tour de france bike helmets

2023 Tour de France Helmets Brands and Models Guide

One of the most visible gear the Tour de France riders use is the helmet, besides their bikes and sunglasses . Many brands are known to release new models just in time for the Tour de France to gain maximum publicity. After all, the Tour de France is the pinnacle cycling race of the year.

Each team is provided with three types of helmets ;

• Aero helmets for maximizing aerodynamics and speeds. These are commonly used on flat and sprint finish stages and have minimal air vents to allow the air to flow smoothly through the helmet surface.
• Lightweight helmets are all about weight and breathability and are preferred for hilly and mountainous stages where each gram matters. These helmets have up to 20 air vents for maximum ventilation to cool down the riders.
• Time trial (TT) helmets are only used during time trials . Many models have just a handful of air vents (if any) as the helmet is designed to maximize aerodynamics.

All the helmet models are the brand’s top-of-the-line and/or latest models. Depending on the brands and models, they can cost anywhere from $200 to $400.

In 2023, there will be 16 bike helmet brands present at the Tour de France.

Ekoi (4 teams) and Specialized (3 teams) helmets are the most represented, followed by Abus (2 teams). The notable helmet brands absent are Bell and Giro.

One of the most visible gears at Tour de France 🇫🇷 is the riders' helmets besides their bikes 🚴 and sunglasses 🕶️. But did you know the most popular helmet brand at the race is one that not many know? It's not Giro, Kask or POC. pic.twitter.com/NoEv2AWDEu — Mr. Mamil (@MrMamil) July 2, 2023

2023 Tour de France Bikes and Gear

Tour de France Winning Bikes by Year (1903 to 2023)

2023 Tour de France Sunglasses Brands and Models Guide

2023 Tour de France Bike Brands and Models Guide

Helmet brands and models for each team

Here’s the breakdown of each helmet brand and models used by the teams.

Competitive Cyclist (US) is doing a 20% off POC helmets until the end of the Tour de France (23/7/2023). Find out more here .

2023 Tour de France helmet photos

Tour de France Past Winners

Tour de France Climber’s Classification Winners, 1933-2022

Tour de France Team Classification Winners, 1930-2022

Tour de France Young Rider Classification Winners, 1975-2022

Who Has the Most Tour de France Stage Wins?

Who is the Tour de France Lanterne Rouge?

Who Won the Tour de France Green Jersey?

Who won the Tour de France Yellow Jersey?

Alex Lee is the founder and editor-at-large of Mr. Mamil. Coming from a professional engineering background, he breaks down technical cycling nuances into an easy-to-understand and digestible format here.

He has been riding road bikes actively for the past 12 years and started racing competitively in the senior category during the summer recently.

Mr. Mamil's content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The content is not a substitute for official or professional advice. Please do your own due diligence.

Mr. Mamil participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We also participate in various other affiliate programs, and at times we earn a commission through purchases made through links on this website.

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Tech Check: The Helmets of The 2024 Tour de France

Are the helmets in the 2024 tour de france the best on the market or just the companies with the best marketing budget.

Don't miss a moment of the 2024 Tour de France! Get recaps, insights, and exclusive takes with Velo's daily newsletter. >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Sign up today! .

Bang for your buck helmets are one of the biggest upgrades you can make in the gear you ride with. Like your kit, there’s a fashion element but unlike your kit, you can expect years of use out of a good helmet. If performance is more your game, then a helmet costs a fraction of what a wheelset costs but offers as much aero savings. Of course you might also opt to give up a few watts and get better ventilation. Whatever works for you, there’s a great helmet available.

What about the pro peloton though? Are the helmets in the 2024 Tour de France reflective of the brands that consumers choose? I wanted find out so I went through every team taking a look at what helmet sponsors they are working with.

The final tally is surprising. The brand with the most sponsored teams is Ekoi who sponsors Lotto-Dstny, Israel-PremierTech, Cofidis, and Arkéa-B&B Hotels. Number two with half that is a tie between Specialized and HJC each with two teams. Then the rest are one off sponsorships for another fourteen brands. Some of these are helmets I’ve ridden with extensively and some I’ve never seen. Keep reading to see if there’s something you haven’t seen before.

Team Visma-Lease A Bike – Giro

At the top of the model lineup Giro has the Aries Spherical Helmet and the Eclipse Spherical helmet. As evidenced by the name, both use an exclusive technology from MIPS called Spherical. It’s a ball and socket design that does well with Virginia Tech with the Aries currently sitting as the number one helmet .

Although both helmets are still technically current, the Eclipse looks like it’s not long for this world. It’s been out for two years now and is currently on deep discount. Instead, the Aries is the option that’s seeing promotion by Team Visma-Lease A Bike.

The Aries is also a helmet that represents something like what’s happening in the world of aero frames. Although it’s technically not an aero helmet, Giro touts the aero credentials. It’s also light, at 280 grams, as measured in size medium, and an excellent helmet for the hottest days. If you happen to love Team Visma-Lease A Bike there’s even a replica version available .

UAE Team Emirates – Met

Although we are talking about helmets in the 2024 Tour De France, Met is still remembering the Maglia Rosa. To my eye, the Giro Black and Yellow is maybe not the most exciting thing but bright pink certainly sounds fun. You can choose the Met Trenta 3K Carbon or the Met Manta the Maglia Rosa pink if you think you can pull it off.

If you do want either the ventilated Trenta 3K Carbon or the aero Manta, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. If pink is what you’ve got your heart set on, it’s not available in the US right now. Even if another color is more to your liking, and there is also a UA Team Emirates Edition, they run small. If you are at all close to choosing between sizes, pick the bigger one.

More details are available at met-helmets.com

Team Jayco–AlUla – Giant

Unlike almost every helmet brand on this list, Giant only has a single top model called the Giant Rev Pro. Like the Giro Aries, it seems to be straddling the line between aero and ventilated. Our review of it notes that the main use of CFD during design wasn’t to make it the fastest helmet but rather to make sure that it’s both vented and aero enough. Given that I’ve never touched this helmet, check out the full review for more info .

Ineos Grenadiers – Kask

Unlike Giant, Kask has more top-of-the-range helmets than anyone else and they are all aero optimized. The most expensive helmet in the lineup, and most lineups, is the Kask Elemento which uses a carbon fiber plate. Instead of the typical EPS of most helmets, there’s a 1mm thick carbon plate that will shift and move to absorb energy in the event of an impact. It’s a system that seems to work given the 5-star Virginia Tech rating but Kask is also using it to up airflow through the helmet. Although this is an aero helmet, temperature regulation is the big focus.

If you prefer something a bit more traditional, and cheaper, then the Protone Icon or Utopia Y are the typical vented or aero options. The Protone Icon is virtually unchanged since the days of Team Sky dominance so it’s got good visual recognition as the all-around choice. The Utopia Y meanwhile is less recognizable but still does a good job moving air through it while being fast.

You can check out more info on the Kask Elemento in our full review.

Lidl-Trek – Trek

Not to pick favorites here but Trek has a pair of helmets that I wear more than any others. The Ballista MIPS is a helmet that feels among the fastest I’ve ever worn while also being among the lightest at 260 grams in size medium. It does a decent job staying cool even on hot days but the long tail lets you know when you aren’t in an optimal position on the bike. I recently had to replace it after a crash and I opted for the beatle-esque “purple flip” color.

The only problem with the Ballista is that it’s a bit outrageous. It looks out of place on any ride where you aren’t pushing the pace and I tend to also include gravel rides in that. Instead the Velocis MIPS offers a less dramatic silhouette but still has aero credentials plus even better ventilation. It’s the helmet I used to ride the Traka 360 and I’m a huge fan of the angled brow that gives better visibility.

Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale Team and Total Energies – HJC

I’ve heard of HJC because it’s my job to hear of such things. Otherwise, it’s not a brand I have ever seen anyone wearing and I’ve never touched an HJC helmet. Part of that is undoubtedly because the brand isn’t available in the US and isn’t well known for cycling helmets even abroad. Although HJC dates back to 1971, and makes over a million helmets a year, the vast majority of them are for motorcycles.

Despite that HJC is sponsoring two teams this year and there are replica edition helmets available for both. You can read more details at HJCsports.com

Bahrain Victorious – Rudy Project

Rudy Project is an Italian company with the Rebel and Nytron at the top of the lineup. Of the two, the Nytron is better known partly because it’s been around for a while. Although the Nytro aero helmet is comfortable, it’s also heavy and it appears that this year Rudy Project is adapting.

The latest helmet to break cover is the Rudy Project Rebel. The Rebel drops a bit of weight, though it’s still not challenging for the lightest helmet out there, through the use of carbon fiber. Just like Kask, Rudy Project is using the carbon to reduce the need for EPS but then Rudy Project leans into sustainability. According to the brand, “the Rebel’s shell is crafted from recycled polycarbonate, with straps and padding also made from recycled materials.” You’ll also notice a new Fidlock buckle not yet seen on other helmets.

You can read more about the brand new Rudy Project Rebel at RudyProject.com

Soudal Quick-Step and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe – Specialized

Specialized is a marketing machine and I’m surprised to learn that the brand is only sponsoring two World Tour teams. Despite that, the two teams have either the S-Works Evade 3 or the S-Works Prevail 3 as options for aero or vented helmets. In both cases, the light and narrow straps are noticeably different from other brands.

Of the two, the aero focused Evade 3 is the most unique because, despite being an aero helmet, it didn’t come to market focused on aerodynamics. The Specialized point of view is that the Evade 2 was already one of the fastest helmets on the market so making it cooler would be the best use of the brand’s design energy. In my own experience, I’d say Specialized was right to lean that direction as one of the most noticeable features of the S-Works Evade 3 is how much air that top vent flows. Every time I put it on I’m amazed at the feeling.

You can read more about Specialized helmets in our launch coverage of the Evade 3 and Prevail 3 .

Groupama-FDJGroupama-FDJ – Julbo

If you noticed a Julbo helmet among the helmets in the 2024 Tour De France and wondered why you’d never heard of it, you aren’t alone. I didn’t know that Julbo made a helmet and it turns out that’s not an oversight. The Julbo Finisher Evo is a brand new helmet announced a week ago. As expected from mid-priced glasses maker Julbo, an integrated eyewear storage system is one of the few bullet point features.

Other than the glasses storage, the Julbo Finisher Evo looks to be more of a ventilated helmet than an aero play. Julbo calls it the “most aerodynamic road helmet on the market” but includes an asterisk. In order to see those aerodynamic advantages you’d need the “modular speedshell” installed and UCI rules are very specific when stating that “Adding a removable cover is not allowed…” and “No material of any kind may be added to the helmet (tape, surface treatments, etc.).”  Still, most of us aren’t governed by the UCI and those kinds of covers are great in the winter.

Adding to the speedshell and glasses storage, the other details are fairly standard. Julbo is using MIPS Air Node for rotational impact protection plus there’s language discussing a 360-degree fit system. What you won’t find, yet, is a price and given that Julbo is often about exceptional value this number could be quite low when it’s revealed.

Check out Julbo.com for more information.

Alpecin-Deceuninck and Movistar – Canyon and Abus

This is a bit of an odd one given that there are two teams with two sponsors clumped together. What’s happening is that Alpecin-Deceuninck is a Canyon sponsored team who uses the Gamechanger 2.0 helmet. Movistar Team on the other hand is an Abus sponsored team who uses the Gamechanger 2.0 helmet. Notice anything odd? Yeah the two teams are both using an Abus helmet called the Gamechanger 2.0. There’s no difference between them despite the Canyon branding on one of them.

In terms of the actual Gamechanger 2.0 helmet, this is one I’d always written off. I’d thought that it was playing at aero looks without any actual aero credentials. Then I spent time riding with one at Sea Otter this year. I also had a chance to talk with Abus about the helmet and I got quite a lesson on the obsessiveness that the designers applied to the aero credentials. The top vent alone went through over a dozen 3D printed prototypes to get it just right. The end result is a comfortable and aero helmet that’s reasonably light as well. The look won’t be for everyone but it’s at least designed that way with purpose.

