The best new bikes, kit and components from the first WorldTour race of the year
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The teams always struggle to bring enough bottles to keep their riders going in the South Australian heat, so the race helps them out with spares(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Campy's bar end junction boxes are sneaky(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Mads Pederson Instagramming his new rainbow ride(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The bike in question(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Confidis riders Viviani, Consoni and Sabitini all have track bikes in Adelaide and have told Cyclingnews they will be spending some time at the track(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The mechanic's tables are organized chaos(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Chargers awaiting race radios(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Trek-Segefredo Mechanic Aaron Fairley dialling in one of his riders cleats on the new Bontrager XXX shoes(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Team NTT Pro cycling is adding some bling to their BMC's with a gold KMC chain(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Sunweb's computer mounts are labelled PRO Vibe, but they look an awful lot like the ones K-Edge makes(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
UAE Team-Emirates is running Stages powermeters(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Mechanics also use coloured dots or paint pens to mark wheels. Your guess is as good as our as to what they mean(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The riders have commitments beyond just riding their bikes at the Tour Down Under(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Many of the teams have had casual shoe sponsors for some time. Here are some of the staffers from Bahrain-Mclaren(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The Bora-Hansgrohe have everything labelled and ready to go for the riders(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Some riders opt for well-hidden sprint and climbing shifters; others prefer a simpler set up(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
As the riders arrive for training in the morning, the pit tent becomes a bit of a media circus (Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Many of the riders are debuting new kits, including national championship stripes(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Bahrain-McLaren was waiting for their name stickers to arrive, so a piece of tape and a paint pen will do for now (Image credit: Colin Levitch)
All of the Shimano sponsored teams are running the Dura-Ace cranks with the built-in powermeter, though not everyone's bike has a magnet glued to the frame(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Some of the teams have nifty chain catcher style magnets(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
All the riders on Specialized Venges have a seatpost mounted junction box(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Many riders like Richie Porte, who we have previously seen using Garmin Edge 1030's have swapped to the smaller and lighter Edge 830(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Looks like Vitus is back on the World Tour — or not(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The mechanics have various jigs that help them to replicate a rider's position to the millimetre on all of their bikes(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
World Tour mechanics have every bell and whistle available to them, but when it comes to washing bikes a bucket and a sponge are still the go-to(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
While some the customisation on some bikes is loud, other riders opt for something more subtle(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Most of the Shimano sponsored teams have been using hidden junction boxes for some time, but AG2R has opted for the classic under the stem (Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Some Movistar riders are running the new Fizik Adaptive 3D printed saddles(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Sometimes riders feet don't get along with their sponsor provided shoes, and they need to be modified(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
CCC Team have been riding in these unreleased Giant helmets for a few months, but we know very little about them(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Antwan Tolhoek's Tour Down under race number is 166, but 27 is printed on his jersey. We're not sure what it means(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Movistar riders in their Le Coq Sportif casual shoes(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The Cervelo S5's handlebars may be aero, but they present issues for mounting computers(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Quite a few of the Movistar riders are using the new Vento Powerstrap R2 Aeroweave(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Elia Viviani even has a new SRM in his new Euro champ colours(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
And some custom DMT K1 kicks too(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Sports drink or water? Your guess is as good as ours(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The Jumbo-Visma mechanics are adding shims and food beds to their riders shoes(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Many of the teams utilise stickers to prevent valves from rattling(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
While other teams use their trusty roll of electrical tape(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
It's not often we see Suplest shoes getting around on the World Tour these days(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
While the riders are out, training the mechanics, have no shortage of jobs to do(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Adam Hansen is still riding in his ultra-lightweight home made carbon fibre shoes(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
But it looks like he has updated the BOA closure system for the latest version(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
UAE is using Stages headunits this year(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
A few teams are running the new Scicon glasses too(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The teams go through boxes of nutrition before the race even starts(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Even the pros ride clinchers on training rides(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Satellite shifters, better known for sprint capability are regularly used as climbing shifters too(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Holy stem Batman! We didn't have a measuring tape handy but would would guestimate that the stem on Rasmus Tiller's bike is at least 160mm(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Each year the WorldTour racing season kicks off in Adelaide with the Tour Down Under. With that, the riders and teams are sporting their 2020 kit for the first time, and those who have joined a new team will be outfitted in new gear from head to toe.
While there hasn't been nearly as much unrest in with bike sponsors as last season, Astana and Israel Cycling Academy are on new bikes for 2020, choosing Wilier and Factor, respectively. With Cofidis making the jump to the WorldTour, they also have a new bike sponsor, trading Kuota for De Rosa.
Here we also share how to live stream the Tour Down Under, no matter your location, with ExpressVPN.
As we have wondered the pits over the last couple of days, there is no shortage of fresh gear to look at as riders filter in and out of the Tour Down Under's infamous big white tent.
Click through to see our gallery from the first two days at the Tour Down Under.
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Based on the Gold Coast of Australia, Colin has written tech content for cycling publication for a decade. With hundreds of buyer's guides, reviews and how-tos published in Bike Radar, Cyclingnews, Bike Perfect and Cycling Weekly, as well as in numerous publications dedicated to his other passion, skiing.
Colin was a key contributor to Cyclingnews between 2019 and 2021, during which time he helped build the site's tech coverage from the ground up. Nowadays he works full-time as the news and content editor of Flow MTB magazine.
