Dean Dealy of GoPro was busy fitting a number of team bikes with custom mounts for the company's tiny video cameras, such as this one that hangs inconspicuously below an SRM computer.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Team Type 1 had much of their equipment stolen earlier this season so many of the riders' Colnago M10 race bikes were brand-new.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rabobank team mechanics have removed a section of Oscar Freire's fi'zi:k Arione CX saddle.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rabobank's Oscar Freire prefers his bars extra-low, which requires team mechanics to use this makeshift plate in lieu of a standard upper headset cone.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rabobank team bikes were outfitted with stock Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 rear derailleur cages throughout unlike the customized HTC-Highroad ones, which used aluminum inner plates.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Oakley has added this new 'sky blue' color option to its collection though the company's sports marketing man, Steve Blick, is quick to point out that it's not quite the same tint used by the Sky team.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Oakley's new road riding-specific "Echelon" collection includes dedicated tints such as this Ruby Iridium-coated VR50 photochromic lens.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Oakley unveiled a new 'crystal red' color option for its versatile Radar model.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Jelly Belly used the Tour of California to show off its new Dips - chocolate covered gummy beans offered in five flavors.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Jelly Belly p/b Kenda sticks with Focus bikes this season but switches from the Cayo to the Izalco model.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sponsored teams such as HTC-Highroad are finally getting fully equipped on Specialized's new S-Works Venge aero road bike as the company continues to ramp up production.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rabobank is attacking this year's Tour of California aboard its usual Giant TCR Advanced SL machines.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rabobank riders will once again use Giant's striking Trinity Advanced SL bikes for time trials.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The SRAM NRS crew was busy in the days preceding the start of the Tour of California getting all of their bikes and wheels ready to run in case they were needed.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Notice anything missing here? SRAM NRS mechanic Butch Balzano praised the group's Aprilia motos, saying the clutch-free CVT transmissions made him better able to tend to the needs of riders. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The SRAM NRS crew recently treated itself to new Aprilia motorcycles, freshly wrapped and decaled for the Tour of California.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Chatter of a possible prologue in lieu of a proper first stage had teams scrambling to get their time trial gear in order. As it turns out, riders would do little on Sunday other than suit up and sit around as highly unpredictable weather forced the cancellation of the stage entirely.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
SpiderTech p/b C10 team mechanics had a lot of tires to glue prior to the start of this year's Tour of California.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Specialized tubulars (made by Veloflex) are mounted to Zipp 404 carbon rims on the Saxo Bank-Sungard bikes.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Saxo Bank-Sungard rider Sebastian Haedo is using Specialized's S-Works Tarmac SL3 for this year's Tour of California.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Many Europe-based teams had to make do with rented trucks and trailers for the Tour of California but Radioshack mechanics had the luxury of its own rig dedicated for US domestic campaigns.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The aluminum bridge joining the extension mounts on Giant's Trinity Advanced SL stiffens things up while also providing a handy mounting spot for computers.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Team mechanics were rightfully anticipating nasty weather for the early days of the race and many bikes were fitted with slightly wider tires than usual for better traction.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
HTC-Highroad's Specialized S-Works Shiv bikes feature a tidy cutout in the stem cover for the Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 control box.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
HTC-Highroad mechanics spent the days leading up to the start of the Tour of California to put the finishing touches on the team's equipment, including the Specialized S-Works Shiv bikes that will be used later this week.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Garmin-Cervélo's ultralight Mavic R-Sys Ultimate hub uses bonded carbon construction save for the driveside flange and axle internals. Unlike the standard R-Sys, tubular carbon fiber spokes are used on both the driveside and non-driveside.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Garmin-Cervélo mechanics were busy getting lots of tires glued on to their Mavic wheels in the days leading up to the start of the race. Included in the arsenal are Mavic's ultralight and rarely seen R-Sys Ultimate model.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Oakley sports marketing man Steve Blick paid countless visits to sponsored teams and riders before the start of the Tour of California, making sure everyone had the frames and lenses they wanted.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Oakley sports marketing man Steve Blick is using Calfee's new internal battery pack for an ultra-clean look on his one-off Trek Madone.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Oakley sports marketing man Steve Blick isn't technically sponsored by Trek but his unique position in the industry still gives him access to a few special favors like this one-off Madone 6-Series frame with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2-only routing and a Calfee battery pack hidden inside the seatmast. Sorry, folks, Trek says there are no plans to bring this edition to market.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The front derailleur wire on Steve Blick's Trek Madone takes a much shorter path outside the frame than usual, popping out just below the bottle mounts on the seat tube.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Steve Blick's special Trek Madone 6-Series frame does without the usual access port on the underside of the bottom bracket shell.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Consumer-spec Trek Madone frames normally have a hole atop the chain stay yoke for either the Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wire or the front derailleur cable but Steve Blick's frame is finished smooth.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Bissell Cycling's Blackburn Neuro computers use a unique mount that secures beneath the headset cap.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Claimed weight on the ultralight Mavic R-Sys Ultimate tubular carbon fiber rims is just 230g apiece.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Dean Dealy of GoPro was busy fitting a number of team bikes with custom mounts for the company's tiny video cameras, such as this one that hangs inconspicuously below an SRM computer.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This HTC-Highroad rim has both a bit of electrical tape to keep the valve stem quiet as well as a magnet glued on for the wireless speed sensor.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