Check out Abus.com for more info on the Gamechanger 2.0

EF Education-Easypost – POC

POC has been getting a lot of press recently for new and innovative helmets. Lachlan Morton was on the top step of the Unbound 200 podium with the POC Procen Air and I wrote a follow up article about what it’s like to ride in the Proceen Air . This time though, the Proceen Air isn’t getting much use. Instead there’s a brand new helmet from POC that hasn’t seen a wide release so far.

Although my colleague Alvin Holbrook was on-site looking for unrelease tour tech , he wasn’t fast enough to catch a shot of the new POC helmet. The only thing we know is what we can see in pictures that show a slight update to the older POC design language. If you take a POC Ventral MIPS and change up the vents a bit plus add some carbon fiber, you might have something close to the new helmet. Whatever it is, we can only guess for now.

Lotto-Dstny, Israel-PremierTech, Cofidis, Arkéa-B&B Hotels – Ekoi

French brand Ekoi is the company with the most teams sponsored this year. Is that because they are the best helmets around? Hard to tell but the top helmet in the lineup is the Helmet Aerodinamica that came to life with design help from Pininfarina.

This is a helmet that in some ways seems to reference a similar design language as the Trek Ballista MIPS but the two are also quite different. While the Trek is all angles and numbers, the Pininfarina design language is closer to a mid-century modern interpretation of a similar long tail TT ancestor. Ekoi doesn’t give any aero details but is clear that it’s a result of extensive tunnel testing. In my experience wearing it, it’s less likely to catch air with the turn of your head and it’s heavier with more focus on comfort details. The thick straps and magnetic buckle don’t save weight but they do make it a pleasure to wear.

It’s also worth noting that Ekoi is a reliable budget option despite high quality. An aero helmet for the $250 price point that the Helmet Aerodinamica is currently selling at is basically unheard of.

You can find more info at Ekoi.com .

Intermarché-Wanty – Uvex

Don’t tell anyone but I’ve been wearing a Uvex Rise Pro MIPS a ton over the last few months despite it’s lack of availability in the US. If I’m honest I grabbed it initially because I don’t have a lot of white helmets to match white sunglasses. I’ve kept using it because it absolutely does not move on your head. This is similar to the Kask Elemento but without the rather odd front pad that the Kask has. As good as that helmet is though, I suspect it’s not that fast. Get moving quick and it makes a lot of racket in the wind.

It would seem I’m not wrong in that assessment as Intermarché-Wanty has actually been wearing a brand new Uvex helmet called the Uvex Surge Aero MIPS. This is another helmet that seems to run afoul of the UCI rule preventing add-on shells and yet there are pictures with the vents covered. Perhaps there’s some loophole I’m not aware of but either way, the new helmet looks very similar to the Rise Pro.

It would seem that the Surge Aero takes the Rise Pro design and pairs it back plus adds the shell. The Rise Pro uses a bridge through the center which presumably makes it more aero but also less vented. If you reduces that to the bare minimum then added the optional shell, you’d likely end up with the Surge Aero. Given how good the Rise Pro is, I’d call this a good thing. It’s also a bargain if you don’t live in the US and can actually purchase it.

You can find more info at uvex-sports.com

Team DSM Firmenich-Post NL – Scott

The latest Scott helmet you will find lurking with other helmets in the 2024 Tour De France is the Scott Cadence Plus. It’s an aero helmet with a price that even undercuts, slightly, the previously unheard of $250 price point. One of the best features though, isn’t something you’ll see in the tour.

The Scott Cadence Plus is one of only a few helmets available with a quality light that doesn’t get in the way. In the recent review, Alvin Holbrook does a great job summing up the positives and negatives but the arc of the story meant not many words about the light. That happens when you are trying to tell a concise story so I’ll just highlight it here. For the rest of the details, jump over to see what  Holbrook has to say in his full Scott Cadence Plus review .

Astana Qazaqstan – Limar

If there’s any helmet among the helmets in the 2024 Tour de France that stand out as special it might be from Limar. Marc Cavendish was wearing the Limar Atlas when he pulled off his historic 35th Tour de France stage victory . It’s a little hard to recognize it because of the Monster energy paint scheme but it’s definitely the one on his head as he raised his hands in victory.

I won’t try to tell you that Cavendish was successful because of the air atlas but it obviously didn’t hurt. For those of us not trying to put our names in the victory books, the Air Atlas is still a great helmet. The most notable detail is the “UFO” which is a clip on tail that extends the rear of the helmet and transforms it from the lightest aero helmet on the market to not quite lights but faster. You can see Cavendish has it installed as he got caught for drafting so it would seem that it is useful.

I’m kind of joking about the UFO. In real life, you likely won’t ever remove it. It takes away nothing from the air flow when it’s installed and while it weighs 26 grams, it only puts the Air Atlas 7 grams over the Trek Ballista MIPS. Limar would likely save more weight getting rid of the padding on the strap and the magnetic buckle but both are details that make this helmet a comfortable aero option.

You can read more at Limar.com .

Uno-X Mobility – Sweet Protection

Whenever I think about Sweet Protection it tends to be in relation to Alexi Vermeulen, who I tend to end up riding with somewhat often, or Pas Normal which makes some of my favorite kits. For most people, Sweet Protection immediately brings visions of uhm… Spaceballs (the kinder shape reference) aero helmets. Sweet Protection doesn’t just make weird TT helmets though. The brand also has an excellent pair of top-shelf road bike helmets.

The Sweet Protection Falconer 2Vi and Falconer Aero 2Vi are really the same helmet. One of them has a number of the vents covered and one of them leaves them open but otherwise, there’s no difference. In both cases, the Sweet Protection helmets fly a bit under the radar. They don’t have standout details in any one specific area and yet the whole design comes together in a cohesive way. They are #2 on the Virginia Tech rankings, do an excellent job at holding glasses stashed on your helmet, and are overall great all-around helmets.

If you care about color choices, that alone might be enough to have you check out the Falconer variants. Sweet protection offers 8 color options and Pas Normal offers another 3. You can check out more details at SweetProtection.com or PASNormalstudios.com

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Bike Helmets at Tour de France 2022

Dan matthews.

• Last Updated : July 9, 2022

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It was just not that long ago that helmets were made mandatory in the Tour de France . That year was 2003 where a fatal crash of Andrei Kivilev at the second stage in Paris-Nice prompted the UCI to make helmets mandatory from the next race onwards.

These days all the equipment used by the pros comes under great scrutiny, especially at the Tour de France. Among others is the bike helmets they wear.

The helmet technologies have improved significantly over the years and we now have helmets designed for specific purposes with all the latest safety technologies. For example,

• Regular vs aero helmets. On hilly stages, riders will opt for regular helmets that lighter, have more air vents for better breathability. For flat and sprint stages, many will prefer helmets optimized for aerodynamics that have minimal air vents.
• Safety technologies such as MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System) , SPIN (Shearing Pad Inside), Wavecel, and Koroyd can be found in the majority of the helmets the riders wear.
• Color and design. Most teams will have a team color/design for their helmets to match with their kits and bikes. A yellow helmet is worn by every rider of the team that is leading the Team’s Classification (the team that has the lowest cumulative time by adding the times of the three best riders of each team per stage).

For 2022, there 16 helmet brands at the Tour de France. There are three teams each wearing Ekoi and Specialized , helmets followed by two teams each for Abus and HJC helmets. The most notable brand missing out is Bell.

Some of the helmets also make it into our favorite helmet picks list . Let’s take a look at all the helmets used by each team.

German-based Abus is a long-time, reputable brand when it comes to bike locks. A newcomer in the pro peloton, starting with Movistar in 2018, Abus has one of the nicest looking helmets in this year’s Tour de France.

See Mathieu van der Poel will be wearing the Abus Gamechanger on the cobblestone stage 5. 

More info at Abus.

• Helmets Worn :  Abus Aventor Quin (Regular), Abus Gamechanger (Aerodynamic), Abus Gamechanger TT
• Worn by : Alpecin-Fenix, Movistar Team
• Available at : Competitive Cyclist , Amazon , Wiggle

France-based Bolle has been around since 1888 and today manufactures helmets, goggles, and sunglasses for cycling and skiing. They’ve been a mainstay in the pro peloton in recent years with Orica GreenEdge wearing their sunglasses in the past.

More info at Bolle.

• Helmets Worn : Bolle Furo MIPS (Regular), EXO MIPS (Aerodynamic),
• Worn by : B&B Hotels p/b KTM

Bontrager is the sister brand of bike manufacturer, Trek. Bontrager produces everything from helmets to saddles, wheelsets, and bike lights. So, it’s no surprise that Trek-sponsored teams will be using Bontrager equipment such as helmets and wheels (similar to Specialized sponsored teams).

More info at Trek.

• Helmets Worn : Bontrager Velocis MIPS (Regular), Bontrager XXX WaveCel (Aerodynamic)
• Worn by : Trek Segafredo
• Available at : Trek Bikes

Based out of France, Ekoi which was founded in 2001 has grown to be a reputable brand in the cycling clothing market especially with helmets and sunglasses. Their direct-to-consumer model means that Ekoi products are 30% to 40% cheaper than its competitors.

Expect to see Caleb Ewan sprinting to his next Grand Tour win at the Tour de France in the Ekoi AR14 .

• Helmets Worn : Ekoi Legende (Regular), Ekoi AR14 (Aerodynamic), Ekoi Chrono (TT)
• Worn by :  Cofidis, Lotto-Soudal, Team Arkea-Samsic
• Available at : Ekoi

A relatively unknown outside of the mainstream cycling brands, Czech-based Force manufactures a wide range of cycling accessories, clothing, components, and tools. Their products are mainly found in Europe and Central Asia through their growing network of dealers.

More info at Force.

• Helmets Worn : Force Lynx (Regular), Force Neo Orca (Aerodynamic),
• Worn by : Intermarché Wanty Gobert Materiaux

With a long presence in the pro peloton dating back to pre-2000, Giro helmets are used by three teams in this year’s Tour de France. Besides helmets, Giro is an established brand when it comes to cycling shoes.

Riders will have three helmet choices; Giro Aether Spherical (regular), Giro Vanquish (aerodynamic), and Giro Aerohead (TT) helmets to choose from.

Trek-Segafredo riders will be wearing the Giro Aerohead TT helmet for time trials as their helmet provider, Bontrager doesn’t produce a TT helmet.

• Helmets Worn : Giro Aether Spherical (Regular), Giro Vanquish MIPS,(Aerodynamic), Giro Aerohead MIPS (TT)
• Worn by : Groupama-FDJ

Another relative newcomer into the pro peloton, HJC is an established brand among Moto GP riders with a history dating back to 1971. HJC’s helmets feature their patented technologies such as COOLPATH for efficient airflow and cooling and SELFFIT for automatic self-adjustment.

Expect to see Chris Froome riding his tenth Tour de France wearing the HJC Ibex 2.0 in the high mountains.

More info at HJC.

• Helmets Worn : HJC Ibex 2.0 (Regular), HJC Furion 2.0 (Aerodynamic), HJC Adwatt 1.5 (TT)
• Worn by : AG2R Citreon Team, Israel Premier Tech
• Available at :   Wiggle

Kask is worn exclusively by Ineos Grenadiers (Team Sky) since its inception in 2010 and has won the most Grand Tours in the last decade. Undoubtedly, Kask is the most well-known helmet brand within the cycling industry.

The Kask Protone has been a mainstay in their helmet lineup for many years and hasn’t been updated for more than 5 years. Expect to see the Ineos Grenadiers train riding at the front all day long sporting the latest Kask Protone.

• Helmets Worn : Kask Protone, Kask (Regular), Kask Valegro (Lightweight), Kask Utopia (Aerodynamic), Kask Bambino (TT)
• Worn by : Ineos Grenadiers

Belgian helmet manufacturer Lazer is another old-timer in the pro peloton with almost a century of history. They started by designing leather caps for tough men riding over cobblestone in Belgium before evolving into the technically advanced helmets we see today.

