantani’s bike, with the only exception the Time carbon fork – and the Campag headset’s carbon topcap. All important!

The Time Vectran carbon fork has a 1in steerer and aluminium dropouts.

The groupset

        View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Luxury​ Steel​ Bottega​ (@luxury_steel_bottega)

The Italian-made bike, piloted over the Alps by an Italian rider, is of course decked out with an Italian groupset from Campagnolo – shockingly absent from this year’s Tour.

The nine-speed (nine!) Campagnolo Record groupset has 170mm cranks, which these days seems excessive for a rider just 1.72m tall, and by the standards of a regular cyclist his bike was massively overgeared!

The 54/44 chainrings are paired with an absurdly close 11-23 sprocket cluster, which suited Pantani’s aggressive climbing style. The gear range tops out at 128in but the bottom gear is a massive 50in, roughly equivalent to a 34x18 pairing. Absurd!

And while there was no carbon in the groupset, there was some exotica in the shape of titanium sprockets, presumably to trim a few grams.

Another touch to shed some weight is that Pantani preferred to ride with a down tube shifter on the left-hand side, with the relevant ‘brifter’ lever losing its gear-shifting internals.

Braking? Well, there’s no comparison between this year’s hydraulic discs and the stoppers that Pantani had to put up with. The Campagnolo single-pivot brakes will be lighter than today’s hydraulics, but their performance will be vastly inferior. Cue arguments…

During that years Giro Pantani’s Mercatone Uno team used Campagnolo Shamal wheels, a name that still exists in Campag’s range , though that era’s Shamals had aluminium rims and were designed for rim brakes.

For the Tour de France’s mountain stages, Mercatone Uno’s riders, including Pantani, used Campag’s lightweight Electron wheel with shallower box-profile aluminium rims. Both wheels featured 24 stainless steel spokes and came with brass nipples, which is slightly surprising given the efforts made to reduce weight.

That said, even with brass nipples being three times the weight of an aluminium nipple, the weight difference for both sets of wheels would only have been around 24g, which may have been considered a weight worth paying for the extra durability and resistance to corrosion. The fact that team mechanics service wheels on a daily basis may also have been taken into account here.

There are no surprises when it comes to the tyres, with that year’s bikes having tubulars or tubulars. Take your pick. These were Vittoria Corsas in a typical-for-the-time 21c width, and the Corsa has stood the test of time and is still going strong.

Pantani rode on yellow tubs while other team riders would be riding on either yellow or green.

> Have we witnessed the death of tubular tyres?

Should you fancy following in Pantani’s wheel tracks you can still buy a pair of Electrons  at the time of writing, but the lightweight hoops do come with a heavyweight 999 euro price, and have clincher rather than tubular rims.

Power meters, GPS computers. None of that tech for Pantani.

He used an Echowell computer in red carbon mounted to the right of his stem, and this was linked to a sensor on the right fork leg by a cable (yes, wire!) snaking around the front brake cable. “Another time, another time” as Harold Pinter wrote about cricket…

And to my slight surprise, the Taiwanese company Echowell is still going, making a wide range of e-bike and bike (including wired ones) as well as heart rate monitors.

Pantani rode with only one bottle cage, on the bike’s down tube, though there are some questions on whether his 1988 Tour-winning bike had a titanium or stainless steel Ciussi from the Italian company Elite. You can still buy the classic-looking cage in stainless steel, which Elite calls ‘the original’.

One of the advantages of being the undoubted team leader is that you have domestiques to carry your bidons.

And if you want to go the whole hog, you can even buy original NOS 1998 Coca Cola bottles  for ‘just’ 51.60 euros! Put me down for two…

It’s pretty much Italian everywhere else.

The titanium seatpost is from ITM, as are the stem and bar. The Big One aluminium stem is a threadless two-bolt design, and it’s matched with the same company’s Super Italia Pro 260, with a traditional rather than ergonomic bend and low hoods, designed for Pantani’s riding style.

You can still buy a new old stock (NOS) Big One stem on eBay , including in yellow (that the seller calls gold), for 58.8 euros.

The bar is quite widely available on eBay and elsewhere.

The pedals are an exception to the largely Italian – and lightweight – theme. The French company Time’s Equipe Pro Magnesium pedals weighed around 400g, which seems very heavy these days.

And NOS versions are yours on eBay if you’re prepared to stump up $399!

One final touch is the distinctive Selle Italia ‘Pirata’ saddle, complete with pirate caricature. Even a used one  costs as much as £350 , so your replica bike is starting to look very  expensive.

It’s hard to know exactly but it’s reckoned that Pantani’s Bianchi weighed in at just 6.96kg – but that’s thought to include the weighty pedals and the bottle cage.

With the Time pedals accounting for 400g and the Ciussi cage another 48g or so, we’re talking a weight of just 6.512kg if you used the criteria most bike manufacturers use these days, which would be light even in 2024.

This compares with a weight of over 7kg for Pogačar’s 2024 Colnago, and puts it on a par with the c6.9kg Cervélo R5 that Jonas Vingegaard rode during last year’s Tour.

It’s worth mentioning, however, that the UCI introduced its controversial 6.8kg minimum weight limit back in 2000, so while it is possible to build a bike much lighter than 6.8kg, we’re unlikely to see them in the Tour any time soon.

Pantani's 1998 Bianchi Mega Pro XL: full specification

Weight: c6.96kg including pedals and bottom cage (51cm custom) Frame: Custom-made Bianchi Mega XL Pro constructed from double-butted 7000-series Dedacciai aluminium Fork: Time Vectran carbon with 1in steerer and aluminium dropouts Chainset: Campagnolo Record 54/44, 170mm cranks Cassette: Campagnolo Record 11-23 Bottom bracket: Campagnolo Record, Italian thread Front derailleur: Campagnolo Record Rear derailleur: Campagnolo Record titanium 9-speed Levers: Campagnolo Record 9-speed with left-hand down tube shifter for the front mech Brakes: Campagnolo Record single-pivot Stem: ITM Big One, aluminum Handlebar: ITM Super Italia Pro 260, aluminium Wheels: Campagnolo Electron tubular rims, 24 spokes, Campagnolo Record hubs Tyres: Vittoria Corsa CX TT tubular, 21mm Seatpost: PMP titanium Seatpost clamp: PMP titanium Saddle: Selle Italia Flite Titanium Marco Pantani Pedals: Time Magnesium Equipe Pro Computer: Echowell red carbon Bottle cage: Elite Ciussi

This year’s stage 15 was a super-tough 197km affair ending in the brutal ascent of the 1,780m Plateau de Beille, taking in the Col de Peyresourde and Col de Portet-d’Aspet en route. All under a bright, punishing sun, not that the conditions prevented an exciting day of riding.

For around 5km Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard has the Slovenian rider Tadej Pogačar glued to his back wheel on the Plateau de Beille, but with 5.4km to the Dane looks around, Pogačar shoots past him on a steep section and Vingegaard never sees him again.

It was astonishing feat, beating Pantani’s record time by a whopping three minutes and 44 seconds, and arguably the greatest climb in history. 

Vingegaard was riding a Cervélo S5 with SRAM Red and Pog was on a Colnago V4Rs with Shimano Dura-Ace, and it was the latter bike and groupset that took the honours, and will probably propel Pogačar to the yellow jersey in Paris – for a Pantani-like Giro-Tour double – but with Covid in the peloton and the Alps still ahead, I’m not nipping down the bookies to bet against him just yet...

Aluminium? Who are you kidding? Skinny main frame tubes? Not in 2024. No way.

It’s carbon fibre and gib, bulky frame tube’s all the way for this year’s stage 15-winning bike, though the 2024 machine is also from one of the storied Italian brands: Colnago. A company with 63 world championships in its palmarès, as well as 41 Monuments and 23 Grand Tours.

Possibly soon to become 24.

It’s a bike we’ve reviewed too , Stu liking it for just about everything save for its then £12,599 price for the build we got our hands on. 

Colnago goes big on the bike-designer’s bingo in describing the V4Rs: ‘Improved stiffness, better aerodynamics, weight decrease.’ House!

The looks are actually slightly less radical than on some of the 2024 peloton’s other bikes, but it’s clearly not holding ‘Pog’ back.

