The 2018 season kicked off at the 20th edition of the Tour Down Under last week. Mitchelton-Scott’s Daryl Impey won a closely contested race, finishing on the same time as last year’s winner Richie Porte but taking the ochre jersey on countback.
The race is also a chance for teams to show off new kit designs and test new sponsors’ products in race conditions, and for new signings to get acquainted with their new team bikes and kit.
Specialized made headlines in the days leading up to the race with a new power meter, shoes and aerodynamic helmet all spotted in the build-up to the WorldTour event.
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New season, new frames
Although new products are generally aligned with calendar years, the biggest cycling brands launch these in the previous year’s summer at the biggest race of the year, the Tour de France. So while we are now seeing 2018 models in 2018 livery, many of the products were first seen during the build-up to, or at, the 2017 Tour de France.
Some of the key products that fall into these categories are the Specialized Tarmac SL6, Lapierre’s Aircode, Merida’s Reacto, BMC’s Teammachine SLR01 and the Trek Emonda.
Along with the 2018 frames, new sponsorship deals and partnerships see teams switching finishing kit providers and can in turn also provoke colour or design changes.
Hot, hot heat
Shoes, helmets and glasses
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/race-tech-from-the-tour-down-under-gallery
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