Who else’s but Chris Froome’s (Sky) Pinarello Bolide (Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Tony Martin’s (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) Specialized Shiv is a thoroughbred race winner – and it carried him to his second Tour de France TT win near Mont-Saint-Michel today(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Vittoria ‘Team Prototype’ tyres on the Felt DA(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The yellow jersey accents – they were still drying when we visited(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
A hastily modified rubberised Park Tools allen key holder is used as a catcher should the chain unship from his Osymetric rings(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Yesterday Focus launched its new Izalco Chrono frame and today it was in use by the AG2R-La Mondiale team(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Straight pull brakes are recessed into the front fork(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Jean-Christophe Peraud’s (AG2R-La Mondiale) saddle is slammed right back (Image credit: Sam Dansie)
A specially-decaled Zipp disc - pink, yellow and red – mean it’s grand tour specialist Alberto Contador’s(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
A specially-decaled Zipp disc - pink, yellow and red – mean it’s grand tour specialist Alberto Contador’s(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Jérôme Coppel’s (Cofidis) Look 596, fitted with off-spec Rotor QXL rings(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Jérôme Coppel’s (Cofidis) Look 596, fitted with off-spec Rotor QXL rings(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Roman Kreuziger’s SRM PowerControl7 is fitted with a machined aluminium mount(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The characteristic tread on the Mavic’s CX01 tyres(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Hesjedal’s jockey wheels have ceramic bearings – every little helps(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Hesjedal’s jockey wheels have ceramic bearings – every little helps(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Ryder Hesjedal’s P5 in all its glory(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The Arundel Chrono bottle cages on Garmin-Sharp’s bikes get a little extra gripper help with self-adhesive foam padding (Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Shimano gave selected riders – including Dumoulin – special edition electric blue R320 road shoes(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The Felt DA’s integrated steering assembly is similar to the Look 596, used by Cofidis(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The Felt DA’s integrated steering assembly is similar to the Look 596, used by Cofidis(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Martin pushed a massive 58T chainring on the flat Brittany course(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
A customised Specialized saddle gives Martin the grip he needs to keep putting the power down(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Martin’s mechanical SRAM Red shifters provide predictable shifting(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The Specialized Shiv frame tapers over the back wheel (Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Katusha get around the UCI rule barring use of Mavic’s detachable fairings on CX01 wheel technology by filling the channel with a mastic paste bought from DIY shops (Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) wins the prize for lowest-slung extensions in the peloton – they’re fitted below the bars(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Rodriguez uses Selle Italia’s only current production triathlon-specific saddle – the SLR Tri(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The Canyon Speedmax CF Evo uses flattened seatstays to push air around the back wheel(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Cadel Evans was using this un-branded monocoque disc. A Shimano rep told us it was an unbranded Pro Disc they gave some riders for the 2012 Olympics(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The Shimano DI2 battery is fixed to specially moulded mounts beneath the bottom bracket on Leopard Trek’s Trek Speed Concept bikes(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
It’s a tight fit for Markel Irizar’s (RadioShack) PowerControl7 between the extensions(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Irizar’s new Prologo TT Zero saddle uses gripping material to keep the rider planted when riding on the nose(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
A fleet of new Lapierre Aerostorm has a number of innovations on the previous model…(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Including the front brake integrated into the chunky front fork (Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The fork and frame shape are continuous to smooth airflow (Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Holes in the stem are covered to reduce minute turbulence(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The Felt DA’s integrated steering assembly is similar to the Look 596, used by Cofidis(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Phil Gilbert (BMC) was using this plain white saddle. The Selle Italia shell looks modified and re-covered – probably an old Flite(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Martin’s win was an apt reward for a tough start to the 2013 Tour de France – he had been hospitalised on stage one following a huge crash as the race closed in for the sprint in Bastia.
While the German world TT champ collected yet another win with the Shiv, adding to the undoubted pedigree of the frame, there was a raft on new kit on display at the start of stage 11 in Avranches too.
Lapierre has also updated its Aerostorm TT bike, integrating the brake into the front fork.
Elsewhere, Tom Dumoulin (Argos-Shimano) was wearing special edition Shimano R320 shoes in electric blue, and world Champion Philippe Gilbert (BMC) was using what appeared to be a modified and re-covered saddle.
As usual there were some nifty fixes, too, with perhaps the best being the chain catcher on Chris Froome’s (Sky) Pinarello Bolide: an allen key holder. Roman Kreuziger (Saxo-Tinkoff Bank) had a custom-machined SRM PowerControl mount.
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Sam started as a trainee reporter on daily newspapers in the UK before moving to South Africa where he contributed to national cycling magazine Ride for three years. After moving back to the UK he joined Procycling as a staff writer in November 2010.