This year’s V4Rs is claimed to weigh 795g in a 50s frame, unpainted of course, and Colnago says it conceived the V4Rs as ‘a fully integrated system’, taking into account both weight and aerodynamics. 

The V4Rs is the successor to the V3Rs on which Pogačar won the 2021 Tour, and it’s lighter too – albeit by an insignificant 12g. The bigger gains are in aerodynamics, with Colnago claiming the new model will save you the equivalent of the 17.5 watts over the V3Rs at 50km/h (I’d need a descent for that…) at a cadence of 90rpm, which mean you could hit the same speed while putting out 17.5 watts less power – a pretty impressive difference.

There are other changes too. While bottom bracket stiffness is the same as the V3Rs, head tube stiffness is claimed to be 5-10% lower, which seems to be bucking modern trends!

But what Colnago calls ‘real dynamic stiffness’ is increased in both sprinting and seated positions, by 4% and 5% respectively.

Campagnolo 9-speed has long been superseded by groupsets with 12 ratios, which is what this year’s bike is specced with. But perhaps most surprisingly of all, this year’s peloton doesn’t feature one bike sporting Campagnolo kit. It’s arrivederci Campag, as fans of all things Italian shed tears into their tiny espressos!

As recently as 2020 and 2021 Campagnolo-equipped bikes were being ridden to victory by Pogačar, the 2020 V3RS still having rim brakes. Another time…

The battle for the stage this year is being fought between Japan’s Shimano that supplies 18 teams and the multi-national SRAM, which decks out the other four teams.

Shimano’s top-tier Dura-Ace Di2 is a 12-speed electronic setup while Red AXS is SRAM’s 12-speed wireless groupset.

Liam raved about Dura-Ace Di2  when it first went to 12 ratios in 2021, while Stu was just as positive about SRAM Red AXS when he tested it a couple of months ago.

So it really is a case of horses for courses.

But while Dura-Ace Di2 is at the heart of things, there are quite a few deviations here and there.

CarbonTi provides its X-CarboRing EVO chainrings in a pairing that most of us might struggle on, especially up a hors catégorie Pyrenean col. Yep, we’re talking a 55/40 combo that’s paired with a more familiar Dura-Ace 11-34 cassette. This gives a higher top gear and a much lower bottom than Pantani was riding on.

A less obvious contrast from Pantani’s bike is that the Colnago has considerably shorter cranks – 165mm compared with 170mm – in spite of Pogačar being a fair bit taller than Pantani. This is quite a recent trend and something Mike Burrows was a big fan of.

> Are shorter cranks better for your bike?

And while the hydraulic disc brakes are part of the Dura-Ace groupset they’ve been tricked up to the nth degree.

The rotors are Carbon-Ti’s super-swish-looking X-Rotor SteelCarbon 3s, with a 160mm front rotor and 140mm rear.

But the tricking out doesn’t end there, as the rotors are stopped by AbsoluteBlack’s Graphenpads, which AbsoluteBlack describes as the ‘world’s best disc brake pads’. Well, as the quote goes, ‘they would say that, wouldn’t they?’!

Claimed weight is 16g per set and an extra 1g for the spring.

Perhaps more significantly, AbsoluteBlack isn’t a UAE Team Emirates sponsor, so the team has to pay for them.

They use a ceramic-organic friction compound using graphene and they feature striking-looking cooling fins, and AbsoluteBlack say’s it’s the cooling ability of these fins that make the difference.

Back in the day – well, in 1998 – wheels took their cues from super-models, espousing low weight and skinniness over all other factors.

This generation of wheels and tyres is more of a plus-size affair, with fatter tyres and wider rims. After all, as our ' why wider tyres on road bikes are here to stay ' feature shows, wider rubber is not only more comfortable, it’s also mostly faster.

From the 21mm tyres of Il Pirata’s days, we’ve gone to 25-26mm tyres in 2018, and in 2024 you’d be hard pressed to find a tyre narrower than 28mm in the pro peloton.

Rims are also a world away from the narrow box-section aluminium rims that Pantani rode on. Think wide, think carbon, think 50+mm-deep rim, think aero.

And you’ll have Enve’s SES 4.5 Disc wheels – though Pogačar also rides on the same wheels with shallower rims for some mountain stages, but apparently not for this one. The 4.5s have a 50mm-deep front rim and 56mm-deep rear.

Their 25mm internal rim width is wider than the overall width of the tubs Pantani rode on, and the external rim width is a mighty 32mm – both of these figures would have been unheard of in the Pirate’s days.

One thing they do have in common, though, is that both eras’ wheels have 24 spokes, Sapim CX-Rays in the case of the Enves. Weight is a claimed 1,452g per pair with an Enve hub and XDR driver. This compares with the 1600g claimed weight of the Electrons, making the Enves both lighter – useful on steep Pyrenean climbs and on flatter surfaces and descents when aerodynamics come into play.

> Lightweight v Aero: which is best?

The tyres are a world apart too.

Tubular tyres – or tubs – dominated pro-level cycling for the best part of a century, but the last few years have seen them challenged by both clinchers and tubeless tyres, and it’s the latter that Pog was riding on yesterday.

The Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR  tyres are fast, grippy, robust and high-quality tyres, as Jamie discovered when he reviewed them. And while Jamie discovered them a pig to fit, Pogačar has mechanics to do that for him.

The 28mm tyre will likely inflate to a little more than 30mm when mounted on the super-wide Enve rims.

While SRM power meters have been available since the 1980s, there was no power meter for Pantani on the Plateau de Beille. And no GPS, either, though we guess he knew where he was.

Pogačar’s bike comes with Shimano’s crank-based power meter , which is wirelessly connected to the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt V2 .

The amount of information that Pogačar has available to him is vastly more than Pantani could have had, though you wonder how much he would have used it – and how much Pogačar uses it. He looks like he rides on emotion and feel, rather than how many watts he can put out at any one point.

And in fact, there have been races in the past where that has been exactly the case.

One of the few common factors between Pantani and Pogačar’s bikes are that Elite supplied the cage – or cages in Pog’s case, the Colnago getting a pair of Elite’s Leggero Carbon cages.

These weight a minimal 17g each, so even the pair of them would be around 14g lighter than Pantani’s Ciussi. Another advantage of carbon over steel.

Pogačar was riding on a ProLogo saddle with Nack carbon rails.

Perhaps surprisingly – or possibly not given how crucial aerodynamics are – Pogačar’s bike is a little heavier than Pantani’s 6.96kg Bianchi, and than the Colnago V3Rs Pogačar rode to victory in 2020, though that had rim brakes.

His Colnago V4Rs weighs around 7.3kg including pedals.

If he wanted to he could have trimmed a little fat, dropping down to Enve’s shallower SES 2.3 wheels and 25mm Conti tyres, but even then it wouldn’t have challenged the UCI’s weight limit.

Pogačar’s Colnago V4Rs: full specification

Weight: c7.3kg 48.5cm Frame: Colnago V4Rs Fork: Colnago V4Rs Chainset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 with power meter cranks, Carbon-Ti 55/40 chainrings, 165mm Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 11-34 Bottom bracket: Bikeone PowerSet T47 bottom bracket with ceramic bearings Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Levers: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Brakes: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 hydraulic disc, Carbon-Ti X-Rotor SteelCarbon 3s discs, 160mm front, 140mm rear Handlebar/stem: Enve one-piece, 37cm bar, 120mm stem Wheels: Enve SES 4.5, 24 Sapim CX-Ray spokes front and rear Tyres: 28mm Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR Seatpost: Colnago carbon Seatpost clamp: Colnago integrated Saddle: Prologo Nago 04 147 Pedals: Shimano’s Dura-Ace PD-R9100 SPD-SL Computer: Wahoo Elemnt Bolt V2 Bottle cages: Elite Leggero Carbon

1998 or 2024? Let us know which bike you prefer in the comments as always

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Simon has been riding since he was a nipper and more seriously since his university days way back when. He has been a cycling journalist for more than two decades and reckons he has upwards of 200,000 miles in his legs. In his time he has competed (in the loosest sense of the word) in time trials, triathlons, duathlons and a lone cyclo-cross; he has been a long-distance commuter for decades – on road and canal towpath. He has also toured extensively in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and has ridden 4,000km from Cairns to Melbourne in Australia, and the 700km from Picton to Dunedin in New Zealand. If his legs carry on working, he'd like to ride from Perth to Sydney...

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14 comments.

