Racing bikes of the Tour de France Femmes: The Lapierre Xelius DRS by Franziska Koch
Julian Schultz
· 06.08.2025
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Her breakaway attempt was not rewarded: Franziska Koch (Picnic PostNL) and her rival Ana Vitória Magalhães (Team Movistar) were swallowed up by the peloton just four kilometres before the finish of stage 4 in Poitiers. However, the German road champion will also be happy about the "consolation prize": The woman from Mettmann was crowned the most combative rider of the fourth stage of this year's Tour de France Femmes. TOUR takes Koch's courageous ride as an opportunity to present her racing machine.
The 25-year-old not only had to get used to a new team name this season. DSM-Firmenich Post NL has become Team Picnic PostNL. Her bike is also new. Instead of the Scott Foil RC, Koch is travelling on the Xelius DRS from Lapierre. The race all-rounder is her only workhorse, as the French manufacturer has discontinued the aerodynamically optimised Aircode DRS.
Lapierre Xelius DRS has trademark
The trademark of the bike manufacturer from Dijon is the "free" seat tube. The seat stays are connected directly to the top tube and the design is intended to offer a high level of suspension comfort. The current Xelius DRS, which has been rolling in the peloton since the start of the season, has also been given an aerodynamic update. The abbreviation DRS stands for "Drag Reduction System" and previously only characterised the Aircode. So-called NACA profiles, which are also used in aircraft construction, give the frame set a more angular shape compared to its predecessor. Compared to fast specialists, however, the tuning remains comparatively discreet. This is also reflected in the TOUR wind tunnel test. A comparable standard bike achieves 217 watts.
The idea behind the careful aero optimisation was to keep the overall weight within reasonable limits - which was achieved to some extent. The German road champion's bike weighed 7.5 kilograms (including pedals, transponder, start number, bottle and computer holder) on our scales. Before the flat stage from Saumur to Poitiers, the blue-painted frame set was fitted with 50 millimetre high carbon wheels from Urus. The set was fitted with 28 millimetre wide Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres.
The fact that Koch had something planned for the fourth stage could already be seen at the start in Saumur. With the 54/40 chainring combination and 11-34 cassette, the Picnic-PostNL rider chose a comparatively large gear ratio. Many of her competitors were more defensive. With a crank length of 160 millimetres, she is riding the shortest option that Shimano currently offers. This puts Koch in good company. We came across many "short cranks" in the paddock. More striking, however, is the Prologo saddle, which is mounted extremely far forward.
Features of the Lapierre Xelius DRS by Franziska Koch
- Drive/gear shift: Shimano Dura-Ace (2x12; 54/40, 11-34 Z.)
- Brakes: Shimano Dura-Ace
- Brake discs: Shimano Dura-Ace (160/140 mm)
- Impellers: Ursus Proxima 50 Team Edition
- Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro (28 mm)
- Handlebars: Lapierre
- Computer: Wahoo
- Saddle: Prologo
- Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace
Julian Schultz
Editor
