Colnago Y1Rs: The winning bike from Tadej Pogačar
Tadej Pogačar piloted the Colnago Y1Rs over Montmartre and Champs-Élysées in a special yellow livery. In addition to the Tour winner's colour, the rainbow colours of the world champion are also part of the design; they could also be seen on the bikes with white and black frames that Pogačar also rode during the Tour. Due to the paintwork, the bike is likely to be 100 to 200 grams heavier than the black work bike and just under the 7.5-kilogram mark. The (painted) TOUR test bike weighed 7.4 kilograms. However, it is unlikely that Pogačar had to let Wout van Aert go on the final stage on the climb of the narrow city course because of this. In terms of aerodynamic quality, Colnago's latest bike has made a significant leap forward and thus into the circle of the best competition racers. "Pogi" now has the honour of driving at least three of these gems. For those who want to do the same: the cheapest available version costs €12,300, while the replica of Pogačar's bike cuts a €16,200 hole in the budget.
Special paintwork part I
When it comes to special liveries, Team Lidl-Trek is traditionally at the forefront. The US team has already attracted attention in the past with spectacular designs. It's clear that the US bike manufacturer Trek from Waterloo, Wisconsin, wants to use the biggest possible stage during the Tour of France to draw attention to its "Project One" customisation programme. This year's design variant was named "Couler" (French for "flowing") and was intended to evoke dynamic movements. For mere mortals, the colour scheme is available in a limited edition for an additional 2,400 euros.
Wheels: Shimano prototype?
Alpecin-Deceuninck was travelling on mountainous stages with wheels without a manufacturer's certificate. According to a team mechanic, the set was an unreleased model from Shimano, which the Belgian team is already using this season. The difference to the C50 wheel from the Dura-Ace collection, which is usually ridden by Mathieu van der Poel & Co, is a slightly wider carbon rim. In addition, the wheels were built with carbon instead of steel spokes. The Alpecin riders combined the prototype with 30-millimetre tyres. Market launch? Open!
Futuristic aero racing bike from Factor
The biggest advertising coup in France was achieved by Factor; the supplier of Israel-Premier Tech made a name for itself with one of the most spectacular racing bikes of the recent past. With its extremely wide fork blades, the prototype evoked associations with the British national team's track bike. Although the British-Taiwanese manufacturer also presented the "spaceship" at Eurobike, hardly any technical details are known so far. The market launch is also open. The secrecy also affected the professionals. "We don't know much about the bike ourselves yet," said Pascal Ackermann when asked.
Update for Cervélo S5 and R5
The most prominent novelty was the Cervélo S5 by Jonas Vingegaard. The Dane completed all 3,300 kilometres from Lille to Paris on the aerodynamically sophisticated racer. Curious: the model had not even been officially presented or launched on the market until the fourth stage. However, the Cervélo with its distinctive handlebars was still on show to the public. This also applied to the Canadians' second innovation: the lightweight R5 model also received an update and was on the road as a prototype in France. The mountain bike, which was ridden in the Pyrenees and the Alps by Sepp Kuss (pictured below) and Matteo Jorgensen, goes on sale on 5 September. According to the manufacturer, the aim was to starve the size 56 bike to six kilos, which, according to TOUR-Waage, was achieved.
Saddles of the Tour de France riders
1,350 euros! That's the price of the new seat from Prologo, on which Jonas Vingegaard, among others, fought against the clock on the fifth stage. Thanks to a special anti-slip coating, the Predator 01TT CPC is designed to help "maintain the best possible aerodynamic position". However, the media-effective presentation of the saddle during the Tour was accompanied by Vingegaard losing a considerable amount of time to his rival Tadej Pogačar.
Soudal pro Pascal Enkhoorn's bike was adorned with an eye-catching saddle from Specialized: the 3D-printed seat made of transparent material, the shell signal red - a sign of the US brand's "Racing Only" products. A prototype then? No. The S-Works Power Evo Mirror went on sale during the Tour, for a hefty 449 euros, but only in black. Specialized chose the design presented in France "so that it would be reported on".
Special paintwork part II
The Wilier Filante SLR, used by Groupama-FDJ, is one of the longest-serving racing bikes in the peloton. To make this less noticeable, the Italians painted the racing all-rounder a new colour - and chose flowery words for the paintwork: "It is a new garment, a unique creation that only comes to life once." Complete wheels in "ice look" are available from 9,400 euros.
