Alongside the 12 stages of racing at the 2019 Tour de France – with 12 different winners – there has been plenty of fascinating tech on show at this year’s race.
New tech including tubeless tyres, while 12-speed groupsets are making their official debut at this year’s Tour after being introduced over the past year into the WorldTour peloton. Custom frames, wheels, components and more are on display as each brand vies for attention as the world watches the biggest race in the sport.
Tubeless tyres
UAE Team Emirates’ Alexander Kristoff became the first rider to take a WorldTour victory on tubeless tyres earlier this year. Despite a less successful race with the tyres at Paris-Roubaix, the team have continued to race on the Vittoria Corsa tyres and at least half of the team have been racing with the tyres at this year’s Tour de France.
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EF Education First, who again use Vittoria tyres, and the Specialized-sponsored teams Bora-Hansgrohe and Deceuninck-QuickStep have also been seen racing on the tyre technology during the season and at the Tour de France.
Continental tyres are used by several WorldTour teams but have yet to be seen being raced on the brand’s tubeless offerings. On stage 11, however, Movistar Team riders including current world champion Alejandro Valverde, were seen racing on Continental GP5000 tubeless tyres for the stage in conjunction with Campagnolo Bora WTO 45 wheels – the first time Cyclingnews has seen Continental’s tubeless offerings at a WorldTour race.
Sponsor correct?
Not always. Despite certain manufacturers paying seven-figure sums to support and provide equipment for some WorldTour teams, they often have the option to use other brands due to a 'performance first' clause in their sponsorship contracts.
New bikes
All custom everything
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tour-de-france-huge-race-tech-gallery
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