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Watching a pro team warm up is oddly mesmerising (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Alessandro de Marchi's setup has quite the stack height (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
This bike has clearly been with Team BMC for a while – the writing under the tape reads "Peter Velits […] Champion 2013", likely a reference to his victory in the Czech National TT champs that year. He went on to take the red jersey in the day's stage (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Marcus Burghardt's Team BMC Time Machine TM01 looks immense. Dura-Ace goes with a Pro disc wheel and a 3T cockpit (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
That's a Power2Max/FSA K-Force Light power meter (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Etixx-Quickstep is another team on the Specialized Shiv. The bikes are built with Dura-Ace, FSA and Vision parts (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Froome's bike had older Dura-Ace 7900 cranks, fitted with a huge Osymetric chainring (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Note how high his extensions sit relative to the base bar. They're fixed height too (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
A piece of grip tape on the saddle helps keep Thomas's butt from sliding around too much (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
This is Geraint Thomas of Team Sky's Pinarello Bolide, with a Dura-Ace groupset and Pro wheels (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
The bikes are built up with Dura-Ace and Mavic wheels (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Katusha's Canyon Speedmax CF line-up was a study in repetition (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Team Colombia-Coldeportes' Wilier is certainly eye-catching. Interestingly, this spare bike with Miguel Angel Rubiano's name on it is not the company's TT bike, it's actually a Cento1AIR that's had its bars swapped (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
This is another of Astana's bikes… (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
…with a funky red anodised centre-pull front brake, likely from TRP (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
The Oval cockpit looks cool, but lacks adjustability as the relationship between extensions and base bar is fixed (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Caja Rural-Seguros RGA rides the Fuji Norcom with Shimano shifting kit, Rotor cranks and Oval wheels (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
56-44 anyone? (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Some of the Trek bikes had high-zoot FMB tubulars fitted (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
The Speed Concept has smart looking wishbone-style aero extensions. Of course, that means the width is fixed (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
This eye-catching Trek Speed Concept is Fabian Cancellara's spare bike. The Trek Factory Racing rider has since withdrawn from the Vuelta citing stomach problems (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
The last thing you want in a TT is a puncture, so this mechanic was wiping tyres clean of debris (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
While some teams continue to resist progress, Giant-Alpecin is rolling on 25mm rubber (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
That would be Tom Dumoulin's ride, with Dura-Ace and Pro wheels (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Another of their bikes was fitted with a rear-facing camera… (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Speaking of weird brakes, check out the front one on this Giant-Alpecin Trinity. That cable routing is hideous (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
The challenge of cabling TT bikes means electronic groupsets dominate, but this one has mechanical Campagnolo Super Record (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Astana rides the Specialized Shiv with Campagnolo groupsets and Corima wheels (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
This strange device is a Magura RT8 hydraulic front brake (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Another spare had an older Dura-Ace 7900 crankset from the OGE parts bin. 56t? Yes please (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Orica-GreenEdge is another team on the Scott Plasma. This spare bike has the Di2 battery tucked under the saddle. (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Cannondale-Garmin ride the Slice, with Shimano groupsets and Mavic wheels (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
It's branded DT Swiss, but this is a Lightweight Autobahn disc wheel (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
An aero bottle cage means an aero bottle (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
The SRM head unit mount sits between the aero extensions (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Now that's stylish (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Third party jockey wheels from Cycling Ceramic – the ultimate marginal gain? (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
IAM is still using the last-generation Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 SRM power meter (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
The main Shimano Di2 junction box normally sits somewhere up front, but this is a better solution from an aerodynamics perspective (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
This is one neat setup, with minimal clutter (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
IAM Cycling's Scott Plasma 5s were arguably the best looking TT rigs on show. This is Sylvain Chavanel's bike (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
The bikes used for the actual race have a stealthier paintjob. This is Mathew Hayman's huge Plasma… (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
…which dwarfs this white odd-one-out, possibly Caleb Ewan's (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Rotor's aerodynamics Flow cranks, fitted here with standard (round) NoQ rings (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
The Selle Italia Kronos saddle is a tasty bit of carbon (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
MTN-Qhubeka rides the Cervelo P5. This one has Dura-Ace, Rotor Flow cranks, and Enve rims on DT Swiss hubs (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
TT cockpits are rarely pretty, and this is no exception (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
The 54t big ring on this spare bike has clearly seen some use, and abuse (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Cofidis rides the Orbea Ordu with Dura-Ace, Vision wheels, and funky Vision aero cranks (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
This is Ilia Koshevoy's spare bike. That's a 54t Rotor Q-Ring (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Lampre-Merida rides the Merida Warp TT, with Shimano shifting kit and Fulcrum wheels (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
We're not sure if this is a new prototype Deda Kronos bar, or a one-off custom job (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
AG2R-La Mondiale races on the Focus Izalco Chrono, with SRAM components and Zipp wheels (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
It may be small, but 54/46 is not to be sniffed at (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
We've seen neater electrical tape jobs (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
A neutralised GC didn't prevent teams from deploying their full arsenal of TT gear (Matthew Allen / Immediate Media) (Image credit: Matthew Allen/Immediate Media)
Saturday saw the Vuelta a Espana get off to a slightly rocky start, with a neutralised team time trial that had some teams soft-pedalling, and others gunning for the win. Despite the weirdness, the 22 teams taking part deployed their full arsenals of TT gear. BikeRadar did the rounds of the team buses before the start. Take a look through our huge gallery above.
For Cyclingnews' complete Vuelta a Espana coverage, click here .