Not infrequently the Tour of Italy It becomes a sort of appetizer of what we will see at the Tour and officially later in the season. We went looking for some interesting choices, from Wilier of Cavendish, for example from the customized shoes of Healy.
The first day of rest is the golden opportunity for inventory, putting together the various curiosities and peculiarities of the bikes (and not only the bicycles) of the pros Tour of Italy.
Zana's Giant Propel
It's the latest version of the bike that all the riders are using at home Jayco-AlUla. Compared to the Propel used by colleagues, that of the reigning Italian Champion is striking for the livery, made specifically for the Venetian rider on the occasion of the 2023 Giro d'Italia.
Shimano Di2 2×12 transmission, wheels Cadex 50 with tubeless Victory Race 28 and Cema bottom bracket. The saddle and handlebar compartment are also Cadex.
Remco's choices
«All the athletes we supported – explains Giampaolo Mondini, Specialized man in the group – used specific tires with cotton casing, combined with a latex tubeThe same choice is also made for standard bikes, not time trial bikes, but obviously with a different tire. Only some of the Team Bora athletes use tubeless».
One of our considerations is linked to the helmet and the Evenepoel's position on the time trial bikeAlready during the 2022 World Championships in Wollongong, we had noticed a very advanced position (more than normal), with the knees touching the head tube and at the same time a notable lengthening (in proportion to the standards and physical characteristics of the Belgian rider) of the leg.
These characteristics have been confirmed and have produced good results, given Evenepoel's efficiency and excellent feedback. "During the winter tests," Mondini confirmed, " No corrections or adjustments have been made to Remco's position, no changes in view of the Giro».
Astana bikes
«SLF Motion does not use commercial bearings – Andrea Rovaris, manager of Bike Passion GmbH (exclusive distributor of SLF Motion) about the barbell used by Astana – but according to its own specifications, it produces ceramic spheres and ceramic tracks with a high degree of hardnessEverything is assembled on-site in Illinois. Moving on to the cages, these are made of layered carbon fiber, developed to achieve high levels of rigidity, difficult to find in other products in the same category. Strength, speed of shifting, and precision.
«To the team Astana-Qazaqstan – continues Rovaris – we have made available not only barbells for standard bikes, but also Aero ones, mounted on time trial bikes. SLF Motion also supplies bottom brackets which, thanks to a reinterpreted press-fit design, is decidedly smoother than a classic one, but also has the aim of torsionally supporting the entire central box of the bike".
The sprinter from the Isle of Man, also known for his meticulous attention to detail when it comes to technical aspects and materials, uses a Filante SLR, a bike we already presented during the winter. Compared to then, we see some improvements. Hed wheels with tubeless predisposition, fitted with the latest version of the tyres Vittoria Corsa TLR 28. The frame-kit, evaluating the first aesthetic impact, seems to be the standard one, but No one forbids us to imagine a construction made ad hoc and at the specific request of Cavendish himself..
EF Education helmets
In addition to the different liveries of the jerseys and bikes, the guys from the team EF Education-Easypost they used three different helmet models. Some of them used the Poc Tempor, also widely used on the track and winning thanks to the Danish national team.
Several riders have used the Poc Cerebel Raceday, more compact in size. Other athletes, such as the Ecuadorian caicedo he used a helmet very similar to the previous one, but different in the front part.
On the wheels the ERD value
ERD is the acronym for “effective rim diameter”, or the actual diameter of the rim, which, although respecting the international ETRTO standard, changes based on the height of the rim and the width of the internal channel. The Reserve wheels supplied to the Cervélo of Jumbo-Visma They are among the very first wheels to have the actual value reported on the rim.
The riders of the Dutch battleship have used (and are using) wheels with different profiles, obviously with different ERD values between them, but all with the same new Vittoria Corsa TLR tubeless tires. Reserve wheels have different internal rim channels: for example, size 34s have a 23mm wide channel, size 37s have a 22mm wide channel, size 53s have a 25mm wide channel, and size 63s have a 24mm wide channel.
Ultralight crowns at UAE
Some athletes of the UAE Team Emirates used the standard Shimano chainrings, in the 54-40 combination, other riders use the 54-40 plateau but the Carbon-TiThey combine aluminum, carbon and titanium, they are particularly light, rigid and are part of the CarboRing Evo family. We had already noticed them on Pogacar's bike before the unfortunate Liège and on the bikes of some athletes in the pre-season version. Tour of Italy.
Healy's Nimbl
The Irish rider wears some Nimbl Feat Ultimate, one of the latest innovations from the Italian brand. These are the ones with a single rotor that tightens the foot. The rotor itself acts on a band that helps support the arch.
Intercom for the DSM Team
The communication protocol used by Team DSM riders during time trials is developed with Sena, a company well known in the motorcycle industry for its intercom systems. It is the system Sena Bluetooth Intercom.
The DSM Team, collaborating with Sena has also begun to experiment with the use of the protocol for communications in road races and is working on the range of the signal. The technology is really promising, Sena assures.Will we no longer see radios in the future?
Paret Peintre's black BMC
This is not a new model, but a very special edition of the Teammachine SLR 01. Adopt the suffix Masterpiece It's a kind of artisanal product that brings together several excellent carbon fiber products, both in terms of technology and application. In fact, the bicycle is identical to the traditional version only in terms of aesthetics.
It's the bicycle with which Aurelienne Paret Painter won the fourth fraction of the Giro d'Italia 2023, the one with arrival at Lake LacenoThe assembly: new Fizik Aliante R1 saddle and carbon cockpit BMC ICS, transmission Campagnolo SuperRecord EPS and P2Max power meter, in addition to the latest version of the wheels Campagnolo Hyperon Ultra e Pirelli tubeless. "The MPC frame kit - Explains Stefano Cattai, BMC responsible in group – compared to a standard allows a saving as much as 200 grams, detected on the scale. A kit like the Masterpiece was not provided to all riders and in Team AG2R-Citroen is used by Paret Peintre and O'Connor, but they also use this bike only for mountain stages, or in any case in those situations where the plan is very demanding».
Huge breeds and crowns
And finally, yesterday's time trial, which offered us further interesting insights into the riders' technical choices. The Battleship athletes Ineos-Grandiers they mounted some single crown, remembering that the Shimano package does not provide this solution regardless of the number of teeth on the chainring. And then the Princeton front wheel, full carbon and three-spoke, specific for tubeless.