"the stoppers that Pantani had to put up with."

I doubt it. The might not have been as good as modern brakes, but they were still very, very good.

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And on aluminium rims, which worked much better than most carbon

Impressive pads.

Looking at all those photos from the nineties - when did the Tour organisers start mandating helmets?

UCI was prompted to mandate helmets after the death of Andrei Kivilev in Paris-Nice in 2000 or near enough. There was quite some peloton resistance and for a year or two they were allowed to remove their helmet on climbs but soon enough things settled down to as they are today.

Miller wrote: UCI was prompted to mandate helmets after the death of Andrei Kivilev in Paris-Nice in 2000 or near enough. There was quite some peloton resistance and for a year or two they were allowed to remove their helmet on climbs but soon enough things settled down to as they are today.

It was Kivilev's death that triggered mandatory helmets but it was a little later, in 2003; it remained permissible to ride helmetless on final climbs over 5km until 2005. The UCI had actually tried to introduce compulsory helmets many years earlier, in the 1991 Paris-Nice, but the riders struck over it and the authorities backed down. 

That Bianchi was an absolute classic, right at that time of transition between classic and compact framesets, quill and ahead stems, 1" steerers and 1 1/8" integrated headsets. Such iconic colours, too. I'd rather have one of those than a V4Rs in my stable, though neither is a priority or an aspiration.

I really doubt that a bike say 600 grams lighter or heavier than that of a competitor's should make such a difference in a grand tour. Mathematically, yes of course with all other things being equal- but they arent equal- stiffness, geometry, rider physique etc- and I think it is misleading to suggest (as some novices might interpret this article) that a champion's bike was better because it was lighter- otherwise what is the point of this article ?

Some obvious corrections

Stephen Roche has also done the Giro-Tour double,

Those Campag brakes are dual pivot

54x11 = 132"

'but the last few years have seen them challenged by both clinchers and tubular tyres, and it’s the latter that Pog was riding on yesterday.'   You mean tubeless

That groupset pic is a bit misleading, as it has a C-Record seatpost. And confusingly, Record 10 was single-pivot early on. But yes, I'm pretty sure Marco's 1998 bike had dual pivots.

And the bike hanging up is different still, since it's got carbon-fibre Ergopowers.

racyrich wrote: 54x11 = 132"

If you are using a modern 28 mm tyre, yes, with the 21 mm tyres Pantani was using the overall diameter of the wheel is considerably reduced and makes the 128 inches quoted here correct.

Mmm, let's think...Pantini, Ullrich, Riis...nope, nothing to stop us chatting about their performances without any possible doubts, eh!

I actually owned one of these for a while, about 15 years ago. Unfortunately, my size XL, with Veloce gruppo, was a touch over 7kg. I don't recall it having Italian threads btw.

Even more unfortunately, an argument with an artic gave it custom rear hub spacing, of about 20mm

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I used to be happy enough to shop in Evans at a pinch if necessary but haven't set foot inside since the takeover. Evans seems to 'save' businesses...

Your sit bones don't play in the perineal area. Here in the states our LBS allow trying out saddles. If I was in your shoes I would try out saddles...

I must admit to feeling a little sorry for Telegraph reporters Eleanor Steafel and Ben Butcher in this case. It's almost certain they had no idea...

Live: Sinkhole appears on Boardmasters bus route in Newquay...

I'm not sure what point you're making? The GP quote was from somebody at the protest.

while it doesn't detract from your main point finding the number of people moved by bus isn't as simple as multiplying the percentage....

Presumably the woman was driving and she should be banned before she kills someone.  The most frightening thing is that they both appear to believe...

Can't really see the problem, unless they are worried all the other cyclists will be trying to to see if they can break the 52 mph mark.

What's the betting he reads the Daily Mail every morning??

Re: ignoring temporary lights...

Tour de France winning bikes: Pinarello is the top dog

We look back at the last 15 bikes to be ridden to victory and Italian brands dominate

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It goes without saying that the Tour de France is the biggest race in cycling, which means it's the perfect proving ground for brands to test their range-topping superbikes, with many companies timing new releases with the Tour each year.

The bike brands are fighting nearly as hard for the top step of the podium as the riders and teams themselves - so which brands have come out on top over the years?

Well, the last decade has been an almost totally Italian affair. Eight of the last ten editions have been shared between Pinarello (Team Ineos) and Colnago (UAE Emirates), with the only upsets coming from Specialized (Astana in 2014) and Cervélo (Jumbo-Visma in 2022).

Looking back a little further and 2011 saw the first ever Australian victor of the Tour de France in Cadel Evans (Team BMC), who rode a BMC Team Machine. Before that Specialized also secured a bike win in 2010 with Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank). 

Schleck was awarded the title after though only after Alberto Contador's disqualification. That didn't actually change the winning bike brand as Contador's Team Astana were also on Specialized.

El Pistolero did win the year before, though, but in 2009 he was on board a Trek Madone. The year before that, and rather neatly topping and tailing our ever-so-slightly arbitrary 15 year timeline, Carlos Sastre won the 2008 race on a Cervélo!

Here's a look at the machines that took their riders to victory from 2008 to 2022 - but first, a few commonly asked questions...

What kind of bikes do Tour de France riders use?

The vast majority of stages are road stages, requiring road bikes. In 2022, there are two time trial stages (stage one and stage 20), where riders will be aboard time trial bikes. But you wanted more detail than that, right?! Most brands supply teams with two road models: a lightweight climbing bike, and an aero bike - the latter being more suited to fast, flat stages. Exceptions include Pinarello, where the Italian marquee says its Dogma F can do both.

How much do Tour de France bikes cost?

The Pinarello Dogma is perhaps the best example to give. Relaunched in August 2021 as the ' Pinarello Dogma F ', the top-end SRAM Red eTap model will set you back £12,000 / $14,500. 

Can you buy a Tour de France bike?

WorldTour bikes ridden by the pros are commercially available. Brands across the board will tell you that the bike you can buy in the shops is exactly the same as that ridden by the pros. However, some skepticism surrounds this assertion. If pro bikes are treated with a slightly different carbon layup and geometry, as is often suggested, the changes will be minimal and likely take into account the lesser requirement of longevity and greater strength/flexibility of professional riders. 

Which bike brand has had the most Tour de France wins?

Pinarello hasn't just dominated the past decade or so - bikes bearing the Italian brand's name are the most successful in Tour de France history. The first of its 16 wins came in 1988 with Pedro Delgado and Team Reynolds, with further successes coming with Miguel Induráin, Bjarne Riis and Jan Ulrich and then Team Sky/Ineos Grenadiers.  The next most successful brand is Peugeot. Now better know for cars, the French brand first won in 1905, with its last victory in 1977. Trek can only claim two official Tour de France wins, with Alberto Contador in 2007 and 2009. The US brand would be equal with Gitane on nine wins but, of course, Lance Armstrong's seven 'wins' aboard a Trek have been struck from the record books.

Tour de France bikes

2022: Jonas Vingegaard's (Jumbo-Visma) Cervélo R5 and S5

The 2022 Tour de France was a display of dominance from the squad we have seen at the forefront of racing for so long now, Jumbo-Visma. Last year, the team swept up the overall victory and KOM jersey with Jonas Vingegaard , as well as the points classification with Wout Van Aert . Six stage victories to top things off made this a pretty memorable run for the Dutch cycling team.

Vingegaard used a combination of Cervélo's S5 aero bike, and R5 climbing bike throughout the Tour, but he ultimately rolled into Paris aboard his custom-painted S5.

Both bikes were fully clad in the latest 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 and featured matching wheels. The Dura-Ace wheelsets varied from the C35 offering for mountain days, while the C60s saw use on the flatter stages.

Interestingly too, 2022 is the first year in history to be won strictly on disc brakes . Though Tadej Pogacar did roll into Paris one year earlier on discs, he also used rim brakes in time trials and for a select few mountain stages - Jumbo-Visma on the other hand, ran exclusively disc setups during the 2022 Tour. If ever there was a sign that rim brakes are on their way to extinction, surely this is it.

2020 & 2021: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) Colnago V3Rs

Pogačar's winning machine from stage nine of 2021

Pogačar's 2020 win made him the first ever Slovenian rider to win the Tour de France, the youngest ever rider at 21-years-old, and he achieved that feat riding a Colnago V3Rs , with Colnago having never won cycling's most prestigious race before either.