Van Rysel opens the doors
Decathlon used the opening event in Lille to present its brands such as Van Rysel, supplier to its "own" professional team, and B'Twin. On the huge company premises not far from the Grand Départ, visitors were able to see the prototype workshop, test laboratory and a new marathon bike (EDR CF Ultra). It gave the impression of visiting a "sleeping giant" that wants to take on established brands thanks to its great financial strength.
Exclusive rubber compound from Hutchinson
The traditional French brand Hutchinson celebrated its return as a team supplier for the Tour de France with an exclusive tyre for Intermarché-Wanty. According to team mechanic Mikey van Kruiningen, the top model Blackbird Race, usually fitted in 28 or 30 millimetre widths, is customised for each professional. Recognisable by the handwritten note on the sidewall.
News from Continental
The tyre manufacturer from Korbach, which has been an official partner of the Tour de France for many years, launched a completely new model this year with the "Archetype" (110 euros). The rubber was officially developed in close co-operation with UAE Team Emirates - XRG. However, the tyres were mainly used by other teams such as Movistar. It was not until the final stage that overall winner Tadej Pogačar rolled across the Champs-Élysées on the 30-millimetre tyres.
Merida - an open secret?
A prototype from sponsor Merida was in use at Bahrain - Victorious, which will presumably replace the somewhat outdated Reacto Team. However, chief mechanic Filip Tisma did not want or was not allowed to reveal any information about the bike. Nor why sprinter Phil Bauhaus did not sit on the new model. The most noticeable change is the head tube, which is longer and designed with sharper lines than the current Reacto in accordance with the current UCI regulations. Compared to aero specialists, however, the Merida does not fully utilise what is technically possible. Nevertheless, the updates should make the competition racer a few watts faster. Nothing is yet known about the market launch and prices.
New racing suit at Uno-X
A topsy-turvy world at Uno-X: the Norwegian team was out and about in a new racing suit with a zip on the back. The Breakaway Suit is designed to minimise air turbulence. The item is not available to buy.
TPU inner tube from Pirelli
Faster thanks to TPU tyres? At least that's what Pirelli promises. The new SmarTube RS in combination with the P Zero Race RS should be the fastest set-up from the Italians. Unsurprisingly, Lidl-Trek is already using the combination. The tube for tyre widths between 26 and 35 millimetres costs 30 euros.
New wheels from Swiss Side
Swiss Side presented a new wheelset just in time for the Grand Départ. Despite a wider rim, the Hadron³ Ultimate is said to be even more aerodynamic - especially with the optimised Aero 111 tyre from Continental. The wheel-tyre combination was used by Felix Gall (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale), among others. The three models in different heights cost 2,699 euros each.
Special paintwork part III
In addition to the striking prototype, Factor caught the eye with a special watercolour paint job on the Ostro VAM. The colours are intended to symbolise the sunrise. Each of the pink and sky-blue team bikes was unique, with no two colour schemes exactly alike. The eye-catching colour scheme has also been available for amateur athletes since the Tour of France. With Shimano's Dura-Ace, the bike costs 11,299 euros.
Sat nav holder from UAE from the 3D printer
In the final week, the UAE team travelled with a computer holder from the 3D printer. INEOS Grenadiers already used similar mounts in 2024. This year, however, they were no longer used because they were banned by the UCI following a TOUR enquiry. UAE were unable to tell us what happened with the part for the Colnago Y1Rs. Nor whether the holder will be available to buy at some point.
Special paintwork part IV
With an outstanding seventh place in the overall standings, Arkéa pro Kévin Vauquelin was a perfect advertising medium for Bianchi. After all, the best-placed Frenchman often flashed across the TV screen - and with him his Oltre RC in a striking livery, with which the Italians drew attention to "Officina Bianchi". This marks the traditional brand's entry into the custom business. There are six designs to choose from for the top models Oltre, Specialissima and Impulso. The Vauquelin variant is called "Bluemarin Drip". As usual, Bianchi did not disclose prices.
Rain tyres from Schwalbe
Tudor Pro Cycling and Marius Mayrhofer presented a previously unseen Schwalbe tyre. The tyre was labelled "Pro One", but bore a new brand logo and dispensed with the distinctive blue stripe on the sidewall. "It's a special rubber compound for wet roads," a mechanic told us. The tyre should offer more grip with slightly higher rolling resistance. Whether it will be available to buy in the future remains to be seen.
Julian Schultz
Editor