Get ready to see Primoz Roglic challenge for the overall win, supported by his trusted lieutenants such as Sepp Kuss and Wout van Aert wearing the Lazer Genesis .

More info at Lazer.

• Helmets Worn : Lazer Genesis (Lightweight), Lazer Bullet 2.0 (Aerodynamic), Lazer Volante (TT)
• Worn by : Team Jumbo Visma
• Available at : Competitive Cyclist , Amazon

Based out of Bergamo in Italy, Limar manufactures a range of helmets for all cycling disciplines from road to gravel, mountain biking, gravel, and kids. The riders will use Limar’s top-of-the-line helmets at the Tour de France this year.

• Helmets Worn : Limar Air Pro (Regular), Limar Air Speed (Aerodynamic), Limar Air King (TT)
• Worn by : Astana-Qazaqstan

One of the fastest-growing helmet brands, MET is based in the Valtellina valley in the Italian Alps. They’re just 100km away from the Stelvio and 20km from Lake Como.

Worn by Tadej Podgacer to his maiden Tour de France win in 2020, MET will continue with the UAE Team Emirates for this year. Expect to see Tadej Podgacer wearing the MET Trenda 3K Carbon helmet on the hilly stages.

More info at MET.

• Helmets Worn : MET Trenda 3K Carbon (Regular), MET Manta MIPS (Aerodynamic), MET Codatronca (TT)
• Worn by : UAE Team Emirates
• Available at : Wiggle

Swedish-based, POC designed one of the most good-looking bike helmets in the pro peloton today. They’re also the inventor of SPIN (Shearing Pad Inside) safety technology which is used in their helmets. You’ll spot a light blue liner inside all POC helmets today.

With the pink POC Ventral SPIN Air helmets, you definitely can’t miss them on TV.

More info at POC.

• Helmets Worn : POC Ventral SPIN Air (Regular), POC Ventral SPIN (Aerodynamic), POC Cerebel (TT)
• Worn by : EF Education Nippo

Rudy Project

Started in 1985 in Italy, Rudy Project is a leading brand in outdoor accessories. They make helmets and sunglasses for various sports such as cycling, running, beach, winter, and watersports.

More info at Rudy Project.

• Helmets Worn : Rudy Project Spectrum (Regular), Rudy Project Volantis (Aerodynamic), Rudy Project The Wing (TT)
• Worn by : Bahrain Victorious

Scott helmets are worn by Scott-sponsored teams, similar to Trek and Specialized teams. Known for its bikes, Scott also manufactures bike components such as wheels, handlebars, and saddles under its sister brand Syncros.

More info at Scott.

• Helmets Worn : Scott Centric Plus MIPS (Regular), Scott Cadence Plus (Aerodynamic)
• Worn by : Team DSM

Specialized

Specialized helmets are worn exclusively by Specialized sponsored teams in recent years. From our observation, if the team is riding a Specialized bike, they will be using Specialized’s other equipment such as wheels (Roval), tires, helmets, and shoes.

Get ready to see fireworks animated by current Road World Champion Julian Alaphilippe in the S-Works Prevail 2 and 3X  champion Peter Sagan in the S-Works Evade .

• Helmets Worn : S-Works Prevail 2 (Regular), S-Works Evade (Aerodynamic), S-Works TT
• Worn by : BORA Hansgrohe, QuickStep Alpha Vinyl Team, Total Energies
• Available at : Competitive Cyclist , Jenson USA

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The Best Road Bike Helmets in 2023

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Tour de France: A Look at Top Bike Helmet Brands

The Tour de France is not just any cycling race - it's the pinnacle of cycling where the world's best cyclists compete for glory, and where the best cycling gear is put to the test. One of the most important pieces of gear for any cyclist is their helmet, which not only provides protection but also plays a crucial role in performance. It's the difference between a close call and a nasty spill, between a good day and a great one. That's why Huace Sports are excited to take a closer look at the helmets worn by professional cyclists in this year's Tour de France. As a bike helmet manufacturer, HuaceSports is committed to providing cyclists with top-of-the-line helmets that not only provide superior protection but also enhance their performance. Our team of designers and engineers are constantly working to improve our helmets, incorporating the latest technology and innovations to ensure that our helmets are among the best on the market. We're proud to be a part of the cycling community and to contribute to the safety and performance of cyclists around the world. So, whether you're a professional cyclist or a weekend warrior, make sure you're using the best gear to achieve your goals and stay safe on the road.

In this post, we'll explore some of the popular brands and models that have made their way onto the heads of professional cyclists, and the technology and innovation that sets them apart. So, whether you're a seasoned cyclist or simply a fan of the sport, read on to discover the Tour de France's top cycling helmets.

Ekoi tour de france helmets

Ekoi is the most commonly found helmet manufacturer in this year's Tour de France, supporting no less than four teams representing the French brand. They are also a long-termed working partner with HuaceSports, a bike helmet manufacturer dedicated to details and design. Their AR14 helmet is the one that most riders have opted for, with its aerodynamic design paired with small vents up-front for breathability. The AR14 was worn by Caleb Ewan in that stage 3 crash, as well as by stage 4's breakaway nearly man, Brent van Moer of Lotto Soudal. EKOI continues to support professional cycling teams and athletes, including Warren Barguil of Team Arkéa Samsic. As one of the best French climbers, Barguil trusts the EKOI AR14 and EKOI GARA helmets to protect him during intense competitions. This was evident in his impressive win at the 2022 Gran Premio Miguel Indurain and 1st place finish in the 5th stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico. As the Tour de France approaches in 2023, we can expect to see more EKOI gear on display as top riders rely on the brand's quality and performance to give them an edge in the world's most prestigious cycling event. Ekoi's Gara and Legende helmets have also been seen on professional cyclists in the race. The Legende replicates the retro hairnet style with modern and safe materials, while the Gara features a streamlined design for optimal performance. 

Souce: Cyclingnews

HJC is a Korean brand that has recently entered the cycling market and gained the sponsorship of professional cyclists such as Chris Froome who claims to take part in the 2023 Tour de France and Greg Van Avermaet. And same as Ekoi, HJC is also a long termed partner with Huacesports who provide cyclists with top-of-the-line helmets that meet their needs. Most of the team has been using the IBEX 2.0, but for maximum aerodynamics, riders have been switching to the Furion 2.0. On time trial days, riders switch to the Adwatt, which offers maximum aerodynamics and ventilation for optimal performance.

Kask is an Italian brand that has gained significant popularity in the Tour de France in recent years. Their helmets are known for their lightweight and comfortable design, which provides excellent ventilation and superior protection. KASK has a long-standing association with the Tour de France, and for the 2022 race, the brand has unveiled its limited edition Valegro Tour de France helmet. This helmet features a unique graphic, with seven parallel yellow lines that represent the seven Tour victories achieved by KASK riders. Only 3,328 pieces of this special helmet have been produced, with each helmet bearing a progressive number at the back to signify a cyclist's personal kilometre of the 2022 race. 

Specialized

Specialized is a leading brand in the cycling industry, known for its high-quality helmets that are designed to offer maximum comfort and safety. Specialized helmets have become a staple in the Tour de France with their exclusive use by Specialized-sponsored teams in recent years. The teams riding Specialized bikes also use their helmets, shoes, tires, and wheels, such as the Roval. Fans of the race have seen the current Road World Champion, Julian Alaphilippe, lighting up the race in the S-Works Prevail 2 while Peter Sagan, a three-time champion, will be donning the S-Works Evade. The S-Works Prevail 2 is known for its regular fit, while the S-Works Evade is aerodynamic. The teams wearing these helmets in the 2022 tour de France race include BORA Hansgrohe, QuickStep Alpha Vinyl Team, and Total Energies. Fans can get their hands on these helmets at Competitive Cyclist and Jenson USA.

Giro is another popular brand that has been present in the Tour de France for many years. Their helmets are a well-known brand among the pro peloton, with a history dating back to pre-2000. This year, three teams in the 2022 Tour de France will be wearing Giro helmets, including Groupama-FDJ. Cyclists will have the option to choose from three Giro helmets; the Giro Aether Spherical, Giro Vanquish MIPS, and Giro Aerohead MIPS helmets. The Giro Aerohead MIPS helmet will be used by Trek-Segafredo riders for time trials as their helmet supplier, Bontrager, does not produce a TT helmet.

POC tour de france helmets

POC is a Swedish brand that has revolutionized bike helmets with their patented SPIN safety technology. The unique light blue liner in all POC helmets today is indicative of the SPIN system which protects riders against rotational forces in the event of an impact. Their helmets are also among the most stylish in the pro peloton and this year, the EF Education Nippo team will be sporting the pink POC Ventral SPIN Air helmets. These helmets feature an aerodynamic design and are sure to catch the eye of spectators watching the Tour de France.

Bell is an iconic brand in the cycling industry, with over 60 years of experience in crafting high-quality helmets that are built to last. Their helmets are renowned for their durability and superior construction, making them a popular choice among cyclists. In the 2021 Tour de France, the Bell Z20 was a top pick among riders, thanks to its aerodynamic design that delivers exceptional performance in any condition. Its advanced ventilation system keeps cyclists cool and comfortable during long rides. It's unfortunate to note that Bell helmets did not make an appearance in the 2022 Tour de France, leaving fans and riders alike to wonder what happened to this classic brand.

The 2022 Tour de France showcases a total of 16 different bike helmet brands. The top two helmet brands with the most presence in the race are Ekoi and Specialized with three teams each, followed by Abus and HJC with two teams. Bell, a classic brand that has been present in the race for over 60 years, did not show up in the race this year. It is interesting to note that some of the teams choose to wear helmets from brands other than their bike sponsor's brand.

2022 bike helmet brands present at the Tour de France

In Conlusion

In conclusion, the Tour de France continues to push the boundaries of cycling technology, and the helmets worn by the pros are no exception. With the constant evolution of aerodynamics, ventilation, and safety features, it's no wonder that helmet brands are eager to showcase their products in the race. As fans and spectators, we can appreciate the commitment of the teams and riders to the sport, as well as the dedication of the helmet manufacturers to push the limits of helmet technology. Ultimately, the Tour de France is an exciting and inspiring display of the best cycling has to offer, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for helmet innovation in the race.

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Exploring Tour de France Helmets: A Comprehensive Guide

As a professional copywriting journalist, I have witnessed the increasing popularity of cycling and the sport’s most renowned event, the Tour de France. The race brings together the world’s top cycling athletes and showcases their skills on one of the most challenging courses. With such high-speed races, the safety of the athletes is of utmost importance, and Tour de France helmets play a pivotal role in ensuring their protection.

In this comprehensive guide, I will take a closer look at Tour de France helmets , their history, design advancements, and reviews. Whether you’re a professional cyclist or a cycling enthusiast, this guide will equip you with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions when choosing the best Tour de France helmet for your needs.

Key Takeaways:

The importance of lightweight helmets, the advantages of aerodynamic design, the future of tour de france helmet technology, kask protone helmet, bell z20 aero mips helmet, giro aether mips helmet, make informed decisions, analyze top-rated options, benefit from essential aspects, are tour de france helmets different from regular cycling helmets, what are some key features to look for in tour de france helmets, can i use a tour de france helmet for recreational cycling, how do i determine the right size for a tour de france helmet, how often should i replace my tour de france helmet, can i customize the design of my tour de france helmet, are tour de france helmets compatible with all cycling accessories, are tour de france helmets suitable for all weather conditions, where can i purchase tour de france helmets, related posts:.

• Tour de France helmets play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of the athletes during the race.
• This guide will provide an in-depth exploration of Tour de France helmets, their history, design advancements, and reviews.
• Whether you’re a professional cyclist or a cycling enthusiast, this guide will give you the necessary knowledge to choose the best Tour de France helmet for your needs.
• Stay tuned for insights into advancements in Tour de France helmet technology and a closer look at the top-rated Tour de France helmets available in the market.

Advancements in Tour de France Helmet Technology

When it comes to Tour de France helmets, performance is everything. To gain an edge over their competitors, professional cyclists need helmets that are both lightweight and aerodynamic, providing superior speed and comfort on the racecourse.