Though he rode the same bike model each year, his setups differed. In 2020 he opted for a more 'traditional' feel, with a Campagnolo Super Record EPS 12-speed groupset, Bora One tubular wheels and a set of Campagnolo’s Super Record rim brakes. 

In 2021, though, he used Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS groupset and Bora Ultra WTO 45 wheels with Vittoria Graphene 2.0 tubeless tyres. He switched to disc brakes too for most stages, helping his stability in the often tumultuous French weather.

For two stages he did revert to rim brakes though, one of which came during his stage five time-trial win while using his Colnago K.one time trial bike. He used the same setup that helped during 2020's decisive La Planche des Belle Filles time trial, before he ditched the TT bike in favour of a road bike . 

Pogačar's 'traditional' bike without a power meter or computer on stage 19 of the 2020 Tour de France

Pogačar proceeded on a bike without a power meter or computer, riding on feel alone in one of cycling's most pure rides.

In 2021, his bike featured yellow accents as early as stage nine, when he first wore the maillot jaune, so dominant was his performance. 

2019: Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) Pinarello Dogma F12

While the team may have undergone a name change and re-brand, there was no shock at the top of the Tour de France standings as Team Sky, now Team Ineos, took another title.

The 2019 Tour was a historic moment, however, as Egan Bernal became the first Colombian to ever win the yellow jersey and the youngest rider - at the time - in the modern era, at 22-years-old.

It took  Pinarello  another two years to bring out the Dogma F12 after the launch of the Dogma F10, on which Thomas won last year’s Tour de France. In that time, Pinarello said it had improved the aerodynamics, saving eight watts at 40kp/h, and made the frameset stiffer and lighter too.

Bernal stuck with rim brakes in 2019, twinned with Lightweight wheels for the climbing days and Shimano Dura-Ace wheels on the fast and flat days.

The Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 made up the rest of the components.

2018: Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) Pinarello Dogma F10 X-Light

Thomas won the 2018 Tour d France aboard a Pinarello F10 X-Light - which uses a slightly different carbon fibre compared to previous iterations, resulting in a weight drop of around a kilogram.

The geometry remains fixed, as does the use of an asymmetric bottom bracket, plus the wind cheating concave down tube is designed to incorporate bottles in optimal position.

The Tour's first Welsh winner opted for an integrated 40mm Talon handlebar and 130mm stem, with a  Fizik Arione  saddle that carries his optimum position marked in pen. The saddle height was around 78.5cm and Thomas rode with 175mm cranks - which are longer than most opt for.

The groupset is  Shimano Dura-Ace,  with a 53/39 crankset and 11-30 at the back, alongside a Stages power meter. The wheels fitted when we saw the bike were carbon tubular Dura-Ace hoops, wearing Continental Competition tyres and the paint job carries a speed line for every Team Sky victory.

Read more and see the bike via video

2017: Chris Froome (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma F10

Froome's third consecutive Dogma win. By this point, the employees at  Pinarello 's painting factory in Treviso were probably quite used to applying (apparently) last minute yellow paint jobs  before the roll into Paris.

The  F10 had some minor tweaks from the F8 , but no major overhauls - quite simply, Pinarello and Team Sky felt it was a pretty good bike. Pinarello made the F10 a little bit more aero, a little bit stiffer, and very slightly lighter.

The diet the frame had been on meant that Froome didn't need the X-light model he used when the F8 was in production, so his frame is as per an off-the-peg creation in terms of weight.

When we saw it, Froome had opted for a 53/39 standard set up with an 11-28 cassette, though the chainrings themselves are  osymetric - a preference which can help improve pedalling efficiency.

On flatter stages, Froome used deeper wheels, but when  we had the chance to video it , the bike was shod with shallow Shimano Dura-Ace C40 wheels and pro-only Continental Competition Pro Ltd tubular tyres.

The bars, stem, and bar tape are all Shimano's own brand, Pro, fitted with a K-Edge out from computer mount and Fizik saddle.

See more:   Chris Froome's 2017 Tour de France winning Pinarello Dogma

Like Bradley Wiggins before him, Froome rode the Bolide  time trial bike  during the ITT stages of the race.

Froome opted for 175mm cranks, used a chain catcher to guard against necessary trauma. The saddle height was 79.6cm - 1mm lower than that 79.7cm on his road bike. There was grip tape on his saddle, which helped him maintain the ideal position and he opted for a 58/48T chainring set up with 11-28 cassette.

In a touch of perfectionism, the 3D printed handlebar was made from titanium and moulded perfectly to fit its rider.

Read more:   Chris Froome's Tour de France Pinarello Bolide

2016 & 2015 : Chris Froome (Team Sky) Pinarello Dogma F8

To represent his Kenyan upbringing and passion for wildlife as an ambassador for the charity United for Wildlife, Froome's 2015 and 2016 winning bikes featured unique rhino decals. 

The  osymetric  chainrings are present, with a chainguard to guard against unfortunate chain-drop moments. The rest of the drivetrain was Shimano Dura Ace, with an 11-28 cassette and Stages power meter.

Froome's preference for having two shifting buttons close together meant the satellite shifters were stripped down, also saving him weight in the meantime too. 

The wheels we shot the bike with were Shimano's Dura-Ace C50s, bottle cages were 15g Leggero's from Elite and the bars were Pro.

The winning machine was polished off with a 121mm stem, Fizik Antares 00 saddle with carbon rails and  Continental Competition Pro Ltd tubular tyres.

See more:   Chris Froome's 2016 Tour de France winning Pinarello Dogma F8

2014: Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Specialized S-Works Tarmac

Vincenzo Nibali managed to break up the Pinarello domination in the Tour in the early 2010s, as he rode to victory in 2014 aboard an S-Works Tarmac painted with decals that hark to his nickname - Lo Squalo - or 'the Shark'.

This Tarmac became the first edition to feature a size specific carbon-layup, improving ride quality by better catering for the individual's needs and desires. Nibali added an FSA stem to his machine too, with Corima Viva wheels and a Campagnolo Super Record groupset also included. 

Specialized even customised the Italian's bike for the final day, adding yellow stickered wheels from Corima and a custom FSA stem with yellow decals to the already painted yellow frame. 

During time trial stages, Nibali rode the brand's slippery Shiv TT bike. He finished fourth on the 54 kilometre stage 20 solo event to comfortably maintain his place on the top step of the podium, finishing seven minutes 52 seconds ahead of second-placed Christophe Peraud overall. 

Read more: Vincenzo Nibali’s 2014 Specialized S-Works Tarmac

2013: Chris Froome (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma

The Dogma model before the F8 was the  Dogma 65.1 Think 2 , and it's that iteration which Froome rode to his first Tour de France victory in 2013.

Its standout features were the asymmetric design and wavy forks, seatstays and chainstays. The 65.1 gained its name from the use of a new carbon fibre material: Torayca high-modulus 65 as opposed to the 60 ton carbon of previous years’ models. According to Pinarello, this helped the bike become lighter, and therefore more reactive, which Froome managed to showcase expertly throughout his stellar ride.

Froome's model was of course fitted with osymetric chainrings, Fizik saddle, and the old-faithful looking SRM data-box of days gone by.

2012: Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma

Wiggins rode onto the Champs-Élysées in 2012 on Pinarello's Dogma 65.1, the brand's newest machine, as he secured his maiden Tour de France title. Despite flaunting the sleek bike in Paris that day, Team Sky actually opted for their main rider to stick to the Pinarello Dogma 2 for the rest of the race.

Similarly, Sky ensured Wiggins felt comfortable throughout the three weeks, keeping him on a Shimano Dura-Ace mechanical 10-speed groupset (q for the majority of the time. 

Across both the bike he used in Paris and what he used throughout the rest of the Tour, Wiggins also added a Fizik Arione saddle and yet more osymetric chainrings to complete his machine. 

2011: Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team), BMC Team Machine

Cadel Evans Tour winning machine

Cadel Evans was the first ever Australian to take the Tour victory 'down under', and he did so aboard his BMC Team Machine. The 2011 Tour de France winning machine was the first bike in history to win the biggest bike race in the world with electronic shifting.

Evans' Team Machine featured a relatively chunky carbon lugged design, that even featured an aero seatpost - something more rarely seen back in the early 2010s. The bike was clad with Shimano's first iteration of Dura-Ace Di2, 7970, and featured an SRM power meter too. 

