The second instalment of our Tour Down Under tech gallery is here with even more tech insights
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Monday, not Sunday, is a day of rest down in Adelaide. A day of calm in between the women's and men's races at the Tour Down Under, which kicks off the 2025 race season. Noemi Rüegg clinched the womens overall victory yesterday after some exciting racing, but who knows who will triumph this year in the men's race.
We rolled out part 1 of our Tour Down Under tech gallery on Friday, and can now welcome you to part 2. The Cyclingnews team has been snapping away in Australia so we can bring you a rich dive into even more of the new season's bikes, components and tech curios.
This gallery takes a look at two team bikes that didn't feature in our first gallery, the brand-new Picnic PostNL Lapierre Xelius DRS, and the Alpecin-Deceuninck Canyon Aeroad CFR. The freshly named Picnic PostNL squad changed from Scott bikes this winter, and the Alepcin riders will also be getting used to very important new equipment after their recent tyre sponsor change from Vittoria to Pirelli.
Elsewhere, there are interesting tech details, aftermarket parts and interesting personal setups to pore over. This is the beginning of race tech for this year, and I'm sure like us you can't wait to see what changes occur over the next several months.
Alpecin-Deceuninck recently announced a switch from Vittoria to Pirelli tyres. We expect to see riders racing on the P Zero Race TLR RS tyres most of the time.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The tan-coloured sidewalls of last year are gone, replaced by Pirelli black and yellow for 2025.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
A new version of the Aeroad CFR was launched last year, the headtube was narrowed and a new adjustable handlebar was rolled out for the bike. The computer mount here is 3D printed, and only weights 13g.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The 'Pace' handlebar is width adjustable and even has two different bar drop options: classic and aero. There are some pro-only negative stem options out there too.
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(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Colour-matched Elite Custom race bottle cages match the team-issue paint job pretty well.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The deep Canyon Aeroad fork leg has a blind thru axle thread on the drive side, something not every WorldTour race bike features and hopefully provides a small aero advantage.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Team Picnic PostNL will race on Lapierre Xelius DRS bikes this year after the team switched from Scott machines. The squad will race on new team issue blue and orange bikes at races soon. This is British racer Oscar Onley's race bike.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The seat stay cluster, whereby the seat stays join to the top tube rather than the rear of the seat tube, is a calling card of Lapierre's, and is said to improve rear compliance. Spot Onley's low-key name sticker at the top of the seat tube.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The integrated Lapierre handlebar looks clean, with a more slender top section compared to some other brands.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The team mechanics have marked the Vittoria Pro Corsa tyres. Answers on a postcard here. Sealant levels, date fitted, or a secret code?
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The team will race on Ursus wheels for 2025, an Italian brand. We don't know if this slightly odd (and dare we say cryptic) logo is here to stay or whether a new one will be rolled sometime soon.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Spot the aero transition between the fork crown and lower head tube. Also, pro riders with a few spacers under the stem also seems to be becoming more common nowadays. A higher stack could make maintaining an aero position more comfortable, netting overall gains.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
This shot of the Xelius fork leg provides a nice comparison with the blind fork dropout of the Canyon Aeroad CFR.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
This is the 2nd bike of Jhonatan Narváez, aside from the headline-making Y1RS aero race bike. Expect to see fewer aftermarket parts on the UAE rider's bikes this year as the team's new Shimano partnership means all drivetrain components will likely be Dura-Ace.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The 'two' sticker and lack of race number show this is the Ecuadorian's second machine, destined to spend a lot of the season on the roof of a team car.
