The ladies’s Tour de France is in full swing this week, and most notably, in my nation of residence: The Netherlands. That’s made it tremendous simple to verify issues out this yr, on a number of completely different phases – each common street and time trial. For as we speak’s submit, we’ll have a look at a street stage, after which in tomorrow’s(ish) submit, I’ll dive right into a time trial stage, together with some group automotive bits and extra!
Above is an preliminary behind-the-scenes video masking all kinds of issues, together with the next bits of interestingness:
– How Shimano Impartial Service inventories every group’s bikes in the beginning
– Kristen Faulkner’s new bike setup post-Olympic gold medal
– …and pairing of mentioned new bike/energy meter to her new golden Wahoo BOLT (in the midst of the group zone)
– Laundry machines, clearly
– The rationale why one group had good trainers out for a non-TT stage
– Which groups are utilizing energy meter pedals
– Which groups are rolling-up on the final second
– A gaggle of ladies cyclists following the Tour…besides beginning in Germany
– A extremely huge squirrel provides me a hug
– A have a look at Puck’s handlebar every day art work, outlining the stage particulars (present KOM holder)
– All kinds of completely different random issues
Mainly, it’s what occurs once you give me a digital camera for two hours and I simply need to geek out on the randomness of professional biking within the group zone. Or primarily, what I at all times do on the Tour de France, males’s or ladies’s.
After all, a whole lot of that’s in pursuit of inventorying sports activities tech, and as we speak was energy meter day. As is usually the case, the alternatives among the many ladies’s facet are way more fascinating. For the boys’s facet, it’s principally choose one: Shimano or SRAM (with a facet dish of a single SRM group). However for the ladies’s facet, the world is your oyster! We’ve seen every little thing from Favero to Garmin to SRM to 4iiii to Phases previously. And that largely holds true right here too.
At a excessive stage, right here’s the run-down:
Shimano (crank arms): 8 groups
SRAM (spider): 6 groups
FSA/Power2Max (spider): 4 Groups
Garmin Rally (energy pedals): 1.5 Groups
4iiii (crank arm): 1 Group
Look (energy pedals): 0.5 Group
SRM (spider): 0.5 Group
To me, the massive stand-out right here is definitely FSA/Power2Max (nearly totally because of the FSA facet), they’ve slowly however certainly grown their pie over the previous couple of years. Power2Max makes a very good product, and FSA is leveraging that effectively (as they’ve for years).
After all, at this level, a few of you’re like ‘WTF’, half a group? Effectively, hopefully, this subsequent bit makes it a bit extra clear:
Arkéa–B&B Lodges Ladies: Shimano
Ceratizit–WNT Professional Biking: Shimano
FDJ–Suez: Shimano
Fenix–Deceuninck: Shimano
Liv AlUla Jayco: Shimano
Lotto–Dstny Women: Shimano (+ a pair FSA/Power2Max)
Group dsm–firmenich PostNL: Shimano
UAE Group ADQ: ShimanoCanyon–SRAM: SRAM/Quarq
Human Powered Well being: SRAM/Quarq
Lidl–Trek: SRAM/Quarq
Movistar Group: SRAM/Quarq
Group SD Worx–Protime: SRAM/Quarq
Visma–Lease a Bike: SRAM/QuarqEF–Oatly–Cannondale: FSA/Power2Max
Roland Biking: FSA/Power2Max
St. Michel–Mavic–Auber93: FSA/Power2Max
Uno-X Mobility: FSA/Power2Max (+ couple Garmin Rally)AG Insurance coverage–Soudal: Garmin Rally
Cofidis: Half Look pedals, Half SRM
Laboral Kutxa–Fundación Euskadi: 4iiii (single-sided)
There’s a number of groups that had riders with Garmin Rally pedals floating round (some Shimano-based groups, some nothing-based), after which one group that’s within the technique of changing over to Look’s energy meter pedals (simply as they’re on the boys’s facet, given sponsorships).
These groups that had Garmin Rally have been groups that have been sponsored by Garmin at-large (bike computer systems, trainers, and many others…), however not ones the place I noticed Garmin Rally on all bikes. Nearly all of Garmin’s pro-level biking sponsorships of main TdF groups are restricted to the non-power stuff, a minimum of publicly.
Garmin has famous they’re completely happy to sponsor the facility meter facet, however Shimano/SRAM largely block that, through drivetrain sponsorships.
Inversely, we noticed no Wahoo-based energy meter pedals this yr (by way of widespread sponsorships, maybe I missed a motorbike someplace within the 180 or so riders), whereas previously each Wahoo and Favero had sponsored groups. However once more, that is usually pushed by drivetrain sponsorships greater than something. There’s no significant resistance to energy meter pedals within the WorldTour peloton as we speak, like there was 8-10 years in the past. Heck, given the Shimano accuracy points, many groups *are* utilizing energy meter pedals in coaching (the place they will get away with it, from a contract standpoint).
I did see a shock 4iiii group although, which I used to be not anticipating. Albeit, all single-sided models.
In any occasion, extra to come back with all the main points from the time-trial stage, together with a number of surprises and firsts on the good coach facet of issues.
Keep tuned, and thanks for studying!
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