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Vuelta a España tech gallery - Superlight paint, dinosaur names, and aero computer shrouds
The first road stage of the Vuelta offered up some striking tech snippets
The Vuelta a España often plays third fiddle in the Grand Tour hierarchy. When you take into account the Classics too, it may seem that there is very little new tech to be spotted here, but that doesn't mean there is none. The route is often punishingly hilly, and when wandering the pits I found out that Ineos have a fleet of bikes that they send to a Formula 1 paint company in the UK for stripping and repainting to make them even lighter, just for use in the hilly stages.
The heat, too, is always an issue, though there were far fewer cooling hacks on show here than there were for the opening time trial where the mercury shot above 40 degrees. My stage one tech gallery is worth perusing too if you want a full immersion into tech nerdery.
In many ways, the Vuelta is a last-chance saloon. Riders who fell short at the Tour de France often try to salvage their seasons, locking horns with others vying for Giro leadership the following year. It's a last chance for tech spotting, but it's also a chance to see some bikes from teams we don't usually see so much of, which is why I'm starting with the myriad different Giant bikes of team Kern Pharma.
If you ever need a conversation starter for your bike friends you can have this one for free: Which pro team bike would you have? You have to have it as it is, paint, components and all. I think mine would be a Kern Pharma Giant TCR.
Before I could get my lens on these bikes properly, the race officials had to scan the frames to check for hidden motors.
Once the officials left I got to spend a bit of time up close and personal with what I think might be my favourite paint of any pro bike this year. The Kern Pharma riders were using a mix of the aero Propel and the lightweight TCR, but even among all-rounders, the fork legs here are beautifully slender.
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The propel by contrast is a more fulsome machine. Integrated seatposts are a dying breed, so it's always a kick to still see them.
Older TCR models were atop the team car roof rack, with external cables on show to the wind.
The hubs on these Cadex wheels are a work of art, all bonded carbon blades and intricate flanges.
OK I lied, THIS is my favourite paint... it fades to that lovely dark green to the rear but I didn't get a decent snap of it so use your imagination.
Integrated seatposts are lighter, but the mast toppers can be prone to slipping. A little gripper tape adds a lot of friction for next to no weight penalty.
When to eat, when to drink - A lot of a pro cyclist's life is mapped out in detail for them, even down to this level of detail.
As well as Cadex wheels, the team use Cadex tyres too, a tyre brand we see little of compared to the Continental/Pirelli/Vittoria triopoly.
I've not come across The Mechanic Parts before, but some bikes were using its aftermarket chainrings for larger tooth counts.
It's not all about the bikes, though, but on-body tech too. Look just to the right of the radio bump and you'll see.
There it is, a Core body temperature sensor clipped onto the heart rate strap. These have become nearly ubiquitous in the peloton as the effects of heat stress on performance have become better understood.
It was pretty subtle, but Robert Gesink had a specially painted Cervélo to mark his final professional race.
Here are some unreleased 29c Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres. Only Wout van Aert was using them, and I was told by the team it was purely for an aerodynamic advantage.
On the way to the DSM-Firmenich bus riders scoot back and forth from sign on.
The Scott Foil RC team bikes always stand out against the black bus.
On the team's integrated bars there was a very neat integrated mount for Wahoo Elemnt Bolt computers.
More aero, of course, and 3D printed as is the norm now.
Instead of twisting the computer into the mount, you place the Wahoo in and twist the underside plate, which rotates the mount into a locked position.
Mikel Landa was sporting an all black 'Project Black' Tarmac at the Soudal-QuickStep bus.
Unlike the rest of the team, he was using tubeless tyres. He was using normal, non-aero socks, too, but you'll have to take my word for that one.
The silver hub shell is the giveaway that shows these are the team edition of the Roval Rapide CLX wheels.
"Project Black" on Landa's seat tube marks this frame out as an even more limited version of the S-Works frameset.
Despite all evidence that integrated systems are faster, some riders (James Knox in this case) still opt for separate systems.
In the sun the standard paint of the team bikes is something quite special.
Another proponent of the separate bar and stem. Soudal-QuickStep seems to be quite old school in this regard.
James Knox also clearly likes to know where he's going.
Each QuickStep rider had a dinosaur themed name sticker.
Look, Corima, SRM. Some pretty big names in terms of cycling heritage. This is the power meter that Guillaume Martin refused to fit because his bike was already too heavy, apparently.
It wouldn't be a tech gallery without pointing out a French team running tubs still.
Here's a bit of a Classics throwback - The little patch of Velcro stops the computer rattling in the mount over rough ground.
Brands are constantly trying to make black paint more interesting. It's admirable, and this Orbea Orca Aero is a good effort, but it's still a black bike.
A long season of clipping race numbers on has clearly had an impact on the seat post paint.
Carbon-Ti brake rotors? AbsoluteBlack graphene brake pads? It must be UAE Team Emirates.
Like DSM, the team has custom-printed computer mounts for aerodynamic reasons.
Stage 1 winner Brandon McNulty had his bike covered with red logos for stage 2.
He also had his saddle slammed way past the maximum limit of the rails.
As I alluded to in the opening, Carlos Rodriguez was running a bike for stage 2 with a special paint job redone by Silverstone Paint Technology.
The British company takes the Ineos frames, strips them, and resprays them for a substantial weight saving.
I don't know about you, but this seems hard to read in the chaos of the peloton.
Ecuadorian national champion Jhonatan Narváez had a very lovely white Dogma F against the sea of orange and black.
The Dogma fork legs have a special screw port to mount the race transponder at the dropout, for a tiny wattage saving.
It still involves zip ties, but it's pretty neat all things considered.
The team seems to have committed to using TT tyres throughout the season for a rolling resistance gain.
A direct mount for the rear derailleur helps keep shifting snappy.
Another Classics throwback: Gripper tape on the inside of the bottle cages to keep the bottles more secure.
The new Canyon Aeroad is no longer news, but the paint is still pretty in the sun.
As is the paint of the new Wilier Verticale SLR in use under some Astana riders.
This little Miche computer mount is extremely neat.
A scribbled-out Continental logo on the Aero 111 tyre is a bit of a throwback to when these tyres were secret.
The indents claim to make the tyre more aerodynamic, and it's only for use as a front tyre - Though I'm sure you could fit it to a rear wheel if you really wanted to.
It's the little details that make pro bikes cool. Pink Mic-Off valves on the EF bikes are one such detail.
I'm genuinely worried Victor Campenaerts is going to get sun blindness if he doesn't start wearing sunglasses soon.
Finally, shout out to Arkea for doing a decent switchout kit. As theirs is red it clashes with the leader's jersey, and I'm very partial to high vis.
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Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines, from the standard mix of road, gravel, and mountain bike, to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross. He’s made his own bike frames, covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet, and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye. Also, given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear. His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord, with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines.