2015 tour de france bikes

The Road Bikes of the 2015 Tour de France

These 22 road bikes, each used by a Tour de France team, are the fastest, lightest, best-handling models ever made

Bretagne-Séché Environnement

It’s a bit strange to see an Italian bike company sponsoring a French team. But for the past five years, the relationship has been a good one for Colnago and Europcar. Colnago provides Europcar’s riders with several framesets from which to choose, including this C60 , the only carbon frame still made entirely in Italy. Campagnolo Super Record EPS components and Bora Ultra carbon wheels, Selle Italia saddles, and Deda handlebars and stems complete the team’s all-Italian build.

Ag2r la Mondiale

Ag2r has been riding Germany’s Focus Izalco  since 2013, but after spending three years on Campagnolo components and Fulcrum wheels, the team switched to SRAM components and Zipp wheels for 2015. The French team is actually the only squad in this year’s Tour using SRAM components and Zipp wheels . Each rider’s Izalco Max road frame was built with what appears to be a production-ready version of SRAM’s yet-to-be-released and “no-we’re-not-talking-about-it” wireless electronic drivetrain.

Lotto-Soudal

Ridley makes several frames available to its riders for road stages, including this retro-looking Helium SL, the bike of choice for breakaway specialist Thomas De Gendt. While the paint harks back to the days of lugged steel, this frameset is designed to be one of the lightest in the peloton, which is perfect for a KOM-chaser like De Gendt. Team bikes also come with  Campagnolo Super Record EPS components and Bora Ultra carbon wheels, Continental tires, and Deda handlebars, stems, and seat posts.

Of the three teams sponsored by Specialized in this year’s Tour de France, Astana is the only one riding Campagnolo Super Record components. It’s also the only squad riding wheels made by Corima, a French company that made its name building wheels for track cyclists in the 1990s. The bike pictured here is built with Corima’s 47mm MCC S+ wheelset. Each wheel has 12 carbon spokes—bladed spokes in the front for aerodynamics, and conical spokes in the rear for stiffness. The resulting wheel is light, aerodynamic , and expensive.

BMC is taking the “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach to its bikes for the 2015 Tour de France by using bikes that have remained essentially unchanged since Cadel Evans won the 2011 Tour. Every member of the team, including Tejay van Garderen  until he abandoned, is using BMC’s top-of-the-line Team Machine SLR01 with Shimano Dura Ace Di2 components and C50 wheels. As seen here, van Garderen prefers an anatomic bend for his 3T handelbars, a trend we saw on about two thirds of the bikes in this year’s Tour.

Cannondale-Garmin

Cannondale-Garmin riders are aboard the brand-new Cannondale SuperSix Evo , a bike that was officially released just days before the Tour began in Utrecht . Cannondale completely re-designed the SuperSix to be stiffer, more compliant, and more aerodynamic than the previous iteration. Shimano Dura Ace components, Mavic wheels, FSA bars, stems, and seat posts, and Fizik saddles complete the build.

From 1994 to 2013, Orbea had been one of the longest-standing bike sponsors in the professional peloton. But when the orange-clad Euskaltel-Euskadi team collapsed at the end of 2013, the Basque company was left without a team to support. Luckily, after signing a two-year deal with France’s Cofidis squad this past off-season, Orbea and its newest version of the popular Orca frameset is back in the Tour.

First spotted at May’s Tour of Italy, the redesigned Lapierre Xelius SL is the choice of FDJ’s riders at the Tour de France . The “SL” indicates that it’s lighter than the original Xelius. But it’s also more comfortable thanks to an innovative design that separates the bike’s seat stays from the seat tube, allowing for a bit of flex to make the bike more compliant. An interesting note: The bike’s right chain stay lists Schwalbe as the team’s tire sponsor, but most riders used Vittoria tubulars instead.

IAM Cycling

IAM Cycling has been riding Scott bikes since the team was launched in 2013. At this year’s Tour, the team is riding three models for the road stages: the Addict , the original Foil, and a new version of the Foil released just before the start of the race. More aerodynamic than the original Foil, the new model features seat stays and fork blades that have been re-designed to maximize airflow. The Swiss team is also the only squad in the Tour to ride wheels built by DT Swiss (although DT hubs can be found on wheels made by several other companies).

Katusha is one of two teams sponsored by Canyon in this year’s Tour, and most of its riders choose the Aeroad CF SLX for road stages. The Aeroad’s down tube and seat tube have been designed to be as aerodynamic as possible, with the seat tube shaped to follow the contour of the rear wheel as closely as possible. Team riders run Shimano Dura Ace Di2 components and Mavic wheels.

Lampre-Merida

The only Italian squad in this year’s Tour de France , Lampre-Merida gives its riders two bikes to choose from: the Merida Reacto EVO aero-road bike and the new Scultura seen here. One of the lightest frames in the peloton, it’s constructed using more than 400 pieces of carbon fiber in an attempt to keep weight low without sacrificing stiffness or comfort. The team uses Shimano’s Dura Ace Di2 components, but pairs them with Rotor’s 3D+ crankset and chainrings. The top of the fork on this bike hasn’t been cut yet, an indication that the rider hasn’t finished fine-tuning his position on the new frame.

