Mismatched setups, franken-bikes, insanely expensive watches, sunglasses under visors, aftermarket weightweenie-ism, and what looks like a new Roval wheel
(Image credit: Getty Images)
With a big yellow bang, the Tour de France 2024 is over. Tadej Pogačar took an incredible 6th stage to underscore his dominance of this year's race in the final time trial from Monaco to Nice.
Finishing the race with a time trial rather than a procession into Paris before a sprint on the Champs-Élysées mightn't be the finish that we've all become used to, but it certainly gave us nerds a second bite at the tech cherry.
Given it featured two climbs, a large descent, and a flat run to the finish, teams would face an optimisation challenge to get their equipment right. At the speeds pro riders can climb, the main climb was shallow enough that 'full-aero' - time trial bikes, helmets and wheels - should have been the most optimal setup, but as ever, it's not that simple. We saw riders on road bikes, time trial bikes, hybrid frankenbikes, and mixed equipment from both disciplines.
We also spotted some nifty optimisation techniques, some curious choices, and a handful of new bits and pieces. As ever, there were weird helmets, some clever hacks and some outright bodges.
Given the mathematical nature of time trialling, many riders will have known they had no chance of a result, and although most still gave it a good effort - chapeau to Lenny Martinez who occupied the hot seat for the early part of the day - others chose to have their own processional stage and rolled around the course at a comparatively leisurely pace.
This was certainly the case for Romain Bardet, Simon Geschke and Mark Cavendish, who each enjoyed the occasion of their final Tour de France appearance, even if the latter would have preferred to sprint for one final time in Paris.
The latter, Cavendish, was one of a handful of riders who preferred to optimise for his sponsor agreements rather than for speed, with a curious decision to wear sunglasses beneath his helmet visor. He wasn't the only one.
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We'll start with some actual tech nerdery. Here we'll run through some of the things we spotted that are either new, or aimed primarily at improving the rider's performance.
Starting with Jonas Vingegaard, who not only content with an all-new Cervelo time trial bike - as launched by the brand quietly on the day of the stage 7 time trial - also had it in the raw carbon finish, ie devoid of any paint, to keep the weight down. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Also, look a little closer and you'll see a custom seatpost and time-trial specific saddle from a company called Dash Cycles. This combo costs a cool $1000. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Here's a closer look at the same setup, found on the bike of Matteo Jorgenson. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Pogačar too had an unpainted frame to keep the weight down. With the climb at the start, his now-customary Custom-Ti carbon chainrings were set up as a 2x configuration, like most in the race. We believe the only riders on 1x were Ineos Grenadiers, but with Classified rear hubs offering an effective inner ring. (Image credit: Getty Images)
And not to be outdone by his rival, Pogačar also had a custom seatpost, in this case from Spanish brand Darimo, topped with a specially-made time-trial-specific Prologo saddle. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Another with an unpainted frame was the other GC contender of the race, Remco Evenepoel, whose Specialized Shiv TT is fitted here with what we believe is a new front wheel. It looks marginally deeper than the front wheel found in the existing Rapide CLX II pairing. It also looks to have a differently-shaped profile which actually resembles the rear wheel in the aforementioned pairing. Has Specialized simply laced a Rapide CLX II rear rim onto a front hub? Or has the brand got a new front wheel on the way? At the moment, we don't know. Elsewhere, Evenepoel is also running a short sleeve skinsuit. Commonly, long sleeves are proven faster, as the material can be modified to improve aerodynamics, but according to the team, Remco's bare arms actually tested faster. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Victor Campenaerts, the former World Hour Record holder, is another with short sleeves. Notably, his arms are shaved too. He must know this is the fastest option for him. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Speaking of aerodynamic improvements, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale riders have been using odd tyres at this year's race. Here you can see the Continental Aero 111 tyre up front, paired with a standard GP5000 tyre at the rear. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Not the newest tech hack to grace our screens, but we spotted a handful of riders wearing their race radios down their front across their sternum, rather than on their back which effectively stands proud like a small entirely-unaero brick. (Image credit: Getty Images)
To get around having to wear a radio at all, the DSM-Firmenich PostNL team had a nifty tech hack in their arsenal. These helmets have inbuilt race radios from Sena, with all the receiver, microphone and transmitter gubbins built in. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Flop-timisation
Now it's time to get into the opposite; the tech choices that would seemingly make riders slower, rather than faster.
On the course in question, according to multiple renowned sources, the fastest setup was a full-aero time trial setup. The only caveat to that is if a rider cannot sustain the same power when in the time trial position.
There was no reason for a rider to chase the KOM points at the top of the climb, as Richard Carapaz had already sewn up the competition.
