Team Sky's outrageous F-Type TT team car, cooling vests and more
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Team Sky's extraordinary F-Type TT chase car evolved from an idea dreamed up by Jaguar's Special Vehicles (SV) team, who create bespoke Jaguars and Land Rovers for clients with particular needs or problems to solve. When asked, Jaguar said that this modification will be available to customers, although we expect it wouldn't be cheap.(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
The TM01 combines a slim head tube with a wide fork and one-piece bar and stem. The front tyre is a 25mm Continental Competition Pro Ltd(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Trek Factory Racing's Bontrager disc wheel doesn't manage to disguise its Zipp logo very well(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Beneath the untaped TT extensions is a custom made SRM mount bolted to the bars(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
2014's King of the Mountains winner Rafal Majka's Specialized Shiv has a SRAM drivetrain, Specialzed Roval front wheel and Lightweight disc(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
The 2014 Tour's Most Aggressive Rider winner, Alessandro De Marchi warms up on his Slice RS fitted with a SRAM drivetrain and Vision wheels and bars(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Serial green jersey winner Peter Sagan heads for the start on his Cannondale Slice RS(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
A selection of exotic Mavic wheels ready for Cofidis TT duty(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Although mounting the external Di2 battery below the BB is possibly less neat, it does at least have a partial shroud(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
This Team Cofidis Look had one of the cleanest front ends of any TT machine in the race, helped by Look's own unique handlebar clamp(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Rather than being a body warmer, Cofidis was one of several teams with cooling vests, designed to keep the rider's core temperature down while they warm up(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Cofidis were using TriRig Omega centre pull delta shaped brakes for their aero bonus(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
This Cofidis rider warms up on a Lemond revolution direct drive trainer, but he isn't wearing a body warmer…(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
The Oval Concepts TT bars have a blunt frontal profile, and Konig favours rotating his shifters upwards(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
An older 5 arm Dura-Ace crank and Ultegra Di2 rear mech was clearly no hindrance on the day for Konig who put many much bigger names to the sword. Vision's Metron Disc is actually a Metron 90 rim with conventional spokes and a removable cover bonded to it, although it's not really user serviceable(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
We doubt Campagnolo intended for the external EPS battery to double as a bike support when on a work stand, but Team Europcar beg to differ(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Giant-Shimano's Tom Dumoulin rocks a cooling vest while having a final snack of what looked like puree, but it must work for him since he placed second on the stage to a dominant Tony Martin(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
An inventive place to keep your bottle while warming up(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
A 24mm Continental Force Comp tubular on van Garderen's Lightweight disc wheel, although to the naked eye it looked wider(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
The front end of van Garderen's BMC TM01 is all fairings and smooth lines, although there's no room for the Di2 control box(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Shimano's neat SRM crank with 54/42 rings(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Tejay van Garderen's BMC TM01 and a puncture for AG2R's Romain Bardet helped the American pull back enough time to finish the Tour in 5th place overall(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Valverde chose the unusual combination of grip tape over the team's already grippy Lizard Skins DSP bar tape(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Valverde's TT rig had a Power2Max power meter on a Campagnolo crank, and a silver enlarged TT outer ring(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
The Movistar mechanics were keeping a tight rein on Valverde's TT bike, but we managed to grab a shot of it before it was whisked away(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Whereas Michael Albasini has his saddle all the way back, Alejandro Valverde's couldn't be any further forward(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Spanish road champion Jon Izaguirre warms up for the time trial in front of an interested crowd(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Continental Podium TT 22mm tubulars on Jon Izaguirre's Speedmax CF(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Although we're unsure why the internal Campagnolo EPS battery is mounted externally with some form of Velcro(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Movistar rider Jon Izaguirre's Canyon Speedmax CF looked very purposeful(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Dumoulin's aero track mitts and three gels for the time trial inside his long tailed Uvex TT helmet(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
His external Di2 battery is mounted beneath the Prologo Zero TT saddle rather than on the mounting bolts provided on the rear of the seatpost(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Net App Endura's Leopold Konig rode his Fuji Norcom Straight to 5th place on the day, and 7th overall in the Tour(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Gallopin's Dean Fast unusually has a UCI Approved sticker on its aero bar(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
The Bretagne-Seche Environment team's Kemo KE-T5 time trial rig. This one belongs to team leader Brice Feillu, and sports a full Vision TT groupset, with the exception of Dura-Ace brake calipers(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