Evans also rode 50mm deep Easton carbon tubular wheels which put together an aero package, that we think, wouldn't look overly out of place today - bar the rim brakes of course!

2010: Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL3

Andy Schleck battling the alpine gradients

Andy Schleck was only officially crowned the 2010 Tour de France champion in early 2012, after the original winner, Alberto Contador, received a doping ban that led to the revoking of his title.

Schleck rode a Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL3, which can be seen above in a dazzling chrome colourway. The eventual winning bike featured mechanical shifting in the form of SRAM Red 10-speed, along with rim brakes.

Carbon wheels were still the order of the day in the form of Zipp's 202 lightweight wheels. Interestingly too, there was no power meter to be seen on the 2010 Tour winner's bike, making Schleck the last winner before power data became more mainstream.

2009: Alberto Contador (Astana) Trek Madone 6.9 Pro

The Spanish climbing legend did retain his 2009 title, this time with a dominant 4m11s winning margin over Andy Schleck. Alberto Contador rolled down the Champs-Élysées on his Trek Madone 6.9 Pro, fully equipped with yellow flashes.

The Madone of 2009 sits in a different postcode to the aero-optimized Trek Madone we know today. The Madone sat as Trek's all-round race bike, with oversized OCLV carbon construction that was influenced by a design ethos based on stiffness and light weight.

'El Pistolero' didn't use a power meter, and used SRAM's 10 speed Red mechanical shifting. Bontrager, Trek's in-house component manufacturer, provided the deep-section carbon wheels and finishing kit to the Spaniard's bike.

2008: Carlos Sastre (Team CSC) Cervelo R5

Carlos Sastre post stage 21

We end our dive into the history books with a nice Cervelo-bookend here, with Carlos Sastre winning the Tour 14 years ago aboard the same line of bikes that Jonas Vingegaard used in last year's race.

The two iterations bare more slightly resemblance than the previously discussed Trek Madones, but 14 years of research and development has certainly seen some changes. 

Sastro's 2008 winning machine featured Zipp 202 lightweight carbon wheels and Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 ten-speed shifting. 3T, who worked closely with Cervelo through this time provided the finishing kit.

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Michelle Arthurs-Brennan the Editor of Cycling Weekly website. An NCTJ qualified traditional journalist by trade, Michelle began her career working for local newspapers. She's worked within the cycling industry since 2012, and joined the Cycling Weekly team in 2017, having previously been Editor at Total Women's Cycling. Prior to welcoming her daughter in 2022, Michelle raced on the road, track, and in time trials, and still rides as much as she can - albeit a fair proportion indoors, for now.

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Four reasons why the Van Rysel RCR is the best premium road bike

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The cobbled roads of Flanders prove the ideal testing ground for Van Rysel

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Tour de France bikes 2024: The ultimate equipment guide

A rundown of the bikes and kit used by the 22 teams at this year's Tour de France

Team equipment table

Tour de france team bikes, tour tech predictions.

The 2024 Tour de France begins on Saturday the 29th of June in the beautiful city of Florence, Italy, before working its way into France. It is the biggest bike race in the world and sees the very best cyclists from the sport's biggest teams do battle over 21 stages. 

If you want to know more about the 22 teams involved, head to our Tour de France team guide for a comprehensive breakdown. 

This Tour de France bike guide looks at each team's bikes and equipment in depth. It can be hard to spot individual bike brands in the peloton while the racing is on, but we have a list of all the individual components and equipment teams are using. So if you're wondering what computers, frames or saddles a certain team is using, we have the answers. How about groupsets? 18 teams are using Shimano Dura-Ace and four teams are using SRAM Red AXS, for example.  

You can also check out our feature on last year's Tour de France winner's bikes if you want to refresh your memory or relive the excitement from 2023 to get into Tour spirit ahead of this year's racing. 

A lot of new equipment and bikes get released before the Tour, and are first seen underneath riders at the Critérium du Dauphiné. This year we spotted four new bikes and lots of interesting tech ahead of the main event, including a new unreleased Trek ridden by Mads Pederson and his Lidl-Trek teammates. 

Cyclingnews will be at the Grand Départ of the Tour de France to cover all the breaking tech news as it happens, so check the website tech section for all the latest news.

Astana-Qazaqstan Team

• Bikes : Wilier Zero SLR, Wilier Filante SLR, Wilier Supersonica SLR TT, Unreleased Wilier spotted in recent races. 
• Groupset : Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Disc 12 Speed
• Wheels : Vision Metron
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro
• Clothing : Biemme
• Saddles : Prologo
• Finishing Kit : Wilier
• Computers : Garmin

Astana-Qazaqstan have ridden with Wilier bikes for five seasons now and the team can now make use of the brand-new and very expensive Supersonica SLR TT time trial bike. 

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All eyes will be on Mark Cavendish, who recently became a knight of the realm in the UK, as he tries to take the outright Tour de France stage win record of 35 stages. Don't be surprised to see Cavendish on a custom or specially painted bike for the race, and look out for his custom Nike shoes.

The team should also have access to a new unreleased lightweight Wilier, which was spotted beneath Wilier's other sponsored team, Groupama FDJ. Elsewhere the team use Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets, Vision wheels and Vittoria Corsa tyres, some of the best road bike tyres around.

Bahrain-Victorious

• Bikes : Merida Reacto, Merida Scultura, Merida Warp TT
• Groupset : Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Disc
• Wheels :  Vision Metron - various options 
• Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR
• Clothing : Alé
• Finishing Kit : FSA, Vision

Bahrain-Victorious will be racing on the Merida Reacto aero bike and the Merida Scultura all-rounder for road stages during the Tour, and a Time Warp TT bike against the clock. Like Astana-Qazaqstan, they also use Dura-Ace groupsets and Vision wheels but instead use Continental GP5000 S TR tubeless tyres, a peloton favourite and now available in several versions. 

Ahead of last year's race, the team rolled out a new paint job which featured a lot more white and paid homage to Bahrain's pearl fishing industry. We're yet to see a 2024 change-out design, but there's still time. Matej Mohorič managed to win a stage last year on his custom bike.  

Bora-Hansgrohe

• Bikes : Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8, Specialized S-Works Shiv TT
• Groupset : SRAM Red AXS
• Wheels : Roval
• Tyres: Specialized Turbo
• Clothing : Sportful
• Saddles : Specialized
• Finishing Kit : PRO, Specialized
• Computers : Hammerhead Karoo  

The main change at Bora-Hansgrohe this year is the updated SRAM Red AXS groupsets and new Hammerhead Karoo computers the team have fitted to their bikes. 

They use the S-Works Tarmac SL8 frame from Specialized as well as some special new wheels from Roval that were recently released, in which the hub leaves the paint off the hub shells to save weight. 

The team will also formally announce a partnership with Red Bull ahead of the race so look out for some new look kit and bikes. 

• Bikes : Look 795 Blade, 796 Monoblade RS (TT)
• Wheels : Corima
• Tyres: Michelin Power Tubular
• Clothing : Van Rysel
• Saddles : Selle Italia
• Finishing Kit : FSA/Vision
• Computers : Wahoo

French team Cofidis use equipment from several French brands. Their Look frames, Corima wheels and Michelin tyres are all French. Look frames have long been famed for their quality carbon fibre construction.

The team race on the Look 795 Blade frameset module which Victor Lafay rode to a stage win last year. They also rolled out a cool Mondrian-inspired Tour paint job last year so keep your eyes open for something special this year. 

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale

• Bikes : Van Rysel RCR / XCR time trial bike
• Wheels : SwissSide Hadron
• Clothing : Rosti / Van Rysel 
• Saddles : Fizik
• Finishing Kit : Deda / Van Rysel 

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team have enjoyed a stellar start to 2024 and have taken over 20 victories already. So much so that the team currently sits 2nd in the UCI Team rankings. 

The team has a new equipment package for 2024, including the Van Rysel RCR frame, owned by parent company Decathlon, which caused a stir in the media for being one of the most affordable bikes to have graced the WorldTour peloton in years. We have it on good authority the team may just have one of the fastest kit packages around. 

The team uses the Van Rysel FCR — one of the best aero helmets — which finished in the top five in our recent aero helmet wind tunnel test . 

