A look at the bikes, wheels and components on show at the Tour's opening stage
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Tony Martin had a special edition Kraftwerk Canyon Speedmax CF SLX for the Dusseldorf Grand Depart (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
John Degenkolb warms up ahead of his start time (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
A look at the integrated front brake system on LottoNL-Jumbo's Bianchi Aquila (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The Canyon Speedmax of Movistar Team (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Fabio Felline's Trek Speed Concept with a Lightweight Autobahn rear wheel branded up with Bontrager stickers(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The only clue that the unbranded new disc rear wheels are from Roval (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Another Direct-Energie bike had a Lightweight Autobahn rear wheel (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Newly crowned double national champion Stephen Cummings has already received a custom Cervelo P5 in Team GB colours(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Sonny Colbrelli's Merida Warp for the stage one time trial (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
We can't decide if this is a great hack or too low-end for the Tour de France (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Phinney opts for TRP levers with Dura-Ace Di2 shifting buttons glued on(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
A look at Taylor Phinney's cockpit setup(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
A 58t Stronglight chainring was paired with LOOK's Zed2 crankset (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Look's 796 time trial bike for French Pro Continental outfit Fortuneo-Oscaro(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
A LottoNL-Jumbo picks out debris from the tubular tyres (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Astana raced the time trial on the Argon18 E-118(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Some of the Dimension Data wheels were HED, but branded up as ENVE(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Serge Pauwels runs his Cervelo P5 with a HED Jet rear wheel and an ENVE 7.8 front(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
FDJ's Lapierre Aerostorm heads to the start ramp(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The Specialized Shiv features horizontal rear dropouts for adjustable wheel clearance(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
These skeleton versions of the alloy brakes were also seen on one of Team Sky's Pinarello Bolide (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Mat Hayman rolls back to the team buses following his 88th place finish (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Borut Bozic of Bahrain-Merida heads to the startline on his Merida Warp (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Tony Martin has his World Champion custom bike as his spare machine (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Darwin Atapuma finished 194th on his Colnago K.One (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Team Dimension Data have customised a Buffalo Bicycle for the Tour de France (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The 2018 Cube Aerium C68 appears to have a new carbon layup and a few geometry changes (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Wanty-Groupe Gobert looked to be running the 2018 Aerium frameset, which was registered for UCI approval in May this year (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The entire Orica-Scott team ran Lightweight Autobahn rear wheels, as they also did at the Criterium du Dauphine (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
There appears to be a slight bend towards the centre of the disc on the drive side(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Could this be a new rear disc wheel from Roval?(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Stage winner Geraint Thomas ran a 58/42t chainring combination(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The Trek-Segafredo Trek Speed Concepts ready for the rider warm-ups(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The Trek Speed head cluster has an integrated front brake and internal cable routing(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
56t and larger chainrings were common for the flat opening stage(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Trek-Segafredo ran the Bontrager Speed Concept Mono handlebar extensions(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Nacer Bouhanni's spare bike was a regular Orca road bike albeit with a HED Stinger rear wheel(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Sometimes the best aero solutions don't need to be the most expensive (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Boudat's saddle was set far back on the rail (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Lightweight doesn't sponsor any professional teams despite the heavy presence in World Tour time trials (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Damien Howson ran a blacked-out 56t chainring, which appears to be an old Vision Trimax (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Thomas De Gendt ran a HED H3 front wheel (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The Factor Slick features integrated front brakes and a split down tube for aerodynamic advantages (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
There was a range of tyres used from 22mm up to 26mm for the wet conditions(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The AG2R-La Mondiale Factor Slick time trial bikes(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
AG2R-La Mondiale's bikes were equipped with CeramicSpeed's UFO chain treatment, which is now available in different colours(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
More non-consumer special chainrings on show at LottoNL-Jumbo(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
A close look at the Corima Paracular rear disc wheel as used by the Astana team(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Team Sky also had a new team car for the race (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
There also appeared to be shifting buttons on the inside of the bars(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
A closer look at the brake lever(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
There were rumours of Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome running 3D-printed titanium cockpits(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Chris Froome ran his usual elliptical chain rings but in a massive 58/46t combination(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Several non-brand chainrings were paired with Shimano groupsets and appear to be non-consumer 9000 series(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Thomas Boudat's BH Aerolight with a Lightweight Autobahn rear wheel (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The Tour de France began in Germany for the first time since 1987 when the race started in West Berlin before the fall of the wall. In 2017, Düsseldorf welcomed 198 riders to the 104th edition of the Grand Tour, and Team Sky's Geraint Thomas won the rainy opening stage to become the eighth Briton to wear the Maillot Jaune.
The flat, 14km course ensured an array of larger-than-normal chainrings; we couldn't spot anything smaller than a 54t. Defending Tour champion Chris Froome ran his usual elliptical chainrings in a 58/46T combination.
Team Sky had what is rumoured to be a 3D printed titanium cockpit. A team official declined to immediately comment on the bars. The previously unseen integrated setup seemed to be constructed from an alloy, featured integrated shifting buttons on the inside of the bars. We saw bars with solid and 'skeleton' silver brake levers. Stage-winner Thomas' cockpit was branded with MOST decals, Pinarello's component wing.
As has become commonplace in a WorldTour time trial, several riders opt for non-sponsor wheels. Whilst some individuals use specific wheels by choice, others are forced to as their usual wheel partners may not produce monocoque front or rear wheels.
Trek-Segafredo leader and two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador chose to run a Lightweight Autobahn rear wheel with a PRO 3-spoke Textreme front wheel as opposed to the offerings from Bontrager. A few Direct Energie riders also followed Contador's Lightweight Autobahn trend, whilst the entire Orica-Scott team were also equipped with the German carbon specialists' range-topping wheel.
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Belgian Pro Continental outfit Wanty-Groupe Gobert appeared to be racing on a new model Cube Aerium C-68. Usually in an eye-catching fluoro blue colour scheme, the new models were clear lacquered on a distinctive carbon layup.
Cube registered a new version of the Aerium with the UCI in May of this year.
Tony Martin of Katusha-Alpecin is both the German and world time trial champion and was a clear favourite ahead of the stage. For the occasion, Canyon presented the German time trial specialist with a special edition Kraftwerk themed Canyon Speedmax CF SLX. The German finished the stage fourth.
Click or swipe through the gallery above for a detailed look at the bikes, wheels and components on show.