Yes, I'm about to berate the aero optimisation of the guy who put over a minute into second place, I appreciate the irony of that. However, Tadej Pogačar made a few interesting tech choices that would definitely have slowed him down. The first of which is the lack of overshoes. Given their minimal weight, they're almost always the faster choice, but he's chosen not to wear them. (Image credit: Getty Images)
He also wore a watch. In this case, a €250,000+ watch from sponsor Richard Mille. In both the case here and above, we can only assume that Pogačar was so comfortable with his five-minute lead on GC (understandable) and either confident enough in his ability to win the stage or not that desperate to win it, that he was happy to accept the performance loss to give his sponsors some additional airtime. Less understandable is the choice of standard rotors, despite having aero rotors at his disposal. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Wout van Aert is another rider who chose to forego overshoes, instead wearing lace-up Nimbl shoes. It's worth saying, however, that Van Aert didn't race the course, and finished over eight minutes down at the end. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Enric Mas, of Movistar, made a curious choice with his bike. He ran a full time trial setup, including helmet, but chose to run a road rear wheel instead of a disc. These would be lighter, no doubt, but the aero benefit of a disc rear would almost certainly have been faster. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Felix Gall, meanwhile, started on a road bike, but swapped to a time trial bike at the top of the second climb. He wore a road helmet for the duration, and finished over 7 minutes down. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Giulio Ciccone went one step further, by creating a Frankenbike that comprised the Emonda road frame, a disc rear wheel, a pair of clip-on aero bars and a time trial helmet. He too swapped to a full time trial bike before the descent. However rather than a weird mismatch of tech optimisation for marginal gains' sake, our esteemed contempraries at the Escape Collective podcast reported that this setup was due to an injury meaning Ciccone couldn't put the power down on his time trial bike. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Quentin Pacher used a time trial helmet, but in a road skinsuit with short sleeves and a road helmet. Perhaps he dislikes the heat of time trial helmets. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Jonas Abrahamsen went the other way round, with a road bike but a time trial helmet. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Jasper Philipsen did the same. Hell will freeze over before Philipsen wins a hilly time trial at the Tour de France, so we wouldn't be surprised if he used his road bike simply to let his mechanics have an easier day. He did, however, use a new helmet from Abus. (Image credit: Getty Images)
And that brings us nicely onto helmets. You didn't think we could have a time trial tech gallery in 2024 without a section dedicated to the weird and wonderful (okay maybe not so wonderful) helmets, did you?
Movistar used the same new Abus helmet as Philipsen, and Javier Romo gave us a nice view of the rear. We can only assume this is a long-overdue new version of the Gamechanger TT helmet. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Biniam Girmay was also using a new helmet. This one from Uvex has been around for a month or so in the peloton, and though it looks fine, in this green colour we can't help but liken it to a wheelie bin. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Ekoi also has a new helmet in the peloton, as modeled here by Simon Geschke. On the assumption that we all agree gigantic helmets look a bit silly, do we think the German is happy that his final Tour appearance was made wearing this? (Image credit: Getty Images)
Simon Yates was also seen in a new helmet. This broke cover before the Tour, but has yet to be launched by Giant. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Onto the weird ones... Carlos Rodriguez's Ineos Grenadiers team have used gurney flaps on their visors for a while now, but this year they've doubled in size. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Still, they don't get much weirder than the new Giro helmet piloted by Visma Lease a Bike. It genuinely reminds me of the front of an aeroplane, which I suppose is no bad thing for an aero product. (Image credit: Getty Imbini bikeages)
This takes a close second place in the weird-helmets stakes. Notably, however, it appears there are two visors available for it. Here, Bob Jungels is wearing a big visor... (Image credit: Getty Images)
...while Jai Hindley only has a little one. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Concerningly, the new MET helmet used by the UAE Team Emirates riders looks to have an issue with staying put. Here, Tim Wellens has taped it in place across the brow... (Image credit: Getty Images)
Joao Almeida had done the same to his helmet too. Nobody else in the team had, though, so perhaps these are early-production models, or had simply been damaged. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Sp-optimisation
I know I'm making up words now, but in this section I think we should talk about sponsorship. It's the model on which the sport works, and I think the change of the Tour de France's final stage to a time trial affects the ability for brands to captialise.
Brands will always roll out specially-painted bikes for the classification holders, and in 2024 things were no different, but there will be no photo of Tadej Pogačar rolling down the Champs Élyseés on a yellow bike sipping champagne.
Regardless, riders not contending for the stage win would enjoy an hour of relatively chilled riding, often with cameras pointed their way.
We've already seen Pogačar appeasing sponsors, and Mark Cavendish did the same. Alongside his Nike shoes painted by Damian Hirst, he also wore his lifelong sponsor Oakley's Kato sunglasses underneath his helmet visor. Does that effectively turn the helmet's visor into nothing but a fairing, and thus make it illegal? He also wore a similar watch, placed in the unusual position of the outside of his sleeve. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Despite riders being aboard time trial bikes for the final stage, the bike sponsors still had their day. This green Cube Litening was used by Biniam Girmay for the final week, and we think it looks great. The colourmatched green logos on the wheels, green bartape and pedals work nicely together. (Image credit: Getty Images)
This bike was never used, because Evenepoel preferred to race an unpainted bike for the final stages as he tried to eke out a second place, but Specialized still painted him a special white-jersey-edition Tarmac SL8. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Cannondale did the same for Richard Carapaz. Given the Ecuadorian had little chance of winning the stage, and no general classification standing to fight for, he raced the polka dot bike on the final stage, no doubt enjoying the day more than most. (Image credit: Getty Images)
EF went one step further though, by polka-dotting up Carapaz's Cadillac follow car. (Image credit: Getty Images)
UAE Team Emirates, winners of the general classification with Tadej Pogačar, of course, were also the winners of the team classification. They celebrated both achievements by donning the entire team - and wider squad - in custom yellow clothing. (Image credit: Getty Images)
And despite having ridden a raw carbon race bike for the final road stages, and then the time trial bike on Sunday, Pogačar finally got his full-yellow Colnago bike for the podium presentation. (Image credit: Getty Images)
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.