EF Education-EasyPost

• Bikes : Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB 71, SystemSix, SuperSlice (TT)
• Wheels : Vision
• Clothing : Rapha

EF Education-EasyPost race on the Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB 71 frame and is famous for limited edition pain jobs or collaborations in big races. Their team edition frame also just became available to buy for the public. 

The team also have the option to race on the more aero SystemSix frame, but riders seem to stick to the SuperSix. That is with the exception of aero-obsessed Irish rider Ben Healy. The team also have access to the fastest helmet around, the new POC Procen Air

Elsewhere, EF are another Shimano team, using Dura-Ace equipment, though they buy their own parts as they're not directly sponsored, and they use FSA power meter chainsets.

US champion Sean Quinn received a special SuperSix painted up in an American flag theme for the 4th of July.

Groupama-FDJ

• Bikes : Wilier Zero SLR, Wilier Filante SLR, Wilier Supersonica SLR TT 
• Wheels : Shimano C35, C50, C60
• Tyres: Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR / Competition tubular 

Groupama-FDJ switched to Wilier bikes for the 2024 season and rolled out a fairly classy, predominantly white and blue paint job. The team have the same models available to them as the Astana squad, including the new hyper-expensive Supersonica SLR TT time trial bike and an unreleased climbing bike. 

Over the past few years, we have seen a mix of Continental GP5000 tubeless and Competition tubular (glued-on) tyres being used by the team. We'll be keeping an eye on whether the team fully transitions to tubeless at the Tour. 

Ineos Grenadiers

• Bikes : Pinarello Dogma F, Bolide (TT)
• Groupset : Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 12 Speed
• Wheels : Shimano (Princeton Carbonworks / Tactic and Aerocoach will be present as non-sponsored additions)
• Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR
• Clothing : Gobik
• Finishing Kit : MOST

Pinarello, Ineos-Grenadiers' long-term bike sponsor, just launched a new version of the Dogma F ahead of the Tour, so expect to see the team riding the brand-new bikes there. 

The team's equipment package which is mostly from Shimano (groupsets and wheels) remains unchanged. But Ineos Grenadiers have been known to change to aftermarket, special wheels for key stages of the race or for time trials, such as the £1000 Tactic hubs , we spotted them using last year.

Intermarché - Wanty

• Bikes : Cube Litening C:68X, Aerium C:68 (TT)
• Wheels : Newmen
• Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR
• Clothing : Verge
• Finishing Kit : Cube
• Computers : Bryton

Intermarché - Wanty has stuck to a fairly standard - even unexciting dare we say it -equipment setup for the last few years. 

The team use Cube Litening road frames with Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets and Newmen wheels. Their bright green handlebar tape and silver wheel decals always stand out. Team leader Biniam Girmay will be looking to win a stage on his Cube bike.

Alpecin-Deceuninck

• Bikes : Canyon Aeroad CFR / Ultimate CFR / Speedmax (TT)
• Wheels : Shimano
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro
• Clothing : Kalas
• Finishing Kit : Canyon / Selle Italia 
• Computers : Wahoo 

Alpecin-Deceuninck's equipment package hasn't changed for a long time and the team has enjoyed a lot of success aboard their Canyon Aeroad bikes. The team also technically has the Canyon Ultimate all-rounder to use alongside the aero model, but we hardly ever see any team riders using it. 

Let's not forget team sprinter Jasper Philipsen, who last year raced a custom green Aeroad as a result of leading the green jersey sprints competition. 

We have seen glimpses of a special custom-painted frame for World Champion Van der Poel and rumours are circulating of a new Canyon Aeroad which we will be keeping an eye out for at the Tour. 

Visma-Lease a Bike

• Bikes : Cervélo S5, R5, Caledonia, P5 (TT)
• Wheels : Reserve 
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro
• Clothing : Agu
• Finishing Kit : Cervelo / FSA

Visma-Lease a Bike will be aiming to defend defending champion Jonas Vingegaard's yellow jersey from last year using their Cervélo bikes. 

The team used custom painted bikes last year, but stuck to the yellow and black theme. This year, however, they've changed their colourway entirely, to a dark blue palette that pays tribute to the Renaissance . 

The team has an aero and lightweight all-rounder to use. The S5 is the team's aero model and R5 is the climbing bike. The team also has the more comfortable Caledonia as well as the Soloist at their disposal but we don't expect to see these bikes as much. For the time trials, it will be the aero P5. 

The team has also switched to the new SRAM Red AXS groupset and Vingegaard was reportedly testing the new carbon cranks at last year's Tour. 

Visma are famed for leaving no stone unturned regarding equipment and we expect them to use 1x drivetrain systems on at least one stage as well as plenty of other tech hacks and optimisations.

Arkéa B&B Hotels

• Bikes : Bianchi Oltre RC, Specialissima, Aquila (TT)
• Groupset : Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
• Wheels : Vision Metron - 45 and 60 
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro 
• Clothing : Ekoi
• Finishing Kit : Reparto course by Vision / FSA

Arkéa - B&B Hotels have been riding Bianchi bikes for two years and have two road models to choose from: the Oltre RC aero bike, and lightweight Specialissima. There's also the Aquila TT for time trials. 

The Oltre RC aero bike has not been without controversy during its lifespan after mechanical issues resulting in snapped handlebars and issues at Paris-Roubaix . Bianchi responded to some of the allegations made in a statement at the time. 

The Tour de France is a harsh test and every team arrives with its equipment in perfect order and ready for a hard three weeks. 

• Bikes : Canyon Aeroad CFR, Ultimate CFR, Speedmax CFR (TT)
• Wheels : Zipp - various options 
• Clothing : Gobik / BORN
• Finishing Kit : Canyon

Movistar are another team, like Ineos Grenadiers, who have been with the same bike supplier for a long time, and 2024 marks the 11th year of the partnership. 

The Spanish squad has more climbers than Alpecin-Deceuninck, so you see a lot more of the Canyon Ultimate model alongside the Aeroad. 

The team also have the new SRAM Red AXS groupset to use this summer after its release in May.

Soudal-QuickStep

• Wheels : Roval - various options 
• Clothing : Castelli

Soudal-QuickStep has ridden Specialized bikes for a long time now and rides the Tarmac SL8 model in the top-tier S-Works version, which was released at the Glasgow World Championships last year.

The team or 'Wolfpack' as they like to be known, will be built around Remco Evenepoel's tilt at the overall classification this year. The Belgian, who is also the World Time Trial Champion, has a custom-painted rainbow Shiv TT bike to use. 

Elsewhere the team uses Dura-Ace groupsets from Shimano, along with Roval finishing kit by Specialized. We also expect to see Roval's limited edition Rapide CLX II Team wheels being used during the race.

Team Jayco-AlUla

• Bikes : Propel Advanced SL, TCR Advanced SL, Trinity (TT)
• Wheels : Cadex
• Saddles : Cadex
• Finishing Kit : Cadex

Team Jayco Al-Ula races on Giant bikes, with Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets and wheels from Cadex, a subsidiary brand of Giant.

The team can choose between the aero-focused Propel Advanced model or the longstanding all-rounder the TCR Advanced SL which received an update earlier this year.

The team's eye-catching paint jobs have drawn attention this year and look great out on the road. Look out for Australian Champion Luke Plapp's custom kit and bike which really stand out. 

Team DSM - Firmenich PostNL

• Bikes : Scott Addict RC, Foil RC, Plasma (TT)
• Wheels : Shimano C36, C50, C60
• Tyres: Vittroria Corsa Pro
• Clothing : Nalini
• Saddles : Syncros
• Finishing Kit : Syncros

Team DSM - Firmenich PostNL race on Scott bikes, and the lightweight Addict model has been around for over fifteen years in its various guises. Like several other teams, they can also choose to race on an aero-focused model. In this case, that is the Foil RC, a bike that first broke cover at the 2022 Tour, and which team sprinter Fabio Jakobsen will likely choose to ride. 

Shimano Dura-Ace takes care of the groupset and wheel package, whilst Syncros provide the integrated handlebars.  

• Bikes : Trek Madone, Emonda, Domane, Speed Concept (TT)
• Wheels : Bontrager
• Tyres:  Pirelli P Zero
• Clothing : Santini
• Saddles : Bontrager
• Finishing Kit : Bontrager

Lidl-Trek is a team to watch this year on the equipment front, there are plenty of techy changes to spot this summer. 

