Aero shape, real-time data telemetry, samurais and blood – Cav's bike has it all
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HTC-Columbia team sponsor Scott provided Mark Cavendish with this specially painted Project F01 aero road bike.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
We're not sure whose blood this Japanese samurai is shedding - but it's an undeniably violent scene.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
You can also pan around on the map as you normally would with Google Maps to get an idea of where the stage is situated overall.(Image credit: Screen shot)
What's the order of the HTC riders in the bunch? The GPS resolution is fine enough to discern that, too.(Image credit: Screen shot)
Wondering what Mick Rogers is doing at the moment? Check it out here.(Image credit: Screen shot)
The snapshot view provides the location of all of the riders, their current speeds, and a map view of your choosing with the usual Google Maps options.(Image credit: Screen shot)
The team's real-time information is available on several sites, including Google, SRM, and HTC's own as seen here.(Image credit: Screen shot)
(Image credit: Screen shot)
HTC-Columbia has a variety of wheels (both make and model) available to use but here Cavendish's bike features Zipp 404 rims.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Steel and titanium cogs are fitted to the Shimano Dura-Ace rear hub.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Cavendish perches himself atop a fi'zi:k Arione CX Carbon Braided saddle.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Given the big 'Cavendish' on the top tube, we're thinking the sticker on the seatpost is a bit superfluous. Check out the neatly integrated seatpost binder.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Feel free to correct us if this is wrong, but we were told these characters roughly translate to 'samurai werewolf'.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
There's quite a lot of detail going on on this frame.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Scott claims the Project F01's partial airfoil cross-sections yields 20 percent less frame drag than the Addict.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Team mechanics glued a speed magnet to the rim, requiring the sensor to be mounted way up high.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Cavendish's own PRO signature series stem was installed for Stages 2 and 3 but was swapped out for the older block-style model for Stage 4.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Continental's versatile Competition Pro Limited Allaround tires are Cavendish's race rubber of choice.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Believe it or not, HTC-Columbia riders are carrying complete HTC Legend phones with them during the entire Tour de France as part of a project with SRM and Google to transmit and upload real-time data - including speed, heart rate, power output, and even position via GPS. Follow the riders during the stage at www.highroadsports.com.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Scott uses a tapered 1 1/8"-to-1 1/4" front end for its new Project F01.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Cavendish's signature handlebar features an anatomic bend.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
We asked team equipment manager Hermann Pacal just to be sure - yup, that's supposed to be blood spatter.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Cav's Shimano Dura-Ace brake calipers are fitted with the company's latest carbon-specific pad compound.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Cavendish doesn't just get a custom painted bike - he even gets his own personalized laser etching on the AceCo K-Edge chain watcher.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
A 'blood red' SRM PowerControl 7 computer matches the rest of the paint job perfectly.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Cavendish's Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 crankarms are fitted with a 7900-compatible SRM power measuring spider.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
The Shimano Dura-Ace rear derailleur is modified with BBB pulleys - presumably with ceramic bearings inside.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Further down towards the bottom bracket, it's a much more pleasant scene.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Scott augments its current Project F01 paint scheme for Cav's machine, retaining the red tube surfaces to show the hacked-off airfoil sections but dressing them up in Cav's requested "ninjas and blood" motif.(Image credit: James Huang, Tech Editor)
Spectators can view real-time data of each HTC-Columbia rider - including their precise location - via a link on the team's web site.(Image credit: HTC-Columbia)
HTC-Columbia sprinter Mark Cavendish has replaced last year's 'Sprint Force' custom paint scheme with a more sinister Asian-inspired tone on his new Scott Project F01 aero road bike.
HTC team staff told us that Cavendish initially wanted "a ninja theme and requested a chrome bike to look like the blade of a sword – and perhaps a few drops of blood and sword slashes." Scott designers did a good job of lending a slightly more civilized feel by drawing on some classic Japanese artwork, and while the standard team issue rig's paint layout is generally retained with contrasting color panels to highlight the chopped-off aero profiles, Cav definitely got what he wanted.
As requested, the custom graphics include a sword-wielding samurai contrasted with an idyllic landscape – and lots and lots of blood spatter.
The build kit is little changed from star sprinter's previous Addict with a Shimano Dura-Ace mechanical group and pedals, SRM-equipped crankset, fi'zi:k Arione CX Carbon Braided saddle, Elite cages, and AceCo's increasingly popular K-Edge chain watcher – the latter even custom etched just for Cavendish. Pictured here are Zipp 404 carbon tubular rims laced to Shimano Dura-Ace hubs with Sapim CX-Ray spokes but HTC-Columbia typically has an unusually broad range of wheels at its disposal that also includes Shimano and HED.
Cavendish even gets his own signature line of cockpit components from PRO as well. His burly Vibe Sprint carbon stem – painted to match, of course – is similar to the blocky PRO model he's used in previous seasons and the corresponding Vibe Sprint bar is specially built for an extra-stout feel during rushes to the line.
Bar width remains the same as last year but stem length has gone up a tad to 135mm – saddle position has also slid forward but by a more substantial 15mm. In total, this now puts Cavendish further over the front of the bike than before but total reach has dropped 10mm so he's more compact than before, too.
One new equipment addition this year has no significant effect on his Cav's on-bike performance but does make it easier for staff (and the public) to see what he's doing at any given moment – at least when he's riding, that is.
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The team recently unveiled a project undertaken with sponsor HTC (a major mobile phone manufacturer) and internet giant Google. Riders carry HTC Legend mobile phones with them during each stage (housed in a small bag beneath the saddle and weighing under 200g in total) and they're paired with each rider's SRM power meters and speed sensors via the ANT+ wireless protocol.
Cavendish's own PRO signature series stem was installed for Stages 2 and 3 but was swapped out for the older block-style model for Stage 4.
Assuming the riders are within range of a cell tower, this lets team staff track each rider's speed, cadence, power output, heart rate, and even exact position via the phone's on-board GPS in real time – thus aiding the team's ability to make tactical decisions while also providing a better snapshot of each rider's condition.
"This project is a great opportunity for HTC, Google/Android and Highroad to prove a concept," said Google product manager Dylan Casey. "This project illustrates the power of the Android platform and its use of open standards like ANT+, and when coupled with applications like My Tracks, demonstrates what's possible.
"We're also excited about giving users access to data and in this case bringing live telemetry and GPS location data to users, developers and broadcasters," he continued. "The Tour de France is truly a global event and by enhancing the experience of being a fan we hope that the popularity of the race, and most importantly the teams and riders, will increase."
