Voeckler leaves the tops of his FSA Plasma integrated bars untaped.(Image credit: James Huang)
The stays are fairly medium-sized as compared to some modern competitors.(Image credit: James Huang)
Colnago's new C59 uses more aggressively shaped tubes than before.(Image credit: James Huang)
Voeckler's carbon railed Prologo Scratch Pro TR Nack saddle is mounted atop a Colnago carbon seatpost.(Image credit: James Huang)
The internally routed derailleur cables enter the frame just behind the tapered head tube.(Image credit: James Huang)
Voeckler is using Time's latest i-Clic Ti Carbon pedals.(Image credit: James Huang)
Colnago continues to stick with lugged construction on its top carbon models.(Image credit: James Huang)
BBox-Bouygues Telecom team leader Thomas Voeckler's Colnago C59 is dressed in the colors of the French national road race champion.(Image credit: James Huang)
The deep-section Campagnolo Bora Ultra Two carbon fiber tubulars have custom colored decals to match the rest of the bike.(Image credit: James Huang)
The rather conventional alloy dropouts are relieved on their inner surfaces to shave a few grams.(Image credit: James Huang)
Campagnolo's Super Record rear derailleur is chock full of forged aluminum, carbon fiber and titanium.(Image credit: James Huang)
Voeckler foregoes the carbon cage of Record or Super Record in favor of Chorus's titanium one.(Image credit: James Huang)
Campagnolo's Super Record cranks feature hollow carbon fiber arms.(Image credit: James Huang)
A steel and titanium 11-25T Campagnolo Record cassette is pictured here but like all riders at this level, Voeckler has a wide range of ratios to choose from on any given day.(Image credit: James Huang)
Elite Custom Race bottle cages are colored to match the French national champion color scheme.(Image credit: James Huang)
Nosed Gore Ride-On ferrules help protect the cable coating from abrasion as it enters the housing.(Image credit: James Huang)
Voeckler's brakes are fitted with carbon-specific blocks.(Image credit: James Huang)
The Campagnolo Super Record cranks rotate on stock ceramic bearings.(Image credit: James Huang)
Voeckler runs no spacers either above or below the stem so team mechanics trim the steerer just so.(Image credit: James Huang)
Bastille Day will hold an especially important meaning for BBox-Bouygues Telecom team leader Thomas Voeckler at the Tour de France, he being a French rider on a French team, a memorably valiant defender of the maillot jaune two years ago, as well as the current national road champion. Proudly dressed in the colors of his country's flag, his bike is however a nearly 100 percent Italian machine: Colnago's latest C59.
Rather than use the more common tube-to-tube or semi-monocoque carbon fiber construction of the rest of the industry, Colnago has opted to stick with its tried-and-true lugged technology. It's no boat anchor, though, with all-carbon tubes and lugs that keep the frame down to a highly competitive 950g or so.
Neither does the C59 use old-style round pipes, either, with its '+'-profile tapered down tube and multisided top tube. The rectangular chain stays are slightly larger than what we've seen in the past out of Cambiago, too, while the wishbone-style seat stays slim down a bit for a smoother ride. Also featured on the C59 is a tapered front end for added steering precision and internally routed cables for a cleaner appearance.
Voeckler runs no spacers either above or below the stem so team mechanics trim the steerer just so.
The build kit is almost entirely Italian as well with a nearly complete Campagnolo Super Record group and Campagnolo Bora Ultra Two deep-section carbon tubulars with matching white, blue and red decals. Voeckler subs in a Chorus front derailleur, though, with a titanium cage instead of the carbon fiber one of Record or Super Record. And as is common for most riders at the Tour, it's supplemented with a slim chain watcher to prevent a dropped chain.
Rounding things out are FSA's Plasma integrated carbon fiber bar and stem, a Prologo Scratch Pro TR saddle with carbon fiber rails, Hutchinson tubular tires and Time's latest i-Clic Ti Carbon clipless pedals.
Total weight as pictured is just 7.08kg (15.61lb).
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