In recent years, lightweight materials such as carbon fiber have become extremely popular in the construction of Tour de France helmets. These helmets are designed to be as light as possible, allowing riders to move faster and expend less energy during the race.

But how much of a difference can a few ounces really make? According to a study by the Journal of Sports Sciences, reducing the weight of a rider’s helmet by just 10% can result in a 2% increase in overall cycling performance. For professional cyclists, where every second counts, this can be the difference between winning and losing.

Another key factor in Tour de France helmet technology is aerodynamics. Aerodynamic helmets are designed to reduce wind resistance, allowing cyclists to cut through the air with greater ease. This, in turn, can significantly improve a rider’s speed and performance on the course.

There are many features that make a helmet aerodynamic, such as streamlined shapes and ventilation systems that reduce drag. Some manufacturers even use wind tunnel testing to optimize their helmet designs and ensure maximum performance on the racecourse.

As technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovations in Tour de France helmet design. From improved materials to advanced ventilation systems, these helmets will continue to push the limits of what’s possible on the racecourse.

• Smart helmets that provide real-time feedback on a rider’s performance and health are already in development.
• The use of 3D printing technology is enabling manufacturers to create customized helmets that fit each rider’s head perfectly.
• Some manufacturers are even experimenting with built-in cameras and communication systems, allowing riders to stay connected and record their experiences on the racecourse.

Overall, the future of Tour de France helmet technology is bright, and we can expect to see even more exciting advancements in the years to come.

Top-Rated Tour de France Helmets: A Closer Look

When it comes to professional Tour de France cycling, choosing the right helmet is crucial. The best Tour de France helmets offer a combination of protection, comfort, and performance-enhancing features. Here are some of the top-rated helmets that professional cyclists trust, and what sets them apart from the rest.

The Kask Protone Helmet is a popular choice among professional cyclists, and for good reason. With its aerodynamic design and lightweight construction, this helmet can help cyclists shave precious seconds off their time. The helmet features a multi-layer construction, providing excellent protection in the event of an impact. It also has a comfortable fit, with soft padding that molds to the rider’s head, ensuring a secure and snug fit.

The Bell Z20 Aero MIPS Helmet is a helmet designed to optimize aerodynamics, while still offering superior protection. Its unique design features a dimpled surface and a special padded interior to reduce wind resistance and enhance ventilation, ensuring a cool and comfortable ride. The helmet also incorporates MIPS technology, providing an extra level of protection against rotational forces in the event of a crash.

The Giro Aether MIPS Helmet is a helmet designed specifically for the Tour de France, with input from professional cyclists. Its aerodynamic design and MIPS technology provide excellent protection and performance enhancement. The helmet has a unique construction, with a dual-density foam liner that provides extra protection in high-impact areas. It also features a comfortable Roc Loc Air fit system, allowing for a customizable fit that can be adjusted on the go.

• Kask Protone Helmet: Lightweight construction, Multi-layer protection, Comfortable fit
• Bell Z20 Aero MIPS Helmet: Unique aerodynamic design, MIPS technology, Ventilation system
• Giro Aether MIPS Helmet: Designed specifically for Tour de France, Dual-density foam liner, Roc Loc Air fit system

Choosing the best Tour de France helmet is a personal decision, and each cyclist has their own preferences and requirements. However, these top-rated helmets have proven themselves on the racecourse, offering superior protection, comfort, and performance-enhancing features. As a professional copywriting journalist, it’s my recommendation that the Kask Protone Helmet, Bell Z20 Aero MIPS Helmet, and Giro Aether MIPS Helmet are the top options for professional Tour de France cyclists.

As a professional copywriting journalist, I hope this comprehensive guide has provided you with valuable insights into Tour de France helmets. By exploring their history, design advancements, and reviews, you now have a better understanding of what to look for when choosing the perfect helmet.

Remember, when choosing a Tour de France helmet, you must consider the key features that make them stand out. From lightweight materials to aerodynamic designs, every aspect of the helmet can impact your performance and safety. Therefore, it is essential to make informed decisions when selecting one.

If you’re a professional cyclist participating in the race, analyzing the top-rated Tour de France helmets in detail is crucial. These helmets are tailored to meet the needs of professionals like you, providing optimal safety and performance. So, make sure to scrutinize them closely before making your final choice.

With this knowledge, you can benefit from the essential aspects of Tour de France helmets. Whether you’re a cycling enthusiast or a professional, this guide has covered everything you need to know to make an informed decision about a helmet. So, choose wisely, and get ready to take on Tour de France with confidence!

Yes, Tour de France helmets are specifically designed for professional racing and have advanced features that optimize performance and safety on the racecourse.

Lightweight construction, aerodynamic design, superior ventilation, and a secure fit are some important features to consider when choosing a Tour de France helmet.

While Tour de France helmets are designed for professional racing, they can also be used for recreational cycling. However, keep in mind that they may have a more aggressive fit and may not prioritize comfort for longer rides.

To ensure a proper fit, measure the circumference of your head just above your eyebrows. Refer to the manufacturer’s sizing chart to find the corresponding helmet size.

It is recommended to replace your Tour de France helmet every 3 to 5 years, or immediately if it has been involved in a significant impact or crash.

Some Tour de France helmet models offer customization options, allowing you to personalize the design with your team colors, logos, or other graphics. Check with the manufacturer for available customization features.

Tour de France helmets typically have universal compatibility with various cycling accessories such as sunglasses, helmet covers, and chin straps. However, it is still advisable to check the helmet’s specifications for specific compatibility details.

Most Tour de France helmets are designed to offer adequate ventilation for hot weather conditions. However, some models may also include removable or adjustable vent covers to provide better insulation in cold or wet conditions.

Tour de France helmets can be purchased from reputable cycling retailers, online stores, or directly from the manufacturers’ websites. Ensure that you buy from authorized sellers to guarantee the authenticity and quality of the helmet.

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Tour de France bikes 2024: who’s riding what?

All the bikes and tech on display at the 2024 Tour De France

Paul Norman

The 2024 Tour de France starts on 29 June in Florence, making a loop through Cesenatico, home of 1998 winner Marco Pantani before heading to France.

This year’s route is unusual, looping anticlockwise past Paris before crossing the Pyrenees and finishing after 3,493km in Nice.

There are two time trials – 25.3km on stage 7 in Burgundy and the final 33.7km stage from Monaco to Nice, which will see the riders on their fast, specialist equipment. 

As usual, there’s some very flashy tech on show throughout the race and we can expect more to be announced in the run-up to the Grand Depart. This will probably include Trek’s new skinny-tubed Madone look-alike, the unreleased updated Pinarello Dogma F and the refreshed Canyon Aeroad .

More will certainly be unearthed by the sharp-eyed tech nerds at BikeRadar as the race proceeds.

Read on for a complete list of the bikes in this year’s Tour de France, along with the components they’re fitted with and our pick of some of the new bikes and tech to keep an eye out for.

Tour de France 2024 bike brands

The 2024 Tour de France peloton consists of 22 teams of eight, making 176 riders in total.

The 18 WorldTour squads receive an automatic invitation to compete, while four second-tier Pro Continental teams receive a wildcard invitation. Between them, 19 bike brands are represented. 

New brands this year are ENVE with its Melee, which costs over £10,000 in a consumer build with Ultegra. This is ridden by Team TotalEnergies.

Van Rysel's £9,000 RCR Pro bike – the most affordable in the pro peloton – is used by Decathlon-AG2R. 

A notable leaver is Lapierre, which had been a feature of top-level men’s cycling for 22 years. Its place as bike provider to the Groupama-FDJ team has been taken by Wilier, now one of three brands to sponsor two teams, along with Specialized and Canyon.

Lotto-Dstny has changed from Ridley to Orbea bikes this year.

Bike brands represented at the 2024 Tour de France:

• Bianchi: Arkéa-B&B Hotels
• Cannondale: EF Education-EasyPost
• Canyon: Alpecin-Deceuninck, Movistar Team
• Cervélo: Visma-Lease a Bike
• Colnago: UAE Team Emirates 
• Cube: Intermarché-Wanty
• Dare: Uno-X Mobility
• ENVE: Team TotalEnergies
• Factor: Israel-Premier Tech
• Giant: Team Jayco-AlUla
• Look: Cofidis
• Merida: Bahrain Victorious
• Pinarello: Ineos Grenadiers
• Orbea: Lotto-Dstny
• Scott: Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL
• Specialized: Bora-Hansgrohe, Soudal-QuickStep
• Trek: Lidl-Trek
• Van Rysel: Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
• Wilier Triestina: Astana-Qazaqstan, Groupama-FDJ

What’s new in tech?

The all-rounder reigns.

While a few years ago, many teams had a separate aero bike for flat stages, then climbed on a lightweight bike when the road pointed uphill, most teams now have one bike for all stages. 

Lightweight bikes are now almost as aero as the aero bikes of a few years ago. In some cases, such as the Cannondale SuperSix, they're claimed to be more so.

With most pro bikes close to the 6.8kg UCI bike weight limit , there’s no reason to have a separate climbing bike, so one bike can now do it all.

No Campagnolo

Campagnolo has been a feature of the Tour for almost 100 years, but in the last few the number of teams using its groupsets has dwindled. Last year, there was one, this year there are none.  

That means all teams at the 2024 Tour de France will use Shimano Dura-Ace or the latest SRAM Red AXS groupset on their bikes. 

There are no wheels from Campagnolo or its Fulcrum companion brand either.  

Will Campagnolo return to the pro peloton? Time will tell, but for now, its momentum appears to be in gravel, with a new second-tier Ekar GT groupset joining the original Ekar in February.

1x will become even more important

The first outing of single-chainring only bikes on the race circuit a few years ago with Aqua Blue Sport ended unhappily, but 1x hasn’t died in the pro peloton.

Jonas Vingegaard rode a 1x bike on two road stages of last year’s Tour and there have been several other notable instances of riders using the tech – not least Primoz Roglič, when he won the penultimate-stage time trial at the 2023 Giro d’Italia to clinch the overall victory. 

Will 1x go mainstream at the Tour? For pro riders, a major issue is the potentially larger jumps between gear ratios than with a 2x setup.

The increasing number of sprockets available makes this less of a problem though, with 12-speed cassettes providing one- or two-tooth jumps between the most-used ratios.

Now, a new 13-speed SRAM Red XPLR groupset has been spotted on gravel bikes ridden at Unbound. Having 13 ratios to choose from could help to increase acceptance of 1x setups in the Tour, with their simplicity, aero benefits and lower weight making them attractive.

Riders will take risks with tyre choices

As with disc brakes, it’s taken a while for the pros to see the benefits of tubeless tyres . But almost all teams have now swapped to these from glued-on tubular.

While inopportune flats were a fact of life with tubs, the sealant in tubeless tyres provides some protection to help keep you riding. Wheel and bike changes with thru-axles have become much slicker too.

That looks to have led some riders to swap to lightweight time trial tyres in place of their sponsors’ standard road tyres at the 2023 Tour. At the expense of reduced puncture resistance, most time trial tyres are lighter and faster-rolling than their road equivalents. We expect more riders to follow suit this year.

Tour de France 2024 bikes

All 18 WorldTour teams ride the Tour de France and every one of them gets the pick of the best bikes from their sponsors’ ranges. That includes all teams using 12-speed wireless/semi-wireless electronic groupsets on their road bikes and a choice of top-spec carbon wheels.

The invited Pro Continental teams (Israel-Premier Tech, Lotto-Dstny, TotalEnergies, Uno-X Mobility) too are on top-spec bikes and equipment – there’s no second-best here.