The team has been spotted using a brand new frame that looks like a more lightweight, all-rounder compared to the team's Trek Madone model. We expect to see more of this at the race. 

The team also switched to the new SRAM Red AXS groupset this year, and will also race on the brand-new Pirelli P Zero tyres that launched recently. 

Trek released a series of special custom bikes for last year's Tour, Mads Pederson's in particular caused quite the sir . 

UAE Team Emirates

• Bikes : Colnago V4Rs, TT1 (TT)
• Groupset : Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 / Carbon-Ti chainrings and rotors
• Wheels : Enve 
• Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR 
• Finishing Kit : Colnago

Fresh from victory at the Giro d'Italia , Tadej Pogačar looks to be in unstoppable form this year. He will aim to win his third Tour this year using his Colnago V4Rs which he uses for all stages. As well as the TT1 time trial model pictured above. 

UAE Team Emirates uses Dura-Ace groupsets and Enve wheels and handlebars. Notably, the team have used exotic Carbon Ti carbon chainrings and disc rotors to save even more weight. 

We have heard the team have made some extra tweaks to their bikes ahead of the Tour to make them even lighter so will be keeping our eyes peeled for any extra modifications. 

Lotto-Dstny

• Bikes : Orbea Orca / Orca Aero / Ordu TT bike
• Wheels : Zipp / Oquo 
• Clothing : Vermarc / Ekoi / Defeet 
• Saddles : Selle Italia 
• Finishing Kit : Orbea

Lotto-Dstny is a non-WorldTour team who have secured a place at this year's race. The team races on Spanish Orbea bikes and can choose between the Orca and Orca Aero models. They also use the Ordu time trial bike against the clock. 

The team use Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets along with Zipp wheels and Vittoria tyres. Controversy reigned earlier in the year after a spate of wheel/tyre compatibility issues for the team. 

The team will be gunning for victory and supporting star rider Arnaud De Lie in his quest for a stage win. 

Israel-Premier Tech

• Bikes : Factor Ostro / O2 VAM / Hanzo TT Bike
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
• Wheels : Black Inc. 
• Clothing: Ekoi 
• Finishing Kit : Black Inc.
• Computers : Garmin 

Israel-Premier Tech uses Factor bikes and can choose between two road models, the aero Ostro and the lightweight O2 Vam . They race on the Hanzo model for time trials. 

The team's wheels and integrated handlebars and stems are from Black Inc, a subsidiary brand of Factor. You can also read our exclusive in-depth interview with Factor founder Rob Gitelis for insight into the bike industry and carbon frame construction.

Team TotalEnergies

• Bikes : Enve Melee / Specialized S-Works Shiv TT 
• Groupset : Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
• Wheels : Enve
• Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR 
• Clothing : Sportful 
• Saddles : Selle Italia
• Finishing Kit : Enve
• Computers : Garmin

Total Energies switched from Specialized to Enve bikes after the departure of Specialized-sponsored star rider Peter Sagan last year. 

The squad now uses Enve Melee frames, wheels and handlebars with Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets and Continental tubeless tyres. 

Notably, Enve doesn't currently have a time trial bike in its range so the team uses blacked-out Specialized Shiv time trial bikes against the clock. 

Uno-X Mobility

• Bikes : Dare VSRu / TSRf time trial bike / Velocity Ace Prototype
• Wheels : Garmin
• Tyres: Schwalbe Pro One
• Clothing : Bioracer
• Saddles : Prologo
• Finishing Kit : Dare

Uno-X Mobility races on Dare bikes that are some of the most eye-catching in the peloton. The all-black bikes look aggressive standing still, especially the Velocity Ace Prototype we spotted earlier in the year, we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for this model again at the Tour, including its very aggressive-looking aero handlebar. 

The team uses Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets and DT Swiss carbon fibre wheels - the same wheels that won our wind tunnel wheels test a couple of years ago - with Schwalbe Pro One tubeless tyres, the only team in the race using the German tyre brand. 

The team bikes are usually also fitted with the new CeramicSpeed OSPW for an added drivetrain gain. 

The Tour is the sport of cycling's biggest shop window, it's a great opportunity for marketing, showing products off and gaining attention. 

Brand new bikes tend to get tested in advance of the Tour to ensure riders are happy and we assume to just make sure everything is ready. That being said, you still see new bikes roll out at the Tour, and we'll be sure to keep an eye out for anything new. 

We may see new parts, components and kit appear during the Tour. Everything from optimised new clothing to new sunglasses and cycling shoes as well as bike components. We will be covering everything we spot in detail. 

Sometimes things are so secret or closely guarded we don't even know they are being used. For example, the new SRAM Red AXS crank arms that Jonas Vingegaard was using this time last year.   

There are trends in equipment that inform what we think we might see, and we have written about them here in our tech predictions for the Tour de France

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Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as tech writer. Tom has over 10 years experience as a qualified mechanic with 5 or so of those being spent running an independent workshop. Tom has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track and has ridden and competed in most disciplines, even the odd bit of bike polo. Tom is as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike exploring the Worcestershire lanes.

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This Is How Much the Winning 2024 Olympic Mountain Bikes Cost

Hint: they ain’t cheap

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High-end bikes are staggeringly expensive, but those prices soar even higher when considering the custom paint jobs and high-performance components featured on the mountain bikes at the 2024 Olympics. Money is no object when it comes to a rider’s career, and a nation’s pride is on the line.

Unlike most other sports in the Olympics, cycling’s governing body, the UCI, requires that all bicycles used in competition must be commercially available to the public. This stipulation means that if you’ve got the money, you can buy or build, the exact bike ridden to gold, silver, or bronze. (Your results may vary, of course.) We’ve crunched the numbers and rounded up the details: Below are our price estimates of the fastest mountain bikes at the 2024 Paris Olympics and their production counterparts.

2024 Olympic-Podium Mountain Bike Quick Facts

• Winningest brand: Pinarello with two gold medals
• Winningest model: Specialized’s S-Works Epic World Cup with two silver medals
• Full suspension mountain bikes: 5
• Hardtails: 1
• Bikes with dropper seatposts: 6
• Bikes with Shimano mechanical drivetrains: 4
• Bikes with SRAM electronic drivetrains: 2
• Bikes with electronic suspension control systems: 2
• Bikes with Berd string spokes: 3

Women’s Olympics Podium Bikes

Gold: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s Dogma XC Hardtail ($12,500)

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot dominated the women’s cross-country race. The 12-time World Elite Champion attacked on the first lap, breaking away from the field and extending her lead each lap. When she crossed the line seven laps later, the French rider had built up a nearly three-minute lead over the best female riders in the world.

She was one of a handful of women who opted to race a hardtail at this year’s Olympics. Ferrand-Prévot, who races for INEOS Grenadiers and is sponsored by Pinarello, found success on her Dogma XC hardtail on the fast and relatively tame—by World Cup standards—Paris course.

Key features of Ferrand-Prévot’s Dogma XC hardtail include a Suntour Axon 34 Werx Boost EQ suspension fork and a Suntour Vertical helium dropper seatpost with 60 millimeters of travel. She sped away from the pack on a wheelset featuring Princeton Carbonworks P1 Race Tech rims laced with Berd ’s ultralight polyethylene “string” spokes that weigh considerably less than traditional stainless steel spokes. Continental Race King tires rounded out her wheel set-up. While electronic drivetrains may be all the rage these days, many racers, including the recently crowned women’s Olympics XC champ, still prefer the lightweight and faster shifting of Shimano’s XTR drivetrain .

We estimate that, as built, her bike would cost buyers approximately $12,500. While you can’t buy Ferrand-Prévot’s gold medal build, you can get close with this $11,200 production version .

Silver: Haley Batten’s S-Works Epic World Cup LTD ($16,000)

Haley Batten’s second-place finish in Paris is a reason to celebrate for Team USA. Americans have struggled in cross-country racing at the Olympics despite inventing the sport. Susan DeMattei finished third in the inaugural mountain bike event at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, as did Georgia Gould in 2012 at the London Games.

Batten’s race for silver was hard-fought and represents the highest finish (woman or man) of any American in Olympic mountain biking. She caught the chase group attempting to reel in Ferrand-Prévot, but a cracked carbon wheel and flat tire set her back. Undeterred, the 25-year-old from Park City, Utah, was able to swap her rear wheel in the pit zone and rejoin the race.

