101 race tech photos from the Tour of Flanders - Gallery

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The 2018 edition of the Tour of Flanders lived up to its reputation as one of the most exciting races on the calendar.

• Shimano Ultegra RX road clutch rear derailleur tested in Belgium

Cobbles, terrible weather, crashes and aggressive racing for 265km ended with a victory for Dutchman Niki Terpstra (Quick-Step Floors) after an attack with Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) on the final ascent of the Kruisberg, before attacking again for a solo victory.

At the start line in Antwerp, BikeRadar checked out all the bikes and gear pulled out to combat the cobbles and weather of the second Monument of the season.

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Keeping the drivetrains running smooth

 

Oliver Naesen's used a CeramicSpeed UFO chain in a colour-coordinated yellow finish for the Belgian national champion

With 265km of racing and 23 sections of either Kasseien or Hellingen, every watt counts and the last thing any rider wants is an inefficient drivetrain. The wet weather on the morning of Easter Sunday ensured that the teams weren't taking any risks with chains drying out, and lubricants were applied liberally at the start line.

Wax-based and wet-weather-specific lubes were the order of the day, with Team Dimension Data using the distinctive blue Muc-Off C3 Wet Ceramic lube. Meanwhile, Oliver Naesen used a yellow lube to match his Factor O2 in the colours of the Belgian national champion.

Wider rubber… but not that wide

 

Mitchelton-Scott had a mix of FMB and different Continental tubular tyres

Unlike the brutal pavé of Paris-Roubaix, the cobbles - kasseien - of Flanders aren't as extreme. However, there is plenty of them nonetheless and every rider we saw switched from their usual race tyres to either wider or more robust rubber.

Disc brakes versus rim brakes

Aero-specific versus all-rounders

 

All of the Bahrain-Merida team used Merida Reactos except for Vincenzo Nibali, who opted to race on a Merida Scultura

Are thigh warmers the secret to winning De Ronde?

 

Niki Terpstra - the race winner - wears leg warmers cut just above the knee for some extra warmth on the thighs

Custom derailleurs and mechanical shifting

 

Interestingly, Nibali opted for a mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace drivetrain

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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