Tubeless tyres, tape, 12-speed and more from De Ronde
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Mathie van der Poel is one of 100%'s sponsored athletes and wore Glendale sunglasses for the race(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Terpstra's forks had a chrome wrap with cobbles printed onto the arms(Image credit: Josh Evans)
A Cofidis mechanic double checks tyres ahead of the race start(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) was wearing the new WaveCel helmet from Bontrager(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Arnaud Demare has a special finish on his Sidi Wire 2 shoes(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Little patches of grip tape were used by Bahrain-Merida in their Elite bottle cages to reduce the risk of bottles being lost over the cobbles(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Guess which Movistar rider this bike belongs to?(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Katusha-Alpecin and Trek-Segafredo were both using the new SRAM RED eTap AXS groupsets (Image credit: Josh Evans)
Philippe Gilbert utilised a K-Edge computer mount, alongside satellite sprint shifters on the handlebar drops(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Two Astana riders raced aboard the new Argon 18 Nitrogen Disc in a new team-issue paint job(Image credit: Josh Evans)
We've not seen these shoes before as worn by Dimension Data's Jay Thomson(Image credit: Josh Evans)
An closer look at the new fade design on the Astana bikes(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Wanty-Gobert are one of the few pro teams still using Stages power meters after Shimano has entered the market(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Groupama FDJ have always given their national champions eye-catching jerseys(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Greg Van Avermaet's gold Giant TCR stands out amongst the matt carbon bikes of his teammates(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Van Avermaet is another rider to utilise sprint shifters(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Bidons are marked up for individual riders as they often have a specific mix for each rider (Image credit: Josh Evans)
The majority of riders have course notes listed on their stem or top tube to cope with the non-stop climbs and cobbled sections(Image credit: Josh Evans)
This old K-Edge mount highlights the longevity and popularity of the computer mounts among pro riders(Image credit: Josh Evans)
25mm, 26mm and 28mm tyres were all spotted on the start line, often with more robust compounds than the usual setups(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Roompot-Charles use Maxxis tubular tyres(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Boy Van Poppel (Roompot-Charles) ran visibly wider handlebars that are usually seen in WorldTour races(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Sebastian Langeveld was the only rider for Education First to race on the aero Cannondale SystemSix(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Matti Breschel runs metal rails on his saddle over the more prevalent carbon options(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Education First team mechanics were keen to show off their new on-brand power meters(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Only a single layer of cork handlebar tape for Matti Breschel(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Langeveld also runs sprint shifters on his handlebar drops(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Dimension Data use Rotor cranksets and power meters in conjunction with Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 derailleurs and KMC chains(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Peter Sagan's spare bike had his custom Sagan Collection finish(Image credit: Josh Evans)
It comes down to rider preference for handlebar tape on the cobbles and Education First's Tom Scully opted to double-wrap his(Image credit: Josh Evans)
The reliable Elite Ciussi bottle cages are used by a number of teams in the cobbled Classics(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Brailsford rode a Pinarello Dogma F10 X-Light, the same bike Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas use at the Tour de France(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Pieter Weening ran a mix of Shimano Ultegra, Dura-Ace and CeramicSpeed drivetrain components on his spare bike(Image credit: Josh Evans)
An Ultegra 7800 crankset is paired with Dura-Ace 9000 chainrings and Ultegra R8000 derailleurs(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Sonny Colbrelli ran 25mm tyres for the race(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Interestingly, Oliver Naesen runs 28mm tyres on the rear and 26mm on the front(Image credit: Josh Evans)
This setup from Naesen will offer more compliance on the rear end(Image credit: Josh Evans)
The Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise Eddy Merckx 525(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Vital Concept - B&B Hotels mechanics used a digital air compressor to check the team's tyre pressures ahead of the race(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Team Sky's principal Dave Brailsford had his bike at the start and was seen in full kit to enjoy a ride after the riders set off(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Both of Specialized's sponsored teams have 100% committed to disc brakes for 2019(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Race winner Alberto Bettiol ran a 53/38 chainring combination on his Cannondale(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Several Team Sky riders raced aboard the more compliant Pinarello Dogma K10 over the usual F10 race bikes(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Movistar have given their riders speciali editions of the Fizik R1 Infinito Knit shoes(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Mathieu van der Poel celebrates his national road race title with custom Shimano S-Phyre shoes(Image credit: Josh Evans)
The cyclo-cross world champion also has a custom painted Canyon and opts for 140mm disc rotors front and rear (Image credit: Josh Evans)
Sven Erik Bystrom is one of just a few riders who wears the €1,000 Mavic Comete Ultimate carbon shoes(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Greg Van Avermaet rides to the startline in Antwerp in his gold accented Giant helmet(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Slovenian national champion Matej Mohoric had a custom painted Merida Reacto for the race(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Rowe also loosened off his brakes to prevent any rubbing(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Luke Rowe heavily taped his wrists ahead of the race(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Greg Van Avermaet's Rocket 7 shoes also feature the gold treatment of the Olympic champion(Image credit: Josh Evans)