Batten, who rides for Specialized, had three bikes to choose from: a hardtail, a full suspension, or a hybrid design that’s nearly as light as a hardtail with just enough rear suspension to improve traction. She opted for option #3, the Specialized S-Works Epic World Cup. This purebred race bike has a scant 75 millimeters of rear suspension that relies on flex in the carbon seatstays, instead of pivots, to save weight. Batten’s race bike was equipped with SRAM’s premier XX Eagle Transmission drivetrain as well as the component company’s electronic suspension control system, known as Flight Attendant. This smart suspension system automatically controls suspension damping to make the bike as efficient and fast as possible. It seems like it worked.

Batten’s build is around $16,000. It’s not available as a stock option from Specialized, but the LTD edition of the S-Works Epic World Cup is close at $14,000.

Bronze: J enny Rissveds’s Ibis Exie ($12,500)

Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds took home gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She set her sights on a second gold medal in Paris, but Ferrand-Prévot’s lead was insurmountable, leaving Rissveds to battle Haley Batten for silver. Rissved actually helped Batten get back into the race, following her unfortunate mechanical, by shouting out to the American’s mechanics that Batten would be coming through the pit zone with a flat tire, thereby ensuring they’d be prepared a quick wheel change.

Rissved rode consistently throughout the race, ultimately crossing the line five seconds behind Batten. The Swedish racer finished aboard an Ibis Exie that was handbuilt in California, making it a rarity among carbon mountain bikes, most of which are manufactured in Asia.

Of the three women’s podium bikes, the Exie features the most suspension, with a 120-millimeter Fox Stepcast suspension fork paired with 100 millimeters of rear wheel travel. Standout components on Rissved’s Exie include prototype Ibis carbon wheels, an Inpeak power meter, Shimano’s XTR drivetrain, and a Fox Transfer SL dropper seatpost. While we’re on the subject of droppers, it’s notable that although each of these three riders opted for bikes with varying amounts of suspension travel, they were all willing to accept the weight penalty that comes with running a dropper seatpost. Dropper seatposts were a rarity in XC racing a few short years ago, but have become essential as many World Cup courses have become more technically demanding.

Rissved’s Ibis Exie would retail for approximately $12,500. The top-end build Ibis currently offers includes a SRAM XX Eagle drivetrain, rather than Shimano’s XTR, and will set buyers back $12,200.

Men’s Olympics Podium Bikes

Gold: Tom Pidcock’s Dogma XC ($17,000)

Tom Pidcock is one of the world’s most versatile professional cyclists, having won World Cup championships in cyclocross as well as mountain biking and secured an impressive stage win at the 2022 Tour de France. The British racer, who had to abandon this year’s Tour de France after contracting COVID in mid-July, still had the fitness necessary to successfully defend his gold medal from the Tokyo Games.

While Pauline Ferrand-Prévot made her race-winning move during the first lap of the women’s race, Pidcock fought to regain the lead following a puncture on the fourth lap to trade blows with French racer Victor Koretzky.

Pidcock, who also races for INEOS Grenadiers during the regular season, had a Pinarello hardtail and full suspension to choose from. Despite criticizing the Paris course as “just gravel” and “bland” in a pre-race interview, Pidcock decided to race his Dogma XC full suspension. His race bike featured 100 millimeters of front suspension matched with 100 millimeters of rear travel. To maximize efficiency, the defending gold medalist relied on Suntour’s electronic Tact suspension system , which, like SRAM’s Flight Attendant, automatically adjusts the firmness of the front and rear suspension to match the terrain.

The rest of Pidcock’s build closely resembled his INEOS Grenadier teammate Ferrand-Prévot, with a 60-millimeter Suntour Vertical helium dropper seatpost, mechanical Shimano XTR drivetrain, and those ultralight Princeton Carbonworks P1 Race Tech rims, Berd spokes, and Continental Race King tires.

With its electronic suspension control and boutique carbon wheels, Pidcock’s race bike costs nearly $17,000. The off-the-shelf build will set buyers back a cool $14,000.

Silver: Victor Koretzky’s S-Works Epic World Cup LTD ($14,000)

French rider Victor Koretzky gave it his all during his battle with Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock and came away with a silver medal for his efforts. The three-time World Cup winner, who races for Specialized, had the same trio of bikes to choose from as fellow silver medalist Haley Batten. Koretzky and the majority of Specialized athletes felt the S-Works Epic World Cup was the right bike for course.

While Batten’s Epic World Cup boasted SRAM’s AI-controlled Flight Attendant suspension system, Koretzky kept things analog, with a cable-actuated lockout system to firm up the 110-millimeter RockShox SID fork and 75 millimeters of rear suspension during sprints and climbs. Specialized’s lightweight Roval Control SL 29 carbon wheelset wrapped in a fast-rolling combination of an S-Works Renegade front tire paired with an S-Works Captain rear tire helped the French hold off all but one competitor.

With the exception of a 100-millimeter RockShox Reverb AXS dropper seatpost, Koretzky’s build is nearly identical to the stock version of the LTD edition of the S-Works Epic World Cup , which retails for $14,000.

Bronze: Alan Hatherly’s Cannondale Scalpel LAB71 Special Edition ($16,000)

This year’s Olympics was Alan Hatherly’s third time representing South Africa at the Olympic Games. The 28-year-old racer finished 28th in 2016, 8th in the 2020 Games, and finally secured a podium finish in Paris. Hatherly chased Victor Koretzky, attempting to match the Frenchman’s pace before ultimately settling back and holding on to third as Pidcock and Koretzky battled for gold.

Hatherly, sponsored by Cannondale, rode a special edition of the company’s full-suspension mountain bike, the Scalpel. Cannondale’s “LAB71” designation denotes limited-production models, constricted from premium materials and featuring premium components.

The eight-time South African mountain bike champion’s bike featured a custom paint scheme inspired by the nation’s flag. Build highlights included 120 millimeters of front and rear travel with Cannondale’s iconic single-sided Lefty Ocho fork at the helm. Shimano’s XTR group handled shifting and braking duties, while a 100-millimeter Fox Transfer SL dropper seatpost allowed the bronze medalist to descend the handful of technical descents confidently. Similarly to gold medalists Ferrand-Prévot and Pidcock, Hatherly employed Berd’s PolyLight spokes to save precious grams.

With all the custom touches included, Alan Hatherly’s Cannondale Scalpel LAB71 Special Edition likely comes in around $16,000. The production version is slightly more palatable at $14,000.

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Welcome to the future, where we’re aero-optimizing everything, including the front tire of your road bike.

You’re always likely to find new gear at the Tour de France. More often than not, that gear is something that’s either recently released or set to be released soon. So what’s up with these new tires from Continental and Vittoria? It depends.

First up is Continental, with a tire featuring a tread pattern I’ve never quite seen before. Spotted on Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale’s Van Rysel race road bikes, the tires feature these square indents staggered along the tire’s casing.

Why the staggered indents? We suspect it is for some kind of aero gain, at least at the front of the bike, as the rear tire was just a standard Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR that almost feels like a standard issue tire across half the peloton. We’re unclear what aero advantage the design offers, but we’d suspect it would work not unlike the dimpling or scaling one might find on some carbon road wheels.

While the logos were nicely blacked out with a Sharpie, careful reading shows the words ‘Continental’ stamped into the tire’s sidewall. The stamping also indicates the tires are at least labeled as 28 mm versions.

If it isn’t already there, Vittoria’s new tire looks ready for production. The tire–something we’ll call the Vittoria Corsa Pro Wide– is based on the Corsa Pro tire we’ve come to love, just adopted for use with 25 mm internal rim widths. Traditionally, Vittoria has recommended a minimum 30 mm tire with a 25 mm internal rim width, but these are labeled 29 mm.

Why would a company do all of this work just for a 1 mm width decrease? These are the pros after all, and every millimeter matters. We suspect this is another case of aero optimization, getting the best tire combination with your rim. It isn’t clear exactly what Reserve wheelset Visma-Lease a Bike used for Stage 1, but we’d bet it was the Reserve 42|49 wheelset, featuring a 25.4 mm internal rim width up front and a 24.8 mm internal rim width out back.

We’ve reached out to both Continental and Vittoria for comment and will update accordingly.

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