Alpecin-Deceuninck (ADC)

• Bikes: Canyon Aeroad CFR / Speedmax CFR Disc (TT)
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace
• Wheels: Shimano
• Finishing kit: Canyon, Shimano, Vittoria, Selle Italia, Elite, Wahoo

Arkéa-B&B Hotels (ARK)

• Bikes: Bianchi Specialissima RC / Oltre RC / Aquila (TT)
• Wheels: Vision
• Finishing kit: Bianchi, Continental, Selle Italia, Elite, Wahoo

Astana-Qazaqstan (AST)

• Bikes: Wilier Triestina Filante SLR / 0 SLR / Turbine (TT)
• Finishing kit: Wilier, Look, Vittoria, Prologo, Tacx, Garmin

Bahrain Victorious (TBV)

• Bikes: Merida Scultura Disc Team / Reacto Disc Team / Time Warp (TT)
• Wheels: Vision Metron
• Finishing kit: FSA/Vision, Continental, Prologo, Elite, Garmin

Bora-Hansgrohe (BOH)

• Bikes: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 / Shiv (TT)
• Groupset: SRAM Red AXS
• Wheels: Roval
• Finishing kit: Roval, Specialized, Hammerhead

Cofidis (COF)

• Bikes: Look 795 Blade RS / 796 Monoblade RS (TT)
• Wheels: Corima
• Finishing kit: Look, SRM, Michelin, Selle Italia, Elite, Wahoo

Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale Team (DAT)

• Bikes: Van Rysel RCR Pro / XCR (TT)
• Wheels: Swiss Side Hadron 2 Ultimate
• Finishing kit: Deda, Look, Continental, Fizik, Elite, Wahoo

EF Education-EasyPost (EFE)

• Bikes: Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71 / SuperSlice (TT)
• Finishing kit: FSA/Vision, Wahoo Speedplay, Vittoria, Prologo, Elite, Wahoo

Groupama-FDJ (GFC)

• Bikes: Wilier Filante SLR / 0 SLR / Turbine (TT)
• Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace
• Finishing kit: Wilier, Continental, Prologo, Elite, Garmin

Ineos Grenadiers (IGD)

• Bikes: Pinarello Dogma F / Bolide (TT)
• Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace / Princeton CarbonWorks
• Finishing kit: MOST, Continental, Prologo, Elite, Garmin

Intermarché-Wanty (IWA)

• Bikes: Cube Litening C:68X Pro / Aerium (TT)
• Wheels: Newmen Advanced SL
• Finishing kit: Cube, Look, Continental, Prologo, Elite, CeramicSpeed, Bryton

Israel-Premier Tech (IPT)

• Bikes: Factor Ostro VAM / Hanzo (TT)
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace/FSA chainset
• Wheels: Black Inc
• Finishing kit: Black Inc, Rotor, Continental, Selle Italia, CeramicSpeed, SwissStop, Elite, Hammerhead

Lidl-Trek (LTK)

• Bikes: Trek Émonda SLR / Madone SLR / Speed Concept (TT)
• Wheels: Bontrager Aeolus
• Finishing kit: Bontrager, Time, Pirelli, Wahoo

Lotto-Dstny (LTD)

• Bikes: Orbea Orca Aero, Orca / Ordu (TT)
• Wheels: Oquo
• Finishing kit: Vision, Vittoria, Selle Italia, Tacx, Lizard Skins, Garmin

Movistar Team (MOV)

• Bikes: Canyon Aeroad CFR / Speedmax CF SLX (TT)
• Wheels: Zipp
• Finishing kit: Canyon, Time, Continental, Fizik, Lizard Skins, Garmin

Soudal-QuickStep (SOQ)

• Bikes: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 / Roubaix / Shiv (TT)
• Finishing kit: Roval, Specialized, CeramicSpeed, Tacx, Supercaz, Garmin

Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL (DFP)

• Bikes: Scott Foil RC / Plasma 5 (TT)
• Finishing kit: Syncros, Vittoria, Elite, Wahoo

Team Jayco-AlUla (JAY)

• Bikes: Giant Propel Advanced SL Disc / TCR Advanced SL Disc / Trinity Advanced Pro (TT)
• Wheels: Cadex 36, 42, 65
• Finishing kit: Cadex, Giant

Team Visma-Lease a Bike (TVL)

• Bikes: Cervélo R5 Disc / S5 / P5 (TT)
• Wheels: Reserve 52/63
• Finishing kit: Cervélo, Wahoo Speedplay, Vittoria, Fizik, Tacx, Garmin

TotalEnergies (TEN)

• Bikes: ENVE Melee / Specialized Shiv (TT)
• Wheels: ENVE
• Finishing kit: ENVE, Selle Italia, Continental, Tacx, Garmin

UAE Team Emirates (UAD)

• Bikes: Colnago V4Rs / TT1 (TT)
• Finishing kit: Colnago, Continental, Prologo, Elite, Wahoo

Uno-X Mobility (UXM)

• Bikes : Dare VSRu / TSRf (TT)
• Wheels: DT Swiss
• Finishing kit: Dare, Schwalbe, Pro, CeramicSpeed, Elite, Garmin

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Why is Wout Van Aert allowed to wear a Red Bull helmet - and did he really want to show that 'the jersey gives me wings'?

The Belgian is one of just three riders in the men's peloton sponsored by the energy drink

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When Wout Van Aert mimicked a bird's wings in celebration as he crossed the finish line first on stage four of the 2022 Tour de France , people's immediate reactions suggested he had pre-planned it, designed to further highlight the sponsor - Red Bull - adorned on his helmet. 

Indeed, Red Bull's slogan "gives you wings" is aptly in keeping with Van Aert's celebration, especially when considering the Belgian is one of just three riders in the men's professional peloton sponsored by the carbonated energy drink manufacturer. The other two are Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and Anton Palzer (Bora-Hansgrohe), a former ski mountaineer and mountain runner and climber.

However, speaking after this Tour stage win , Van Aert insisted that, with his flapping arms, he "wanted to show that the jersey gives me wings." 

Of his attack, the Belgian said: "I felt like flying in the last 10km, and it was real; it was special to ride alone in the yellow jersey and to take a stage like this."

Dubious as Van Aert's explanation is, it transpires that the UCI doesn't have any rules stopping riders from displaying personal sponsorship during races, only that "the helmet must be approved in accordance with the prevailing safety standards, must not have been modified and must not have suffered an impact or been involved in an accident". 

Instead, teams are the ones who regulate what sponsors their riders are allowed to showcase, with decisions often dependent on whether the specific brand conflicts with another the team already has an agreement with.

In the case of Wout Van Aert, Jumbo-Visma are comfortable with him riding without the team-issued helmet. Initially, the Belgian only used his Red Bull sponsored protection in cyclocross races, but at the beginning of the 2022 season he announced he will also wear it on the road. 

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While Jumbo-Visma hasn't responded to Cycling Weekly on why Van Aert now always wears the helmet, there is the possibility that Red Bull has the potential to enhance the sponsors, therefore making the agreement mutually beneficial. 

A Dutch and Belgian supermarket chain, title sponsor Jumbo has the ability to benefit from one of cycling's biggest names advertising a product it sells in its shops, in addition to the branded team attire he wears, too.  

Meanwhile, Pidcock did wear a Red Bull helmet while racing in national team colours at the 2021 Road World Championships, but the Briton hasn't used the sponsored equipment when representing his team, Ineos Grenadiers, during road races. This rule doesn't apply during off-road events, though, with Pidcock permitted to use his Red Bull helmet at cyclocross and mountain bike races.

As Cycling Tips speculated earlier this year, one reason Pidcock doesn’t wear his Red Bull helmet during road races might be because the brand doesn't benefit Ineos - which also owns a third of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, where Red Bull Racing is a direct rival. 

Another reason could centre on agreement between Red Bull and Pidcock - put simply, its financial worth. Ineos Grenadiers also didn't respond to Cycling Weekly to substantiate these suggestions, however. 

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Ryan is a staff writer for Cycling Weekly, having joined the team in September 2021. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before making his way to cycling. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer. 

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The Latest Cycling Controversy Involves This Crazy Helmet

Tour de France team Visma–Lease a Bike debuted the Giro Aerohead II this week, and the massive helmet generated an impressive tonnage of online discourse

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God Bless professional cycling for producing goofy and hilarious controversies.

In 2023, we had the kerfuffle involving a blown pee stop , as well as an accusation of beer drinking during the Tour de France lobbed at French riders. The latest squabble involves a bike helmet that Darth Vader might wear to a space disco.

On Monday, Dutch cycling team Visma–Lease a Bike unveiled a radical new helmet design at Italy’s Tirreno-Adriatico race, a warmup event for stars of the Tour de France. The helmet, called the Giro Aerohead II, looks pretty weird, right? I suggest analyzing the thing from multiple angles to properly bask in its garish and deranged glory. It’s as if the nose cone from a Boeing 747 and the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile met on Tinder and, well, you get the rest of the joke.

🇮🇹 #TirrenoAdriatico Recon time. 👀 Excited to use our brand new innovative Giro helmets for the first time. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/B7uj77Iwq9 — Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) March 4, 2024

The Aerohead II represents the latest feat of bike-industry engineering aimed at attaining an aerodynamic advantage during road cycling’s individual time trial—yes, the feared race against the clock. In these painful events, cyclists pedal by themselves over flats, hills, and descents, and often the margin of victory is determined by whomever has the most aerodynamic gear and gizmos.

Cycling has a long history of goofy time trial helmets designed to cheat the wind, and I could write thousands of words about the zany designs of yesteryear. Back in the days of Lance Armstrong, aero helmets were little more than sleek, paper-thin plastic fairings that offered zero skull protection in the case of a crash. But over the years, the Union Cycliste International (UCI), the sport’s governing body, passed rules requiring the helmets to pass safety tests—you know, so they actually protect a bike racer’s brain. To meet these benchmarks, helmet manufacturers were forced to create wider and more bulbous models with all manners of aerodynamic innovations, such as golf ball-like dimples , skull-cooling vents , and in the case of the Specialized TT5 helmet, an unfortunate elastic face sock .

The Aerohead II is simply the latest and not-so-greatest product berthed by the aero arms race, and boy did it ruffle feathers. Photos of the helmets quickly circulated on social media, and within a few hours the meme brigade did its thing, comparing the Visma–Lease a Bike riders to Dark Helmet from the 1987 comedy Spaceballs and other helmet-wearing figures from popular culture.

“My brains are going in to my feet” ludicrous speed. Jumbo Visma Lease a Bike pic.twitter.com/ebJXgtGyWs — Alastair Maher (@alastairmaher) March 5, 2024

❗️Team Visma | Lease a Bike reveal 2025 helmet prototype pic.twitter.com/WbNu1x63dH — Rúben Silva (@EchelonsHub) March 4, 2024

Team Visma – Lease a Bike in de Tour van 2026. pic.twitter.com/5UXOPMRIgo — John den Braber OLY (@JohndenBraber) March 5, 2024

📸 Van 'helm voor kratje pils' (Zonneveld) tot 'Urbanus-kopie': iedereen besprak nieuwe helm Visma | Lease a Bike https://t.co/YYpzxijl34 — In de Leiderstrui (@IndeLeiderstrui) March 5, 2024

The memes, of course, were followed by the takes—mostly negative. It sucks! It’s ugly! But a lot of the opposition was followed by an important caveat— maybe the Aerohead II is faster than the other helmets out there . Visma–Lease a Bike is the most dominant team in cycling at the moment, having won the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España in 2023. The squad employs an army of coaches, trainers, and gear specialists. Armchair experts wondered: would the team really approve of a weird helmet if it wasn’t faster than the others? In total, the hubbub around the Aerohead II produced an impressive tonnage of online discourse. Late in the day my  father—who is as casual a cycling fan as they come—texted me with a photo of the helmet. What the hell is this thing?

There are times when any attention is good attention, and for pro cycling, early March is one of those periods. Nobody outside of the inner circle of hardcore cycling nerds cares about Tirreno-Adriatico, yet the Aerohead II got at least a few casual cycling fans to talk about bike racing in late winter. I wondered to myself how the wider world would react to the strange helmet this July, when Visma–Lease a Bike riders wore it at the Tour de France.