No spacers here, Narváez runs his Enve integrated stem on top of the headset-bearing topcap.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Spot the green-coloured brake pad backing plate at the disc caliper, this suggests aftermarket brake pads are being run on Yuhi Todome's Cannondale SuperSix bike.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Pink Muc-Off tubeless valves for the team, perhaps the 'T3' and '6' stickers on either side of the valve refer to sealant levels or install dates.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Aero 40-54T FSA chainrings are paired to a Power2Max power meter and FSA K-Force carbon fibre crank arms on EF's Cannondale SuperSix Evo Lab71 machines.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The wild design of the aero Bianchi Oltre RC extends to the seatstay and seat tube junction.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Another blind thru axle dropout, this time at the rear drive-side of the bike.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
And again at the front fork legs. The two aero ridges on the lower leg to help lower drag.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
We suspect this is a slightly lighter aftermarket disc rotor lockring fitted to the Lidl-Trek team issue Trek Madones. Either way, it matches the Sram Red caliper nicely.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
These bottle cages are for the frame-specific Trek aero bottles. The Madone is slower without them, but they aren't the same bottles as used by neutral service and as such we rarely see the team use them over traditional round bottles.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
It appears the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team has also adopted the popular Carbon-Ti aftermarket chainrings.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The team are also running the Continental Aero 111 front-specific aero tyre. The marketing for the tyre claims an astounding 18 watt saving, but in our tests we can at least say this is negated by a 3.8 watt rolling resistance penalty over a GP5000S TR.
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Human Powered Health's Black Inc. hubs receive the Ceramic Speed bearing treatment.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
As do the team's bottom brackets - Every watt helps right, as well as improved bearing longevity?
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
We would put this drivetrain in the spotless or brand new category.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The Ineos Pinarello Dogma F machines feature aero-profiled fork legs with a small hole in which to mount a race transponder behind the 'tabs' and the axle.
The silver, unpainted Roval team issue hubs on the Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe team bikes are a refreshing change from a sea of black componentry.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Keep your eyes peeled this year for Dan Bigham's influence on the RedBull Bora-Hansgrohe team bikes as he begins his first year as head of engineering for the squad.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
K-Edge chain catchers help avert disaster in crucial moments.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Luke Plapp's chrome chainstays would have been glinting under the Australian sun.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The bladed carbon fibre spokes of the team's Cadex race wheels.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Plapp looks very aero on his bike, but even his setup has to fall within the UCI regulations, so no turned-in hoods to trouble the commissaires.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Canyon-SRAM seemed to be one of the few teams running thru-axle levers. These could allow a rider to remove their wheel whilst waiting for a fresh wheel, saving precious time.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
This latex inner tube transponder cover complements the team paint very well.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
SRAM Red AXS brake levers, with a very subtle rubber reach adjuster bolt cover at the top of the lever.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
This is the more aggressive Canyon 'Pro' Pace base bar on the Movistar Canyon Aeroad.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The Canyon Aeroad CFR cockpit now uses T25 Torx bolts exclusively, meaning fewer tools for the mechanics.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Casper Pederson's Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 is prepped and ready to go.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
It's becoming unusual to see a separate handlebar and stem in the men's WorldTour but they are still out there.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The Wolfpack, the name Soudal-Quick Step gives itself, will come out swinging this year, as always. This logo on the top tube must serve as a reminder.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Defending champion Stevie Williams is back to defend his overall title. He uses a Power2Max power meter to keep track of the numbers.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
There's something cool about having handlebars taped tall the way to the stem, Williams must like to hold the tops as well. Bradley Wiggins was also keen on this setup back in the day too.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
Groupama FDJ is also running Continental Aero 111 tyres up front on their Miche wheels, a new partner for 2025. The team will use wheels from the Miche Kleos range.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
And the very capable GP5000 S TR model at the back, as the Aero111 is front-specific.
The Orbea Orca Aero, like the Bianchi Oltre RC, has a heavily sculpted seat stay junction.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
As well as an unusual chainstay design that seems to scoop around the rear derailleur.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
It's good to see Campagnolo back in the WorldTour - Here's the rear of its Super Record WR wireless rear mech.
(Image credit: Chris Auld)
The sun was beginning to set by this point, but it certainly isn't setting on the legendary Italian manufacturer.
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Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
