Clincher tyres, inner tubes, mountain bike rotors and a splash of yellow for the Frenchman in the maillot jaune
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Prior to Stage 3, Alaphilippe shows off his yellow-tinted race bike(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Despite winning on clinchers, he was back on tubular tyres for the sprint stage into Sisteron(Image credit: Wout Beel)
For the earlier photo shoot, the bike is fitted with shallower Roval Alpinist CLX wheels(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Which curiously, are shod with Turbo RapidAir tubeless road tyres(Image credit: Wout Beel)
The range-topping groupset from Shimano is fitted, complete with disc brakes(Image credit: Wout Beel)
A common sight in this year's Tour de France, Shimano's XTR mountain bike disc brake rotors, which are 10g lighter than Dura-Ace(Image credit: Wout Beel)
The Dura-Ace crankset is Shimano's power-meter-equipped model(Image credit: Wout Beel)
A simple cable tie will keep Alaphilippe's race number in place on the Specialized Tarmac seatpost(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Atop which, Alaphilippe is using an S-Works Romin Evo saddle(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Clearance for wider tyres might be available, but Alaphilippe will be running either 24 or 26C rubber(Image credit: Wout Beel)
It wouldn't be a Deceuninck-QuickStep bike without the Wolfpack logo(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Eschewing the Aerofly II handlebars, Alaphilippe is using PRO Vibe Superlight bars(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Despite not using the integrated handlebars, the team mechanics can still achieve a tidy cockpit thanks to the new Tarmac stem(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Supacaz provides the bar tape(Image credit: Wout Beel)
While Tacx provides its Deva carbon bottle cages(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Of course, Alaphilippe's name and country flag adorns the chain stays(Image credit: Wout Beel)
For his time in the maillot jaune, Alaphilippe's bike is given a selection of yellow highlights(Image credit: Wout Beel)
He's also showing off his Richard Mille watch, worth a cool $120,000(Image credit: Wout Beel)
Early on in last year's Tour de France, Julian Alaphilippe stormed into the yellow jersey on Stage 3 with a daring attack on the Cote de Mutigny, 15km from the finish into Epernay.
This year he went a day earlier, taking the maillot jaune on Stage 2 into Nice. With a little over 13km remaining, Alapahilippe jumped toward the top of the Col des Quatre Chemins. Only Marc Hirschi could follow - Adam Yates later bridged - but the Frenchman's power was too much for his breakaway companions and the onrushing peloton led by Greg van Avermaet, giving the Deceuninck QuickStep leader his 16th day in yellow.
He did so aboard the all-new Specialized Tarmac SL7, the race bike that Specialized calls the 'one bike to rule them all', replacing not only its Tarmac SL6 predecessor but also the brand's Venge aero bike.
His win marked the first road stage win for clincher tyres and inner tubes in modern cycling history. Despite the risk of being unrideable when flat, riders from both Specialized-sponsored teams have been seen using the technology, which Roval claims "is delivering the lowest riding resistance and supple road feel."
This use of clinchers will come partly due to the non-tubeless-compatible nature of Roval's newest wheelsets, although curiously, at the time of shooting, Alaphilippe's bike is seen fitted with Specialized's Turbo RapidAir tyres, the dedicated tubeless road tyres from the American brand.
The Rapide CLX is the aero wheelset in the range, and it puts emphasis on stability in crosswinds with the use of a shallower front rim. The Alpinist CLX is the lightweight offering, weighing in at just 1,248g. This is further exampled with Alaphilippe's use of Shimano XTR mountain bike disc brake rotors, which are 10 grams lighter than the Dura-Ace counterparts.
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Equipment choice comes day by day, however, and for the flat stage 3 into Sisteron, Alaphilippe was back onto Roval CLX50 wheels fitted with tubular tyres.
Click through the gallery above for a closer look at Julian Alaphilippe's Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