But that’s unlikely to happen. On Tuesday, the UCI issued a statement saying that aerodynamic helmets like the Aerohead II had pushed the boundaries of acceptable design, and that the agency would review its own standards for helmets. “The Aerohead II… raises a significant issue concerning the current and wider trend in time trial helmet design, which focuses more on performance than the primary function of a helmet, namely to ensure the safety of the wearer in the event of a fall,” the statement said. The release also said that the Specialized face sock was now banned—which, let’s be honest, is for the best.

On Wednesday, Visma–Lease a Bike pushed back against the UCI, stating that team officials had worked with Giro for more than a year to create the Aerohead II to meet the governing body’s standards on helmet dimensions and impact resistance. “It is quite striking that this statement has now come,” Mathieu Heijboer, the team’s head of performance, told Dutch news outlet AD .  “It’s driven by emotions and all the reactions on social media. I have no problem with jokers on the Internet. But if the UCI has a problem with the design, they should have indicated this when the helmet was submitted for approval.”

"Napoleon", "Alien", "Darth Vader" and "Donald Duck" enter a bar in France. #ParisNice https://t.co/hdCYJqv2WP — Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) March 5, 2024

Anyone who follows pro cycling knows what is about to happen: the UCI will likely ban the Aerohead II and probably a few other helmets from competition. You see, in addition to enforcing the rules of fair play, the UCI acts as the sartorial overlord for pro cycling, and over the years it has prohibited products and outfits that violate the style sensibilities of pro cycling’s cultural history. For instance, there are rules that govern the height of a rider’s socks, and ones that govern the fabric that can be used for bike jerseys. The bike itself is governed by a whole set of regulations that oversee everything from the angle of a bike’s handlebars, to the shape of the tubing used for frames. These regulations prevent the sport’s look and feel from evolving too far from that of the olden days, when riders puffed on cigarettes and swilled wine during major races.

I’ve covered pro cycling since 2004, and my guess is the Aerohead II is toast. Anyone who followed the ordeal play out on social media this week likely just witnessed the shortest lifespan of a piece of cycling gear in history. I assume the Aerohead II will soon fade into cycling lore alongside other banned items, like the Cinelli Spinaci handlebar extensions, or the weird Old Faithful bicycle ridden by Scottish racer Graeme Obree, or Spinergy Rev X wheels .

But hey, we’ll always have the memes.

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All the gear? Check out the gearing choices of the pros at the Tour de France

First Published Jul 5, 2023

Gearing choice in the Tour used to be easy, a standard chainset was the only way to go and cassette choices were limited at best. However, these days, with 12-speed options from Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo all represented in the peloton, there's more choice than ever. We've had a nosey at the pros' bikes to see what they're using this year.

> ​Suffering on the hills? Find out how to get lower gears to make climbing easier

The peloton's gearing choices differ from many consumer bikes simply because the riders race at very high speeds and therefore need bigger gears to keep a comfortable cadence. Whereas most bikes you can buy come specced with 50/34t compact or 52/36t chainset, (or 48/35t and 46/33t on SRAM 12-speed groupsets paired with 10-tooth start cassettes) you'll typically find the peloton powering along on chainsets with larger chainrings.

Check out this article for a primer on the basics of gears and all the lingo

The most common chainset size in the pro peloton on normal stages is 54/40t. That's a standard Shimano Dura-Ace option, and most teams racing in the Tour de France use this groupset. This is the chainset from Dylan Groenewegen's Giant Propel (above), for example.

There are plenty of other choices, though. We spotted Edvald Boasson Hagen of Team TotalEnergies using this 55/42t chainset (above) which comes from the days when Shimano Dura-Ace was an 11-speed system.

Enric Mas, who had to withdraw from this year's Tour after sustaining an injury during the first stage, was using a 52/39t SRAM chainset (above).

Intermarché - Circus - Wanty's Georg Zimmermann uses this 55/42T Rotor setup on his Cube Litening Aero.

The Shimano neutral service bikes are fitted with 52/36T chainsets that give a broad spread of gear options for any rider who is unfortunate enough to require one.

You'll find larger chainrings during the time-trial stages when riders are consistently moving at high speeds. For example, this (above) is Luke Durbridge's TT bike with 58/46t chainrings fitted.

During last year's Tour de France, Stefan Bissegger was spotted using this 64 tooth chainring that is not available to the public.

Cassettes have varied much more over the years, largely as a consequence of the steady increase in gears, from the old days of 5-speed and 6-speed to the 12-speed setups that are currently used in the pro peloton.

As the number of gears has increased, so too has the range, with larger cassettes increasingly common, partly as a response to race routes that are getting ever harder as race organisers attempt to find even more cruelly savage mountains to send racers up.

The increase in the number of gears also means that riders can cover those larger ranges with smaller jumps between sprocket sizes. This helps them keep a more even cadence as they move across the cassette.

When we visited the Critérium du Dauphiné recently, loads of pro bikes were fiitted with 11-30t and 11-32t cassettes. These are positively humongous compared with a few decades ago when you'd get an 11-21t cassette and, if you were lucky, 11-23t for the mountains. 

We saw quite a lot of 11-34t cassettes too, and that surprised us. David Gaudu's Lapierre Xelius SL (above), for example, was fitted with a 54/40t chainset and an 11-34t cassette. With a 40t inner chainring now more common than a 39t, it looks like more riders want a larger cassette to compensate on hillier roads.  

Campagnolo has just updated its Super Record EPS groupset and now the cassettes come with a 10t smallest sprocket. The standard options are 10-25t, 10-27t and 10-29t.

> Campagnolo ditches iconic thumb shifter and goes wireless with new Super Record Wireless electronic groupset... and it'll cost you £4.5k

The largest sprockets on those cassettes might seem pretty small but at the same time Campagnolo has altered the size of its chainsets to compensate. They're available in 50/34t, 48/32t and 45x29t options.

That said, we saw Ben O'Connor's BMC Teammachine (above) at the Dauphine fitted with new Campagnolo Super Record EPS shifters and derailleurs, with a 54/39t chainset and a larger cassette than any of those listed above.

SRAM offers a 10-33t cassette for Red eTap AXS, and that's what we saw fitted to one of Jonas Vingegaard's bikes ahead of the Dauphiné, matched to a 52/39t chainset. 

>  Which chainset is right for you?

The use of that 10t sprocket means that SRAM chainsets don't need to be as large as Shimano's to achieve the same gear ratios (Shimano's smallest cog is 11t). However, as well as the 52/39t chainset Vingegaard was using, SRAM now offers 54/41t and 56/43t options.

What about 1x?

Pic: © Zac WiLLIAMS SWpix.com (t-a Photography Hub Ltd)

Jumbo-Visma switched from Shimano to SRAM for this season and we first saw Vingegaard experimenting with 1x at the Dauphiné.

> Jonas Vingegaard uses 1x gearing for Tour de France opening stages

A few riders have dabbled with 1x, with varying levels of success, and of course, there was the ill-fated Aqua Sport Blue team which solely used 1x drivetrains on 3T Strada bikes. The team boss at the time was quite scathing about  either the drivetrain or the bike, or perhaps both. 

There are benefits to a 1x system. There’s no duplication of gears – which is something you get with 2x groupsets – it can be lighter and more aerodynamic, and the lack of a front derailleur means there's one less component to fail.

Jumbo-Visma uses single chainring setups on its time trial bikes (above) when it doesn't need a huge spread of gears. 

However, Vingegaard and Van Aert have also used 1x for normal road stages with a Wolf Tooth LoneWolf Aero chainguide fitted to help keep the chain in place. 

It's not as if Jumbo-Visma has chosen to give 1x a go just for flat courses; the first two stages of this year's Tour were pretty hilly. It'll be interesting to see if the team sticks with the tech throughout the race and, if not, the circumstances in which it turns to 1x.

SRAM insists that Jumbo-Visma's use of 1x isn't a marketing exercise, by the way. It's down to the team and the individual riders which of SRAM's components they decide to use.

One issue with 1x is that you can still get some fairly sizeable jumps between the gears. A possible solution to this is the Classified system which basically moves the function of the front mech into the rear hub.

Classified's tech could also bring aero benefits and it has been used by a few teams. Uno X has tried it out in competition, for example, and Lotto-Dstny's Victor Campenaerts rode this year's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad with a Classified system on his bike.

The system raises some questions about wheel changes but could it be something we see in the Tour de France in the future?

> Check out Classified's innovative Powershift drivetrain

What about the rest of us?

Today’s pro road racers are provided with equipment vastly superior to 10-20 years ago, but it’s the range of gears that has been the most interesting trend as the groupsets have evolved. As the number of sprockets has increased, the gear range has increased. Are riders getting soft, are courses getting harder, or is the higher number of gears making it possible?

The three big groupset manufacturers are still focused on the needs of the pro racers and delivering groupsets to meet their needs, and then selling them to the public, but there just aren’t many normal people that need a 54-11 gear. The requirements of the pros are very different to people like you and me. 

This is slowly changing though. Outside of the pro peloton, we're starting to see a shift in focus from the equipent manufacturers to meet the growing diversity of modern cyclists that are less influenced by pro racers and more by their riding, whether long-distance road rides or adventure and gravel bikepacking.

Largely thanks to adventure riding, we're now seeing much wider range groupsets with more realistically usable gear ratios for the many people that don't go racing every Sunday, but want gears to help them out on challenging terrain and let them conquer every hill.

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Jamie has been riding bikes since a tender age but really caught the bug for racing and reviewing whilst  studying towards a master's in Mechanical engineering  at Swansea University. Having graduated, he decided he really quite liked working with bikes and is now a full-time addition to the road.cc team. When not writing about tech news or working on the Youtube channel, you can still find him racing local crits trying to cling on to his cat 2 licence...and missing every break going...

Add new comment

25 comments.

No one other than a professional racing cyclist or an amateur of the very highest level needs an 11 tooth or even a 12 tooth sprocket, unless their big chainring is a 44 rather than a 50 or 52.

People tell themselves that they do because they want to pedal really fast down hill. But it's likely that their pedalling at the low wattages of ordinary cyclists merely increases their drag from the air, downhill; so they go slower than they would if they stopped pedalling, tucked in their knees to the frame and crouched in an elbows-in aero position.

As to the idea that a double or triple chainring giving duplicated gear ratios is somehow a disadvantage .... this too is an unthinking analysis.

The point of a double or triple chainring is to provide, from the same cassette, two or three gear ranges that are close enough to enable the rider to find the ideal cadence, whether for generally slowish ascents, mid-speed undulations or flats agin' the wind, or fast riding when the road is smooth & flat with the wind behind. It isn't to provide more gears but rather to provide better gear ranges for different terrains/speed ranges.

But our culture encourages sales of high end racey bike parts by seeming to promise the buyer of high-geared stuff that they too can be just as fast as them riders in the TdF by having a Dura-Ace 53/39 chainset and an 11-25 cassette. This is just a-one o' them daft "dreams" they install in the heads of folk far too blase about having their wallets emptied whilst paying no attention to the reality of their actual cycling abilities.

The annoying part for those wanting more realistic gears is that it's often very hard to find them. Because road bike frames tend to come with front braze-on fitting to suit chainrings from 48 - 56, rather than 44 - 50, you'r stuck with a 48 or (more probably) the 50 that the bike comes with. But can you buy a 14-34 cassette? Not really - you have to buy an 11- 34 cassette plus three Shimano cogs of 14, 15and 16 (to replace the 11, 13 & 15). This becomes expensive - and difficult to do as only SJS cycles seems to sell spare Shimano sprockets in Blighty, these days. 

My own preferred and favourite gear range is a 50/39/30 chainset with a 15 - 36 cassette of 10 cogs. It goes as fast as I can go pedalling (without a significant downhill) in 50/15 (30 mph, briefly) but also allows a twiddle in a very low gear. Each chainring provides relatively close-ratio gears from the cassette, since there's only usable cogs and no wasted 11, 12, 13 or 14 that would never get used.

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I'm a very ordinary (and I mean very very very ordinary) 54-year-old cyclist and I use my 50/12 as my standard flat no wind gear to ride at around 23mph, on the bike that has a 52/11 I can certainly get a higher speed downhill than just tucking in until the speed starts to approach 50mph. Pardon me saying so but you seem to be rather solipsistic in your belief that what suits you is what should suit anybody and that anyone who disagrees is just a mug falling for marketing hype. We are all different, you know.

