Simply three levels in, and this yr’s Tour de France has confirmed to be a hotbed of unreleased tech.
Biking Weekly spent the final three days nosing across the staff paddocks throughout the Italian Grand Départ, and located a prototype Decathlon superbike, new aero wheels and bottles, and freshly developed tyres with go-faster tread.
The advances, in fact, come as no shock; there are stage wins up for grabs, and useful seconds obtainable within the normal classification. Listed here are among the new marginal features groups are deploying to attempt to make a distinction.
NEW BIKES
Van Rysel FCR bike noticed at Tour de France
(Picture credit score: Future/Tom Davidson)
Among the many new bikes which have damaged cowl on the race is an aero super-machine from Decathlon in-house model Van Rysel.
Labelled the ‘FCR’, the bike’s body is distinctly sharper than the RCR Professional ridden by Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale all through the season. One of many staff’s mechanics mentioned the riders had been “very impressed” by its velocity of their coaching.
Sam Bennett and Felix Gall made the bike’s debut in competitors on stage two to Bologna, with Bennett driving it to ninth within the dash the next day.
Canyon’s unreleased Aeroad CFR in world champs colors
(Picture credit score: Tom Davidson)
World champion Mathieu van der Poel and his teammate Jasper Philipsen have additionally been driving a brand new bike, an unreleased however undoubtedly up to date mannequin of the Canyon Aeroad CFR.
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The variations from its earlier iteration are delicate, with the top tube and seatstays receiving wonderful consideration. The designers have additionally up to date the bike’s built-in handlebars, which have a adverse drop to attract the rider right into a extra aggressive place.
The Trek Madone Gen 8 is lastly ‘launched’
(Picture credit score: Tom Davidson)
Bike model Trek selected to be louder with the launch of their new Madone Gen 8, utilized by Lidl-Trek on the race, which was formally unveiled two days earlier than the beginning of the Tour.
The bike claims to be as gentle because the model’s climbing providing, the Émonda SLR, however as quick as its greatest racing choices.
In line with Trek, the body is fabricated from a brand new kind of carbon – 900 collection OCLV – which advantages from a “extra environment friendly moulding course of”.
Handlebars barely cut back drag created by these inconveniently pedalling legs
(Picture credit score: Tom Davidson)
One of many elements of the brand new Madone Gen 8 that was ignored in its preliminary launch is its peculiar handlebars.
Somewhat than a clean curve, their design follows a jagged path, in an nearly half-pentagonal form. The brand new bars are thicker than their predecessors, and are mentioned to be much less aerodynamic themselves, however “barely cut back drag on the pedalling legs by slowing the air down in entrance of [the rider]”.
AERO BOTTLES
Aero bottles are higher on the bike than off
(Picture credit score: Tom Davidson)
Lidl-Trek’s asymmetrical bottles additionally stand out of their new set-up.
A spokesperson for the staff advised Biking Weekly that the design is the fruit of an elaborate aerodynamic testing course of that made them extra aligned with the body’s down tube.
The spokesperson additionally defined that the testing course of revealed the bike to be faster when the brand new bottles are within the cages. So do not be stunned to see Mads Pedersen sprinting with a fully-loaded body.
UNRELEASED WHEELS
A staff mechanic mentioned he knew “nothing” about these new wheels
(Picture credit score: Tom Davidson)
A brand-new set of Black Inc aero wheels have been noticed on the Israel-Premier Tech bus. Just one rider, Guillaume Boivin, selected to make use of them on stage two, with the vast majority of the staff choosing them on the flatter third stage.
The unreleased wheels are deeper than those beforehand utilized by the staff, with the quantity 62 written on them, presumably denoting their depth. Requested by Biking Weekly for extra data, a staff mechanic mentioned he knew “completely nothing” concerning the wheels, simply that the sponsors had just lately offered them.
AERO TREAD
Mismatched tyres with an aero tread on the entrance
(Picture credit score: Tom Davidson)
There is a new tyre design within the bunch, too, with an eye catching, chiselled out tread.
Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale riders’ bikes are fitted with Continental tyres marked ‘Aero 111’, which have a curiously boxy sample.
The staff solely fitted the brand new tyres on the rider’s entrance wheels, with a mechanic confirming that there’s a negligible benefit in having them on the rear, attributable to turbulence created by air hitting the down and seat tubes. Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale have due to this fact been driving with mismatched tyres, Aero 111s on the entrance, and GP5000s on the again.