HTC-Highroad rider Danny Pate says he taped up some of the vents on his helmet not so much to defend against the cold but rather to protect from sunburn.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Team mechanics took advantage of the good weather in the days preceding the start of this year's Tour of California, happily working outdoors in brilliant sunshine and warm temperatures.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Shimano's Dura-Ace Di2 satellite shifters are becoming more commonplace these days and some riders have opted to mount the pods so that they're facing forward, opposite from the intended orientation.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
…but flip around to the other side and you can see that the standard carbon fiber inner pulley cage plates have all been replaced with stouter aluminum ones.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
HTC-Highroad's Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 rear derailleurs looked stock from this angle…(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
GoPro doesn't currently have any plans to offer these modified mounts to the public but given how little work is required relative to the company's standard bits (not to mention the number of compatible fi'zi:k saddles out there), we can't help but wonder if it'll eventually happen anyway.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
GoPro (and HTC-Highroad TechDev manager Lars Teutenberg) developed this tidy camera mount to work on any saddle with standard rails.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Bissell Cycling continues to be one of the best-outfitted teams on the US domestic circuit with its Pinarello Dogma framesets, Campagnolo Record groups and Easton carbon wheels.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
GoPro to capture in-peloton coverage
GoPro outfitted a number of teams and riders in this year's Amgen Tour of California peloton with its tiny high-definition video cameras to provide fans with a rare in-the-peloton look at the race from a rider's point of view. While some final details were still being sorted out, GoPro's Dean Dealy told Cyclingnews that cameras would be outfitted on racers' bikes from the HTC-Highroad, Rabobank, Garmin-Cervélo, RadioShack, and Liquigas-Cannondale teams.
Footage would then be collected each day, edited, and included as part of daily television coverage. Additional clips were likely to appear on the company's web site, too.
Custom modified brackets were built in an effort to allay rider objections to having extra widgets attached to their bikes, including one integrated into SRM's aluminum computer mount and a tidy clip-in bit that snaps right into ICS-equipped fi'zi:k saddles. GoPro also worked with HTC-Highroad TechDev manager Lars Teutenberg on a third clamp-on, rear-facing mount to work on any saddle with conventional rails.
Dealy says GoPro unfortunately doesn't currently have plans to bring the modified mounts to market - though enterprising home mechanics honestly wouldn't have too much trouble recreating them on their own. Either way, the resultant footage will provide fans with an exciting perspective they normally don't get to see.
The standard carbon fiber inner pulley cage plates have been replaced with stouter aluminum ones on this HTC-Highroad Di2 rear derailleur. Photo: James Huang
HTC-Highroad bikes equipped with beefed-up Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 rear derailleurs
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HTC-Highroad's Specialized S-Works Venge aero carbon fiber road rigs arrived at the Amgen Tour of California with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic groups across the board - but with one notable variation from the consumer version. While standard Di2 rear derailleurs boast all-carbon fiber pulley cage plates in an effort to save a few grams, HTC-Highroad's mechs instead used custom assemblies with aluminum inner plates.
HTC-Highroad TechDev manager Lars Teutenberg was understandably mum on the reasoning behind the modification but a cursory hands-on inspection showed the hybrid cages to be notably more rigid than stock setups. Moreover, the more ductile metallic construction likely makes HTC-Highroad's derailleurs more tolerant of inevitable crashes, too.
The standard carbon fiber inner pulley cage plates have been replaced with stouter aluminum ones on this HTC-Highroad Di2 rear derailleur. Photo: James Huang
Oakley debuts new frame colors and lens tints in South Lake Tahoe
Oakley sports marketing man Steve Blick was busy making the rounds at the Amgen Tour of California, making sure sponsored teams and riders had whatever eyewear they wanted and/or needed prior to the start of the race. Included in his impressively well-stocked gear bag were some new frame colors and lens tints.
Making a fresh appearance after a multi-year reprise is the translucent 'crystal red' frame color in select styles. Adding to that is a new 'sky blue' hue that Blick says is similar - but notably not identical - to that used by the Sky team.
Oakley have added this new 'sky blue' color option to their collection, though they're quick to point out that it's not quite the same tint used by the Sky team. Photo: James Huang
Oakley is also launching a new 'Echelon' collection that's specifically aimed at road riders with purpose-built lens tints, including a Ruby Iridium-coated VR50 photochromic option for heightened contrast of typical pavement features and better usability in varying conditions.
"On the road, this is a good lens on days that may start early with zero light or rain that may have changing conditions throughout the day," Blick told Cyclingnews. "The riders are claiming to have better vision under the lower light conditions as if you are in a clear lens. For a guy like Swifty who won in them today, they worked in both sun and rain. It is a lens a rider can depend on to get the job done with the signature Oakley Iridium 'pop' and the rider can leave the eyewear on his face without taking on and off under changing light conditions."