Rendel Harris wrote: I'm a very ordinary (and I mean very very very ordinary) 54-year-old cyclist and I use my 50/12 as my standard flat no wind gear to ride at around 23mph, on the bike that has a 52/11 I can certainly get a higher speed downhill than just tucking in until the speed starts to approach 50mph. Pardon me saying so but you seem to be rather solipsistic in your belief that what suits you is what should suit anybody and that anyone who disagrees is just a mug falling for marketing hype. We are all different, you know.

At 23 mph in 50/12 you'll be revving at mid-60s rpm. That's a hard way to pedal unless you're a body builder. 

At 120rpm in 50/11, you'd only be doing 44mph, so you must have very whizzable legs to get to 50mph whilst pedaling!

Perhaps you need to practice tucking in a bit if you can't increase speed quite dramatically by getting more aero? To increase downhill speed above around 30mph just by pedalling harder, you'd have to be inputting a rather large number of watts - certainly more than those of "a very very ordinary" cyclist.

You can call hard facts about gearing, aero positions and so forth "solipsistic" but facts are uncaring of our mere opinions, seeing as how they're quite hard to avoid or change.

Cugel wrote: At 23 mph in 50/12 you'll be revving at mid-60s rpm. That's a hard way to pedal unless you're a body builder.

As a result of a lot of leg weight work as a rugby player I do have rather large pins - think Chris Hoy rather than Froome, though without an ounce of the talent of either - and I find 65-70 a comfortable cadence at that speed. Which just goes to prove what I said, we're all different and it's nonsense to issue blanket statements like "No one other than a professional racing cyclist or an amateur of the very highest level needs an 11 tooth or even a 12 tooth sprocket."

Cugel wrote: At 120rpm in 50/11, you'd only be doing 44mph, so you must have very whizzable legs to get to 50mph whilst pedaling!

If you look again I said that was on the bike with 52/11 and I get close to 130rpm before spinning out on a downhill, which I don't think is terribly unusual or "whizzable".

Cugel wrote: facts are uncaring of our mere opinions

That is very true, but most of what you wrote was opinion based on what you think is an ideal way to ride.

Rendel Harris wrote: Cugel wrote: At 23 mph in 50/12 you'll be revving at mid-60s rpm. That's a hard way to pedal unless you're a body builder.

Fact-based based on my experience, that of many others and that forced on anyone who employs various gear ratios and positions on a bike, I think you'll find.

But a mental experiment is also available. Consider the gearing of professional cyclists able to output 400 watts continuously then work out what gearing might, scaled, be appropriate for everyday cyclists with power output capbilities more between 100 and 200 watts.

Will the latter somehow be able to emulate the 400 watters just by having the same gear ratios? Some think so, going by their claims. This is not so much "just a different opinion" as "magical thinking".

Rendel Harris wrote: Cugel wrote: facts are uncaring of our mere opinions

Let's face it, the reason why most go about with cassettes starting with 11 teeth (soon to be 10 or even 9!) is that its very, very difficult to buy anything else. And nearly every road, gravel, touring or audax bike sold as such comes with such a cassette.

You can buy a 14-28 cassette from Mr Shimano. But no 14 - 34 cassette - you have to make your own franken-cassette from a 14-28 plus an 11-34; or buy individual alternative cogs. This is costly.

In short, the reason most have 11- summick cassettes is because of marketing, driven by the fashions of professional racing (also determined by marketing). "Reasons" given by ordinary cyclists to justify their 11 toofers seem, to me, to be "rationalisations after the fact" (of being caught by a fashion-net).

It reminds me of the highly successful marketing trick concerning cycling helmets - no decent proof they achieve anything but a lot of profits for manufacturers (not to mention the polluting landfill) and increased "accidents" due to risk compensation thinking .... but millions buy, wear and defend them.

I knew it wouldn't be long before we got back on to those dark forces of the global commerce conspiracy and their evil plan to reprogram the worker drones with their "marketing".

This is simply drivel and your determination to say that anyone who disagrees with your opinion as to the correct gear ratio is falling for a marketing ploy is risible. What is the marketing advantage to Shimano of selling 11 toothed smallest ring cassettes? Do you think they are making a few bob on the micrograms of metal saved? 

If you want a 14-34 11sp cassette, buy a Miche Primato and stop telling everybody else that they are wrong and falling for a sucker punch by The Man just because they prefer a different gear ratio to you.

I commute with 11-34 and 50/34 and usually average about 75rpm. My speed averages out about 25kph (according to Garmin) I moved to that setup because it was the cheapest option that I knew would fit on my bike. It is commuting, so I do the same route every day and don't move out of the 50. I am able to drop to the 11 when the headwind isn't too strong, but usually I don't get down there. My cadence tops out about 105 on some of the uphill sections. I am in exercise clothing, arrive sweaty and very much treat it as my daily exercise routine. I am not a pro.

I commute on 52/36 chainrings with an 11-28t cassette and I'm usually in the 52/11 on the flat if the road is clear. And I'm just a 48-year old hobby cyclist.

CumbrianDynamo wrote: I commute on 52/36 chainrings with an 11-28t cassette and I'm usually in the 52/11 on the flat if the road is clear. And I'm just a 48-year old hobby cyclist.

What speed are you doing and, as a result, what's your cadence, in that gear?

When I were a lad, 382 years ago, even professionals like that Merckx, had 52 X 13 as their top gear. They still managed to race at speeds not that much slower than today's professionals. 

When I raced, often in races on the flat that averaged 27mph+, I managed to do so on a 52X14 or even 15 top gear. This didn't win me any sprints but it got me to the finish only a few seconds behind those who did sprint to victory.

Of course, I don't mind if you want to go about in 52 X 11 at 55rpm cadence but when it means I can't buy the cassette I want because all the fellows with "all the gear" only want to have the same gears as the bloke wot won Le Tour, it gets a bit tedious.

About 45km/h, cadence about 80. Is that acceptable to you?

CumbrianDynamo wrote: About 45km/h, cadence about 80. Is that acceptable to you?

Your flat road commuting pace equates to about 21m30s minutes for a 10 mile TT. That's pretty fast (particularly as I don't suppose you commute on tri-bars, TT wheels, etc.) 

As I'm commuting it's not a speed I sustain for particularly long distance thanks to the hazards you might expect on a city rush hour journey, but I need the 11 when I have enough clear and flat bus lane to be able to get to around 30mph. Wouldn't know about riding TT as I've never done one, but on a good commuting day on my sub-8kg carbon bike it'll take me about 30 mins to travel about 9 miles in London traffic with a couple of hundred metres of ascent. 

www.bikecalc.com/gear_speed may be of interest here.

80rpm in 52/11 is almost 50kph.

Recent hour record breaking bikes had around the equivalent of a 52x11 gear, pedalled at about 100rpm. I guess MAMILs are more likely to be in the 80-90rpm range - much less over any distance doesn't seem very efficient.

Dnnnnnn wrote: www.bikecalc.com/gear_speed may be of interest here.

Cugel wrote:   My own preferred and favourite gear range is a 50/39/30 chainset with a 15 - 36 cassette of 10 cogs. It goes as fast as I can go pedalling (without a significant downhill) in 50/15 (30 mph, briefly) but also allows a twiddle in a very low gear. Each chainring provides relatively close-ratio gears from the cassette, since there's only usable cogs and no wasted 11, 12, 13 or 14 that would never get used.

In my opinion, nce the gear ratio goes much below 1:1 then you can't pedal any mr beause the front wheel keeps lifting off the ground.

wycombewheeler wrote: Cugel wrote:   My own preferred and favourite gear range is a 50/39/30 chainset with a 15 - 36 cassette of 10 cogs. It goes as fast as I can go pedalling (without a significant downhill) in 50/15 (30 mph, briefly) but also allows a twiddle in a very low gear. Each chainring provides relatively close-ratio gears from the cassette, since there's only usable cogs and no wasted 11, 12, 13 or 14 that would never get used.

Is that a bald opinion (one with no experience-hair), a potted opinion from a cycling website or one based on your own experience?

My own experience is that gears below 1:1 are very good at enabling a pedal up those very long and steep ascents to be found in many locations across Blighterdom. This also seems to be the experience of tens of thousands of touring cyclists, over the years, including me on my many cross-Pennine trips with rear panniers but no front 'uns.

I've not yet seen a tourist or any other slow-twiddler o' the hills go tit-over-arse from the bike whilst twiddling up the steeps (and I've frequented many such steeps) despite their 24 ring and 34 cog.

Cugel wrote: No one other than a professional racing cyclist or an amateur of the very highest level needs an 11 tooth or even a 12 tooth sprocket, unless their big chainring is a 44 rather than a 50 or 52.

Rather simplistic to state that. Try living in the alps and you will rapidly find the average cyclist with a 50/34T and 11/34 setup is now the most common. As a 50 is needed, so is the 11 to compensate for the lack of a bigger ring.

philsinclair wrote: Cugel wrote: No one other than a professional racing cyclist or an amateur of the very highest level needs an 11 tooth or even a 12 tooth sprocket, unless their big chainring is a 44 rather than a 50 or 52.

The reason all those Alpine cyclists have 50/34 and 11/34 is that it's rather difficult to buy anything else with lower gears, in a road bike.

The touring cyclists I know, though - those who understand the need for lower gears up steep/long hills because of their loads - tend to buy from places like Spa, where chainsets of 44-34-24 are sold in significant numbers. A 44 ring with the ubiquitous 11 tooth sprocket is at least a usable gear at an efficient cadence.

What missing bigger ring does the 11 tooth with a 50 ring compensate for?

As a 50 year old 77kg 3.8w/kg rider, as far as I'm concerned my 11 & 12 tooth sprockets are effectively spacers that help with my chain line. I run 11-28 and 11-30 11 speed cassettes (with 50/34 or 36 front) but would happily give up the 11 tooth for tighter mid-gear ratios. 

On my gravel bike I've got 46/30 at the front and 11-34t at the rear. I find this suits me very well cycling on the road. I can comfortably ride at any speed from walking pace up to 35 mph.

My cadence is usually around 90 though, if it was lower then I'd want a higher top gear.

Reminder that unless you are putting out 5.5 watts per kg you shouldn't be making gearing decisions based on what the pros are riding. 

To be fair, the article says that.

Indeed it does, hard to overstate though. You see so many ordinary people who wholeheartedly believe that they need gearing to pedal at 40mph and sacrifice an enjoyable ride to get it. 

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Tour de France Stage 7: Remco Evenepoel Has Entered the Chat

The Soudal Quick-Step team leader narrows the gap to Pogačar with a dominant performance in the Tour’s first individual time trial.

Stage Winner: Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) General Classification Leader: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

Five seconds behind Evenepoel in the overall standings was Jonas Vingegaard. Though the two-time reigning Tour champion wasn’t much known as a time trialist early in his young career, he put on a masterclass in last year’s Tour, exhibiting one of the best time trials in recent memory and immediately putting him in the echelon of greats. And we couldn’t discard Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), who is the current Olympic time trial champion and undoubtedly one of the world’s best time traillists.

All this, with a few wildcards thrown in, as is always the case in a time trial, made for a thrilling day.

And, in the end, it was Evenepoel who showcased his world-class time-trial skills to take the win today, finishing more than thirty-four seconds clear of his nearest competitor. Second place went to Pogačar, whose lead was reduced to thirty-three seconds, while third place was claimed by Vingegaard, delivering a solid performance just three seconds behind Roglič.

“The climb was actually pretty tough,” Evenepoel said after the race. “I wanted to start fast, but I had to keep something for the climb. I enjoyed every meter of this TT, and coming out with a win is amazing, so I’m super happy.”

Of a perceived issue with his rear tire, Evenepoel said, “I was pretty sure I had a puncture, but maybe somebody dropped a glass, but it was the same sound as a puncture. But I had to keep going with a bit of scaredness in my head because I thought it was a slow puncture. But I had to take risks, knowing Tadej was pretty close to me. I just wanted to win today, so mission accomplished.”