77 was Alberto Bettiol's lucky number on the day(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Jungels opted for 26mm Hell of the North tyres from Specialized(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Campagnolo's direct mount rim brakes are a non-series component(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Alexander Kristoff raced on tubeless tyres, one of the first WorldTour riders to adopt the technology(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Bob Jungels' S-Works Tarmac for the Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Soren Kragh Andersen was the only Sunweb rider to race with rim brakes over disc brakes(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Matteo Trentin's custom Sidi Shot shoes for the European champion (Image credit: Josh Evans)
Vital Concept's Bert de Backer opts for a smart watch alongside a computer(Image credit: Josh Evans)
This Vital Concept rider raced in special edition S-Work 6 shoes(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Movistar's Jurgen Roelandts had custom finished Oakley sunglasses for the Ronde(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Another team with K-Edge computer mounts(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Other tan these Pirelli logos, Mitchelton-Scott's tyres were unmarked(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Mitchelton-Scott used Elite Cannibal XC bottle cages(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Team Sky's Christian Knees was wearing Lake shoes with a special finish(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Trek-Segafredo riders have their names on their collars for ease of identification(Image credit: Josh Evans)
UAE Team Emirates were another team to use Stages power meters but opt for left side only (Image credit: Josh Evans)
Alexander Kristoff was the only UAE Team Emirates rider to use the new Campagnolo Boro WTO wheels, which are tubeless ready(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Despite the rough roads, Kristoff sticks with his preferred Deda Alanera aero cockpit(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Every Mitchelton-Scott rider opted for the aero-optimised Scott Foil framesets(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Tubular versions of the new Vittoria Graphene 2.0 tyres were used by Jumbo-Visma(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Jasper Stuyven was one of three Trek-Segafredo riders to have a special finish on their Trek Madone framesets(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Katusha-Alpecin were another team to put grip tape on the inside of their bottle cages(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Jens Debusschere had some fabric tape on his pedals for a more secure fit and possibly some extra shock absorption(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Debusschere didn't need the full list of segments, just the important ones(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Debusschere's teammate on the other hand, had plenty of race cues(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Alejandro Valverde had a special helmet and sunglasses for his debut at the Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Josh Evans)
After double-wrapping all the way to the centre of the bars, this mechanic was left a little short on the drops(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Ramon Sinkeldam's Lapierre Xelius SL(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Lotto Soudal riders had special edition SRM computers(Image credit: Josh Evans)
Last year's winner Niki Terpstra had a special Cobbles Crusher Wilier for the Tour of Flanders but abandoned after a nasty crash(Image credit: Josh Evans)
All 18 WorldTour teams and six Pro Continental teams were parked up alongside the Scheldt river in Antwerp, Belgium, for the start of the 103rd Tour of Flanders on Sunday.
As you might expect, the traditional cobbled tech of wider tyres and double-wrapped handlebar tape was on display, but there was also plenty of new tech making its debut at the historic race.
Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) – who finished third at the race – was the only rider on the start line to race with a tubeless tyre setup as opposed to the traditional tubular options.
Kristoff used Vittoria Graphene 2.0 tubeless tyres with Campagnolo Bora WTO 60 wheels, and a UAE Team Emirates spokesman explained to Cyclingnews that Kristoff simply has a better feeling with the tubeless setup over tubular tyres.
Kristoff used the same setup on his way to victory at last week's Gent-Wevelgem and Cyclingnews understands from some key stakeholders in the sport that as more manufacturers experiment with the technology, tubeless tyres could become the norm in the WorldTour peloton as opposed to the exception.
More technology seen for the first time at this year's race was the prevalence of 12-speed. Campagnolo launched their 12-speed groupset last year and SRAM followed up with their version earlier this year, and five teams lined up in Antwerp with the new groupsets.
A handful of Trek-Segafredo riders have experimented with a 1X drivetrain option from SRAM's new RED eTap AXS groupset but after a well-reported mechanical to John Degenkolb on the Poggio at Milan-San Remo, it is just Mads Pedersen who has stuck with the setup.
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Alongside the new tech, different rider preferences for handlebar tape, tyre widths and tyre pressures were as varied as you might expect. AG2R La Mondiale's Oliver Naesen took this one step further by running a 28mm tyre on the rear and a 26mm tyre on the front of his bike.
Team sponsors, of course, have their say on which equipment they want their sponsored riders to showcase at the biggest races of the year, but sometimes rider preference prevails.
After showcasing the more compliant Cervélo R3 Disc earlier in the week, no Team Sunweb riders opted for the frameset for Flanders, with Soren Kragh Andersen also opting for rim brakes, while the rest of the team used disc-brake-equipped framesets.
Specialized and Trek are two manufacturers whose teams have 100 per cent committed to disc brakes for 2019, and Mathieu van der Poel's Corendon-Circus team also all lined up on disc-brake-equipped Canyon framesets at the race.
Interestingly, while the majority of WorldTour teams are converging towards 160mm rotors at the front and 140mm rotors at the rear, Van der Poel's team appeared to be running 140mm disc rotors front and rear.
Van der Poel's bike was one of a number of custom framesets on display at the race celebrating his Dutch national road race title. National champions historically would wear a custom jersey celebrating their title, but now we see framesets, shoes, helmets, gloves, sunglasses and even computer mounts customised for national, European or world champions.
Click through the gallery above for a closer look at the tech on display at the 103rd edition of the Tour of Flanders.