So Bianchi debuted the all new Aquila CV time trial machine in Bergerac, which was raced by Laurens Ten Dam and Bauke Mollema on the road to Perigueux, and it certainly gives a striking first impression. See our news item for more on the new bike.(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
A conventionally sited rear brake caliper also looks behind the times in today's drag conscious TT landscape(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
But with modern TT bikes majoring in integration of stem, cables and aerodynamics, the Pico's cockpit comes up short(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Bianchi's top time trial bike for several years has been the Pico, and most of the Belkin riders still raced it in the 2014 Tour time trial(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
The carbon spar when the bikes are removed(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Customised Team Sky frame clamps have a rubber cradle that tightens around the tube when clamped, and are released with a simple flick of the outer lever(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
The deep recesses include drainage holes at the bottom to remove rain water via the wheel arches, and there's also a cover for when the rack isn't in use. It is held in place by a rod that passes through the quick release catches(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
The deep recesses include drainage holes at the bottom to remove rain water via the wheel arches, and there's also a cover for when the rack isn't in use. It is held in place by a rod that passes through the quick release catches(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Between the two spare wheels is the carbon fibre spar that contains the frame clamps. It is possible to unbolt the base plate holding the spar, and replace it with a flush blanking plate when not in use.(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
The custom made rear carbon panel replaces the F-Type's rear window with recesses for four wheels - two rear wheels of the the bikes carried, and two spares(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Helping to speed up the process is this front wheel channel, which is bonded to the roof, and in testing, held a wheel securely in place at 100mph(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
The theory goes that two spare bikes are plenty for a car following one rider during a TT, and when time is of the essence, bikes are far easier to grab from a low slung sports car than from the top of a typical team estate car(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
We have to admit we've seen better cable routings, but the Vision groupset is mechanical, so tiny, easy to hide electric wires aren't an option(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
The seat tube cut out for the rear wheel is curious for not following the radius of the wheel(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
For some reason, Feillu's machine has these shortened cut off Vision TT shifters. Perhaps for the UCI TT bike length rule?(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Tony Gallopin's Ridley Dean Fast fully kitted out in Campagnolo Record EPS, but with a PRO (Shimano) cockpit(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Pushing the limits of how close you can mount TT extensions and still operate the Di2 shifters!(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Alongside the legion recent TT machines with hidden rear brakes, the old Plasma's conventional caliper looks fussy(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Either Micheal Albasini of Orica-Greenedge rides a very small TT frame size, or he has extremely lengthy femurs, as that saddle can't be any further back! Note the external Di2 battery mounted at the rear(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Either Micheal Albasini of Orica-Greenedge rides a very small TT frame size, or he has extremely lengthy femurs, as that saddle can't be any further back! Note the external Di2 battery mounted at the rear(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
AM Cycling were only one of many teams who badged up Lightweight disc wheels as those of their own sponsor(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Elmiger's machine had a novel Di2 control box placement, cable tied to the seat post, presumably for proximity to the internal battery(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
It is quite different from the new model, with Swiss Champion Martin Elmiger's bike pictured here(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
he team's spare bikes are still the previous model of Plasma, with the most obvious external differences being the chainstays and head tube / stem(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
AM were using the latest Scott Plasma with this very neat Di2 cable and stem arrangement(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
Could this be the start of Formula 1 style tyre warmers in cycling? No, we didn't think so either. IAM Cycling's mechanics protect a tubular tyre shod disc wheel from the fierce sun before the start(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
He also has a pair of conventional Vision bar end shifters(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
A team mate has a rarely seen Polar V650 head unit, seemingly placed to create lift(Image credit: Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media)
In part two of our huge Tour de France time trial tech gallery, we take a close look at Team Sky's outrageous F-Type TT team car, new and old time trial bikes, external-internal batteries and yet more gear with someone else’s brand on it.
In our visits to each and every one of the teams at the race, we look at the bikes of upstart Kemo, the veteran (nearly 150 years old now) Bianchi, plus cooling vests, magic puree, saddle positions, custom modifications and more.
Oh, and that F-Type? Everyone walking past it, even the most traditional, dyed-in-the-wool cyclists, agreed that it sounded awesome just burbling at walking pace.
