Defending Tour de France champion wore Castelli's new Body Paint 4.0 Speed Suit(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The Poles were flying their colors, too(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
This guy's man finished 58th (Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Outside of the circus that is the Tour de France, these men would turn heads. Inside the Tour, it's fairly normal(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Aero booties served more than one purpose on the wet day(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Lens tint was debated by a few riders for the flat-light conditions(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Some riders needed a little hands-on help getting their visors attached(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Some guys went for clear sunglasses that could be adjusted if need be for fogging or greeting friends(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
And some riders stayed the course with dark visors(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Integrated visors are probably better aerodymically, but they don't yet come with integrated wipers(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Going without is one way to eliminate rain or fog or the lenses or visor(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The Giro Aerohead visor can be removed and attached upside-down to the top of the helmet. It's an easy process, but still not something riders would want to do in the middle of a technical, rainy time trial(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Long, pointy helmets reached their elongated peak a few years ago, and TT lids are now trending more towards snub rear ends(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
POC's Cerebal Raceday is a good example of the new-school time trail helmet(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The RH+ ZTT is another snub-tailed TT lid(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Fans' clothing isn't always team-specific; it's often nation-specific. Here, Colombian fans go crazy for Orcia-Scott's leader Esteban Chaves(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Gendarmes on motos had more than paint protecting them (Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The shoulders and upper arms feature dimpled material, presumably as vortex generators to smooth air flow(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
A few Sky riders used the current Body Paint 3.3 Speed Suit(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Sky's Vasil Kiryienka took third on the treacherous course in the new 4.0 Speed Suit(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Rain clothing was used heavily by riders before and after the time trial(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
While staying aero was critical for the 16- to 19-minute race effort, staying comfortable before and after meant lots of layers(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Tour GC hopeful Nairo Quintana stayed casual and relaxed until about an hour before his start(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Compression socks are still favored by many riders after their efforts(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Riders rolled to the check-in just behind the start house with all manner of last-minute nutrition(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
TT bar extensions: also handy as a third hand in a pinch(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Hoping for some liquid wings ahead of the liquid-covered corners(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
An increasing number of riders use skinsuits with integrated number pouches stitched in(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The Tour numbers stick on, but rider movement on the preferred lower placement for time trials means safety pins are a good idea(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Besides keeping number much smoother than pins, the integrated number pouches keep them flat and dry in the rain. This is Alberto Bettiol, the first riders to race a Tour time trial with disc brakes(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Castelli may have Body Paint Skin Suits, but this guy just uses paint(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
BMC and Katusha riders have this new Giro Vanquish helmet, but Giro isn't talking about it yet(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Power divided by aerodynamic drag is a primary game in time trials, and clothing companies like Castelli pulled out all the stops for the opening TT of the Tour de France with brand new and tried-and-true aero gear.
Defending Tour champion Chris Froome and stage 1 winner Geraint Thomas raced in brand new Castelli Body Paint 4.0 Speed Suits.
"We have spent the last nine months working on this," Castelli’s Steve Smith told BikeRadar. "We have gone beyond rider-specific designs to speed-specific concepts."
By rider-specific, Smith was referring to the tailoring Castelli has done for top riders, adjusting fabric type and seam placement based on an individual’s shape in a wind tunnel.
Now, the Body Paint 4.0 suit is targeted for speeds around 50kph.
Most notable on the 4.0 are the textured patches on the portions of the upper arms and shoulders that face the wind. Presumably, these dots are there as vortex generators, smoothing the airflow around the body.
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Smith said the 4.0 suit is actually marginally slower than the current 3.3 suit at slower speeds, but for a short effort it was the top speed that mattered. On July 1, stage winner Geraint Thomas average 52.3kph for 16 minutes and four seconds. And that was on a rain-drenched technical course with plenty of treacherous turns.
Click through the gallery above for a look at the various clothing strategies riders and even fans employed on stage 1 of the 2017 Tour de France.
