Massive tyres, mechanical groupsets and endurance bikes for Grand Tour riders
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Fortuneo-Samsic used BH Ultra Light framesets for the stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Chris Froome crashed during the race but managed to finish in the lead group covered in dust(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Egan Bernal ran additional brake levers on the tops of his handlebars(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Alejandro Valverde also taped up his wrists(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Wout Poels' Pinarello Dogma K10 featured the HiRide rear suspension system(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Classics specialist Sep Vanmarcke arrives at sign-on ahead of the stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Sylvain Chavanel was one of several riders who taped their wrists up for the stage in an attempt to cope with the vibrations of the cobbles(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Romain Bardet rode the stage aboard a CHPT3 edition Factor O2 but the Frenchman's day was littered with mechanicals(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Stage winner John Degenkolb arrives at sign-on ahead of the stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Greipel ran 28mm tyres(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Andre Greipel had hand-written course notes on his stem(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Porte's brake caliper was also left open to allow adjustment during the stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Double-wrapping handlebars can be difficult to have a neat finish(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The Trek Domane features Trek's IsoSpeed dampening system for improved comfort(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Tom Skujins was another rider with satellite shifters on his handlebar tops(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Richie Porte's handlebars were double-wrapped for the stage but the Australian didn't make the first sector after crashing out(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Using a mechanical groupset can prevent accidental changes when racing over the cobbles(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Dumoulin also had satellite shifters on the front of the tops of his handlebars(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Team Sunweb swapped out their Shimano R9100-P cranksets for last year's Dura-Ace 9000 cranksets equipped with Pioneer power meters(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
An EF-Drapac mechanic double-checks tyre pressures with a digital pressure gauge ahead of the stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Every EF-Drapac rider looked to have double-wrapped their handlebars with a mechanic saying 'We've gone full Roubaix' ahead of the stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
EF-Drapac used the more endurance focused Cannondale Synapse framesets for the race(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Wanty Groupe-Gobert marked each bike with the desired tyre pressures for the stage with Timothy Dupont opting for 5.0 bar front and rear (around 72 psi)(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
LottoNL-Jumbo were another team to adopt satellite shifters on the handlebar tops(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Rigoberto Uran used a Di2 climbing switch on the centre of his handlebars(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Tom Dumoulin ran 4.1 bar at the front and 4.3 bar at the rear (around 59 psi and 62 psi, respectively)(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Teams were prepared with plenty of spare wheels for the stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Vincenzo Nibali's Merida Sculture for stage 9 of the Tour de France(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Vincenzo Nibali ran a mechanical version of the Shimano Dura-Ace groupset for the stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
After using a Merida Reacto for the majority of the race so far, Nibali switched to a Merida Scultura for stage 9(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Groupama-FDJ are another team on Continental Competition RBX tyres in 28mm width(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
As with Paris-Roubaix back in April, LottoNL-Jumbo used Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 series wheels for the cobbles(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Due to saddle position this data transmitter was taped to the seat post for added security over the rough cobbles(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Nibali ran an 11-28 cassette (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Up front, Nibali opted for 54/44 chainrings (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Marco Minaard ran 4.5bar at the front and 4.8 bar at the back(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Uran's compact handlebars with the double-wrapped bars(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
EF-Drapac ran 30mm Vittoria Corsa Control tyres(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
28mm S-Works tyres were used by Quick-Step Floors(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Fernando Gaviria's cockpit of his S-Works Tarmac(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Mitchelton-Scott recently switched tyre sponsors to Pirelli and blacked out the manufacturers on the tyres used for stage 9(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Continental and FMB tyres were used by Mitchelton-Scott for the stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Some of the Quick-Step Floors riders opted for S-Works Roubaix framesets for the stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Philippe Gilbert's S-Works Tarmac for stage 9 of the Tour de France(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Lotto-Soudal used a mix of Ridley Noah and Helium framesets for the stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Cofidis looked to have attached rim tape to their bottle cages for extra security(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Cofidis are another team to double-wrap their handlebars(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
It is understood Team Sky brought close to 50 volunteers (in the fluoro yellow t-shirts) to line the road with spare wheels and food over the sectors(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The future shock suspension system on the Specialized Roubaix has a lock-out switch for comfort and stiffness on cobbles and asphalt respectively(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Bora-Hansgrohe used S-Works Turbo Hell of the North tubulars in the 28mm variant(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The majority of Bora-Hansgrohe raced on special rim brake versions of the Specialized Roubaix frameset(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The 28mm tyres left little clearance on the framesets and could've been more of a problem on a wet and muddy stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
As well as satellite shifters on the top of his bike, Cavendish ran his usual sprint shifters on the handlebar drops(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Like the majority of teams, Lotto-Soudal opted for 28mm tubulars(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Andre Greipel and his Lotto-Soudal teammates use C-Bear ceramic bearings on their Ridley bikes(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Some Movistar riders ran 28mm Continental Competition in the PTX variant(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Pro Continental team Fortuneo-Samsic were another team to use Elite Ciussi bottle cages for the race(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Dan Martin ran his usual Colnago V2-R frameset but was another rider to double-wrap his handlebars(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
UAE Team Emirates used all-black, 28mm Vittoria Corsa Control tyres(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Here you can see just how close the chainring sizes are, with the inner chain ring barely visible(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
A few of the AG2R La Mondiale riders used CHPT3 edition Factor O2 framesets, which were first seen at Paris-Roubaix back in April(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Daniele Bennati had a custom badge on his handlebars commemorating the 2018 Tour de France(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Aero cockpits were wrapped to the stem with comfort the priority over aerodynamics(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Other Movistar riders opted for the RBX variant of the Continental Competition tubular(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Dimension Data are another team to use Elite Ciussi bottle cages(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Cavendish looked to double-wrap his handlebars and went all the way to the stem for additional comfort(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Michal Kwiatkowski and his Team Sky teammates switched from their Pinarello Dogma F10 bikes for K10-S bikes that feature electronic suspension(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
A closer look at the tread profile on the Vittoria Corsa Control tyres(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Trek-Segafredo paired Bontrager Aeolus 4 XXX wheels with 28mm Vittoria Corsa Control tyres(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Former Paris-Roubaix winner John Degenkolb and his Trek-Segafredo teammates used Trek Domane Disc bikes for the stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Because of the flat parcours, several teams chose to run close gearing on their front chainrings with 53/44 a common combination(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Because of the flat parcours, several teams chose to run close gearing on their front chainrings with 53/44 a common combination(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The 28mm tubulars used by Astana had a file like tread profile(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The Astana team switched out their regular Argon 18 Galium Pro bikes for different framesets but ran the same spec excluding the 28mm tyres(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Team Sky also switched from their usual Continental tyres to the legendary FMB Paris-Roubaix handmade tubulars(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Team Sky also switched from their usual Continental tyres to the legendary FMB Paris-Roubaix handmade tubulars(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Team Sky also switched from their usual Continental tyres to the legendary FMB Paris-Roubaix handmade tubulars(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Cavendish looked to double-wrap his handlebars and went all the way to the stem for additional comfort(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Dimension Data used 28mm Continental Competition RBX tyres(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Cavendish's chain slipped during the stage 8 sprint and he has been known to prefer using a Shimano crankset over the team sponsor's offering from Rotor(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Mark Cavendish and his Dimension Data teammates used Cervelo R3 framesets for the stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Direct Energie raced on 28mm Hutchinson tyres(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Many teams switch to older style metal bottle cages that can be bent in for a more secure fit on the cobbles(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Many teams switch to older style metal bottle cages that can be bent in for a more secure fit on the cobbles(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Many teams switch to older style metal bottle cages that can be bent in for a more secure fit on the cobbles(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Many teams switch to older style metal bottle cages that can be bent in for a more secure fit on the cobbles(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Peter Sagan raced the stage on a special Sagan Collection S-Works Roubaix equipped with rim brakes rather than the consumer version, which is available as disc brake only(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The ninth stage of an intense opening first part of the Tour de France included 15 sectors and over 22 kilometres of the northern French cobbles, with the stage weaving its way from Arras Citadelle to a stone's throw from the famous Roubaix velodrome.
While the pavé is expected and welcomed during the one-day Classics in the spring, asking mountain and GC specialists who weigh 60 kilograms to battle the infamous cobbles is another question altogether.
BMC Racing's overall GC hopeful Richie Porte crashed out with a suspected broken collarbone before the race had hit the first sectors – the crash a likely result of the nerves and tension within the peloton.
Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) and Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First-Drapac) suffered time losses for multiple mechanicals and a crash, respectively.
Romain Bardet rode the stage aboard a CHPT3 edition Factor O2 but the Frenchman's day was littered with mechanicals
Ahead of the stage start, a mechanic for EF-Drapac told BikeRadar that the team had 'gone full-Roubaix' for the stage, with the American-registered squad riding its endurance-focused Cannondale Synapse framesets, which are more compliant than its other race-focused SuperSix or SystemSix framesets, along with 30mm-wide Vittoria Corsa Control tyres and double-wrapped handlebar tape all-round for the team.
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Double-wrapped handlebar tape was a common feature with riders on the start line of the stage, with some riders also opting to tape their wrists and fingers in an attempt to reduce the vibrations from the ancient roads.
Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) has ridden the majority of the opening stages of the race aboard a custom-painted Merida Reacto but for stage 9 opted for the lighter and less aerodynamic Merida Scultura.
After using a Merida Reacto for the majority of the race so far, Nibali switched to a Merida Scultura for stage 9
Nibali's Scultura was set up almost identically to how the multiple Grand Tour winner had the bike set up for the Tour of Flanders earlier in the year, and interestingly used a mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 groupset.
The majority of the peloton stuck with electronic groupsets for the stage, but by using a mechanical groupset Nibali reduced the risk of accidental gear changing over the rough cobbles.
While EF-Drapac opted for 30mm tyres, the majority of the peloton ran 28mm tyres, and almost every team switched to more robust versions of the tyre brands they normally use for racing.
Team Sky swapped out their usual Pinarello Dogma F10 race bikes for the cobble-specific Dogma K10 models, which feature HiRide rear suspension systems for a more compliant rear end of the bike.
Click or swipe through the extensive gallery above for a closer look at the tech on display for stage nine of the 2018 Tour de France.