How the Race Against the Clock Unfolded

The 25.3-kilometer stage from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin was mostly flat, but for one vicious little pop—a short, 1.5-kilometer climb that hovered around 7 percent—halfway through the route.

In a move that felt ceremonious, given the occasion, but was actually because he currently sits dead last in the GC standings, Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazastan) rolled down the ramp first. After a miserable first day, followed by the rollercoaster of emotions that came with chasing and eventually breaking the record for stage wins, he wore a huge smile on his face, knowing that today would be easy for him.

Stage 2’s surprise winner, Kevin Vauquelin of Arkéa-B&B Hotels, spent some time in the hot seat only to be displaced by Lotto-Dstny’s Victor Campenaerts , who bested the Frenchman by less than a second.

Visma-Lease a Bike’s super domestique Wout van Aert rolled out not long after, appearing to struggle throughout the stage. Typically a strong time triallist, it seems as though van Aert is still searching for his form in this year’s Tour.

As the riders rolled down the ramp every other minute, the hot seat got a bit hotter, with finishing times growing ever closer to Campenaerts’ 29:44:18. Then, as the Big Four started rolling out, the time checks showed his lead would definitely not stand.

Roglič was the man to unseat Campenaerts, beating him by more than seventeen seconds. Shortly after, Vingegaard crossed the line, three seconds shy of Roglič.

However, Roglič barely had a chance to warm up the hot seat, as Soudal Quick-Step’s Remco Evenepoel finished more than thirty-four seconds clear, taking over the stage lead despite riding on a what appeared to be a leaking rear tire over the final few kilometers.

That left only Pogačar on the course. He finished twelve seconds shy of Evenepoel, reducing his overall lead in the race from forty-five to thirty-three seconds.

Considering Evenepoel pulled up a bit, thinking his tire was going flat, it’s easy to think that Pogačar enjoyed a bit of luck that more time wasn’t taken out of his lead.

In the end, Campenaerts finished fifth, fifty-two seconds behind Evenepoel.

The day’s highlight, however, had little to do with racing, as Lidl-Trek’s Julien Bernard hammed it up for the crowd as he climbed the Côte de Curtil-Vergy, rousing his French fans and even stopping to give a hug and a kiss to what appeared to be his wife and child.

Michael Venutolo-Mantovani is a writer and musician based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He loves road and track cycling, likes gravel riding, and can often be found trying to avoid crashing his mountain bike. 

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Fines and time penalties Tour de France 2024 | High fine for Van Gils, Groenewegen also penalized

T hrowing away waste, prohibited positions on the bike, sticky bottles, or a shoulder push in the lead-up to a bunch sprint; all sorts of things can happen during a race, especially in the Tour de France, which has 21 stages. IDLProCycling.com tracks the various infractions and associated penalties for you in this overview!

A rider can be penalized by the jury for various reasons. A common reason is the improper disposal of food and bottles. There are designated zones for this on the course. If a rider throws away their waste outside these zones, they (or the responsible team director) can be fined for it.

Fines are also frequently issued for sticky bottles. This occurs when a rider saves their legs by allowing themselves to be pulled along by the team car while receiving a bottle. Nowadays, riders also need to be mindful of their posture on the bike. Positions such as the time-trial stance (wrists over the center of the handlebars) during a stage and the ‘super-tuck’ (sitting on the top tube during a descent) have been prohibited by the jury for several years now, with the UCI being responsible for this.

Fines are not the only penalties the jury can impose. They can also issue time penalties or deduct points from secondary classifications like the points classification or the mountain jersey. Additionally, a rider’s UCI ranking points are not safe in the case of serious or repeated infractions. The more severe the infraction, or the more frequently it occurs in a stage, the heavier the penalty. The ultimate penalty is disqualification, although this is rarely enforced.

Fines and time penalties Tour de France 2024

On day thirteen, we saw another crash and therefore another penalty. This time, Maxim Van Gils could not escape the jury's judgment after making contact with Amaury Capiot during the sprint. The Belgian received a fine of 1,500 Swiss francs and a deduction of 60 UCI points.

That wasn't all, as the jury report also penalized Dylan Groenewegen and Luke Durbridge of Jayco-AlUla for discarding waste outside the designated zones. The familiar penalty: a fine of 500 francs and a deduction of 25 UCI points.

Chaos reigned in the twelfth stage of the Tour. A massive crash knocked Primoz Roglic out of the general classification, and the sprint finish was equally tumultuous. Arnaud Démare and Mark Cavendish were penalized by the jury for irregular actions during the sprint. The jury cited "deviation from the chosen line, endangering others."

Démare and Cavendish were relegated, losing their third and fifth places, respectively. They were each fined 500 Swiss francs and docked 13 points in the points classification. Astana Qazaqstan, Cavendish's team, strongly disagreed with the decision. "We are very disappointed because we believe Mark sprinted fairly. He is very upset and angry," said Mark Renshaw in a statement. "The fact that Daniel McLay, Démare's lead-out, completely stopped pedaling after his job is more deserving of a penalty. Mark had to go around him on the left."

Egan Bernal, representing INEOS Grenadiers, was fined 200 francs by the jury for urinating in an unauthorized area.

The jury had to intervene on day eleven when it came to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. In a blisteringly fast and long stage, team leader Felix Gall accepted some food within the last twenty kilometers, which was not allowed. The Swiss rider received a 20-second penalty in the general classification, 6 penalty points in the points classification, and a fine of 500 Swiss francs. Team leader Julien Jurdie was fined 1000 francs.

Romain Bardet managed to finish the stage without a penalty in the jury report. The Frenchman riding for Team dsm-firmenich PostNL took his sweet time to thank his fan club as he rode past them. While Julien Bernard was fined for a similar action on day seven, Bardet was not reprimanded. And rightly so!

Two team managers were held responsible for littering in an unauthorized area by an unidentified rider. Rolf Aldag (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Gabriel Rasch (Uno-X) were fined 500 Swiss francs each as the head team managers.

No fines or time penalties.

Anyone who expected the jury to have little to do during a time trial was mistaken. The jury handed out some very notable fines. Stage two winner Kévin Vauquelin (Arké-B&B Hotels) crossed the line significantly. He received a fine of 500 Swiss francs and a deduction of 20 UCI points for "attacks, intimidation, insults, threats and improper behavior (including pulling on another rider's jersey or saddle, hitting with a helmet, knee, elbow, shoulder, foot, or hand, etc.) that is indecent or that endangers others."

Then there's local hero Julien Bernard (Lidl-Trek), who turned the time trial over his home roads into a real celebration. In particular on the climb, he whipped up the crowd. At one point, he even stopped to greet his family or fan club. The jury, however, did not appreciate this. Bernard received a fine of 200 Swiss francs for inappropriate behavior during the time trial and for damaging the reputation of the sport. Finally, there was a fine of 200 Swiss francs for Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) for riding too close to another rider's wheel.

In the sixth stage to Dijon, one event took center stage: the disqualification of Jasper Philipsen after he hindered Wout van Aert in a full sprint. For this, he was also docked thirteen points in the fight for green, as well as fined 500 Swiss francs.

Philipsen was not the only one penalized. Mark Cavendish, Thursday's stage winner, was also fined. The Brit was penalized for drafting behind a car and had to pay 200 Swiss francs, with an additional ten-point penalty in the points classification. Teammate Alexey Lutsenko faced the same fate, while team directors Dmitriy Fofonov (Astana) and Mario Aerts (Lotto-Dstny) received fines of 500 Swiss francs each.

The tumultuous stage to Saint-Vulbas leads to infractions for the first time in three days. Phil Bauhaus deviated from his line in the sprint, resulting in a 13-point penalty in the points classification and a fine of 500 Swiss francs. Jarrad Drizners was fined 200 francs for 'inappropriate behavior at the finish.' Davide Ballerini faced the same penalty, also for actions after the finish.

On day two, the first fines were handed out. Two of them went to Alpecin-Deceuninck team managers. Team manager Christoph Roodhooft received a fine of 500 Swiss francs for violating rules regarding vehicle movements during the race. His colleague Gianni Meersman failed to comply with the commissioners' instructions, resulting in a fine of 200 Swiss francs.

Arkéa-B&B Hotels, despite showcasing its positive side with stage winner Kévin Vauquelin, also had some issues. His teammate Raul Garcia Pierna was penalized for urinating in public. This infraction cost the Spanish all-rounder (or his team) 200 Swiss francs. Lastly, 44 bikes were inspected for mechanical fraud, with no violations found.

The jury will have looked back on the first Tour with satisfaction. They did not have to hand out any penalties, an exemplary start for a so far well behaved peloton. 24 bikes were selected for a check for mechanical fraud. No irregularities were found.

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Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike): “Now I believe that I can win”

“This is of course a very emotional win for me. Coming back from a crash, it means a lot to me after all I went through in the last few months. Winning makes me think of that. I would have never been able to do this without my family. They supported me tremendously. My wife has played a big part in my comeback. It’s only been three months from those two weeks I spent in hospital, because I was just too injured. I'm just happy to be here. I couldn't follow Tadej Pogacar's attack. It was a very strong one. I had to fight to come across. I didn't think I'd be able to make it but I did. I'm a bit surprised that I could beat him in the sprint. Three months ago, I couldn't think I'd be here fighting for a win. It is incredible that I’m back at this level in order to win a stage of the Tour de France and play for the GC. To be honest, I’m surprised. I never thought I could come back to this level. I knew I was going to be good, but not this good. Coming to the Tour de France, I had a lot of doubts and I would have never dreamt of winning a stage. Now I believe that I can win the Tour de France. Normally, I reach my highest level in the second and third week of racing. I hope this year I’ll do the same.”

You may also enjoy

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “My best feelings since the start of the Tour”

Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty): “I was a little bit boxed in”

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step): “We had to take risks, but it went well”

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Primož Roglič suffers another crash, loses minutes in final kilometres of stage 12 at Tour de France

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leader struggles to regain contact with main peloton, drops to sixth overall at 4:42 behind yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar

Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) crashed for a second day in a row at the Tour de France , this time on stage 12, well outside any ‘sprint zone’ safety net on the race into Villeneuve-sur-Lot.

Roglič crossed the finish line 2:27 behind the peloton and has dropped from fourth to sixth in the overall classification, now at 4:42 behind yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates).

As the peloton came around a sweeping left-hand turn with 12.2km to go, Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan) hit a low concrete median in the road and ricochetted to his right, hitting several riders. 

Roglič was one of about half a dozen riders in the middle of the peloton who could not avoid the Astana rider. Also in the crash was World Champion Mathieu van der Poel, which left the Alpecin-Deceuninck team without their star lead-out man for Jasper Philipsen.

Roglič was sitting in fourth overall in GC at the start of the stage, just 2:15 behind Pogačar. He was up quickly and escorted by Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammates back to the peloton, but he was well over a minute down. 

Evidence of his crash was evident with a torn jersey, damage to his helmet and glasses, and road rash on his right shoulder.

"I haven’t got on the bus but it obviously would have been better if it hadn’t happened," said Enrico Gasparotto, sports director for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, as he pulled into the finish area in a team car. "We’ll have him assessed and then we’ll see. I haven’t spoken with him yet, we’ll take stock of the situation and figure out if it’s serious or not."

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As other riders remounted bikes and tried to catch back to a fast-moving peloton, now hitting stride with the flat finish into Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Lutsenko was the last rider to regain his footing as a Tour medical vehicle stopped to assist.

Roglič was quickly surrounded by his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammates as they paced him into the finish, trying to salvage as much time as possible. He crossed the line in 120th place at 2:27 behind stage winner Binam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty).

Roglič is now in sixth place in the overall classification, now 4:42 behind overall leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates).

💥Crash in the peloton. Those worst affected are being seen to by the medical team. 💥 Chute dans le peloton. Les plus affectés sont gérés par les équipes médicales.#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/R4mjrhXCAz July 11, 2024

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Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast). Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France), and some mtb rides in Park City, Utah (USA).

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