Etixx—Quick-Step

Etixx—Quick-Step riders can choose either the Specialized Venge or Tarmac for the Tour’s road stages. The Tarmac pictured here belongs to World Champion Michal Kwiatkowski, who recently abandoned the race. “Kwiato” usually rides a white Tarmac with custom paint that matches his rainbow jersey, but the paint adds extra weight. Although the weight savings is minimal, Kwiato rode the standard-issue team frameset on hillier days during the Tour.

Tinkoff-Saxo

Roman Kreuziger is one of Alberto Contador’s most trusted support riders, and like his Spanish captain, he rides Specialized’s Tarmac during the Tour’s road stages. Like the rest of his team his bike has Shimano components, Roval wheels, and FSA handlebars, stems, seatposts, and crankset. The team is also one of several in this year’s Tour using Prologo saddles, a newer Italian company that’s quickly gaining popularity in the pro peloton.

Team Sky rides the Pinarello F8 , which debuted prior to last year’s  Tour de France . The model represents the Italian company’s attempt at creating a bike that’s perfect for both flat and mountain stages. Shimano provides the team with Dura Ace Di2 components, Dura Ace carbon wheelsets, and PRO handlebars and stems. The team sources its own tires because it doesn’t want to be limited by what a sponsor provides. We saw wheels with tires by Veloflex, FMB, and Continental at the team’s hotel prior to the start of the Tour.

One of the smallest bikes in the Tour de France , Nairo Quintana’s Canyon Ultimate CF SLX is also one of the lightest. The Colombian’s bike is built with Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS electronic drivetrain and Bora Ultimate carbon wheels. The team uses power meters made by Power2Max, and Quintana’s is engraved to honor his victory in the 2014 Giro d’Italia.

Giant-Alpecin

Shortly before the start of the Tour, Giant released the new TCR Advanced SL frameset. It’s designed to be lighter, stiffer, and more agile than its predecessor—all traits that make it an ideal option for the riders of Giant-Alpecin. Shimano was the team's first title sponsor, so it makes sense that the squad still uses Dura Ace Di2 components and wheels, as well as PRO stems, handlebars, and saddles. The team uses 25mm tires from Vittoria, in keeping with the “wider is better” tire trend we noticed while wandering the pits before each stage.

Orica-GreenEDGE

Like IAM Cycling, Australia’s Orica-GreenEDGE rides Scott bikes and and brought the new Foil for a few of its riders at the Tour. Unfortunately, this bike didn’t make it too far: It belongs to Simon Gerrans, who fractured his wrist in a crash during Stage 3. Orica’s also gone all in with Shimano, so the team rides Dura Ace Di2 electronic components, Dura Ace C50 and C35 carbon wheelsets, and PRO handlebars and stems. Fizik saddles and Continental tubular tires put the finishing touches on the team’s Tour de France build.

LottoNL-Jumbo

The Dutch LottoNL-Jumbo squad has been riding Bianchi frames since last season. For road stages, the riders are using the latest version of Bianchi’s top-of-the-line racing frameset, the Oltre XR2. Despite the bike’s Italian origins, the team uses Shimano’s Dura Ace Di2 components and C50 and C35 wheels, along with Vittoria tires and FSA cockpits.

Trek Factory Racing

Bauke Mollema and the riders of Trek Factory Racing all have the completely re-designed Trek Madone for the Tour’s flatter stages. In the mountains, many of them switch to the lighter Emonda, a bike that was released prior to last year’s Tour. The team uses Shimano Dura Ace Di2 components along with Bontrager wheels, handlebars, stems, and saddles. Veloflex is the team’s choice for tires, although we spotted some bikes mounted with handmade FMB tubulars for the cobbles of Stage 4.

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Tour de France winning bikes: Pinarello is the top dog

We look back at the last 15 bikes to be ridden to victory and Italian brands dominate

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It goes without saying that the Tour de France is the biggest race in cycling, which means it's the perfect proving ground for brands to test their range-topping superbikes, with many companies timing new releases with the Tour each year.

The bike brands are fighting nearly as hard for the top step of the podium as the riders and teams themselves - so which brands have come out on top over the years?

Well, the last decade has been an almost totally Italian affair. Eight of the last ten editions have been shared between Pinarello (Team Ineos) and Colnago (UAE Emirates), with the only upsets coming from Specialized (Astana in 2014) and Cervélo (Jumbo-Visma in 2022).

Looking back a little further and 2011 saw the first ever Australian victor of the Tour de France in Cadel Evans (Team BMC), who rode a BMC Team Machine. Before that Specialized also secured a bike win in 2010 with Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank). 

Schleck was awarded the title after though only after Alberto Contador's disqualification. That didn't actually change the winning bike brand as Contador's Team Astana were also on Specialized.

El Pistolero did win the year before, though, but in 2009 he was on board a Trek Madone. The year before that, and rather neatly topping and tailing our ever-so-slightly arbitrary 15 year timeline, Carlos Sastre won the 2008 race on a Cervélo!

Here's a look at the machines that took their riders to victory from 2008 to 2022 - but first, a few commonly asked questions...

What kind of bikes do Tour de France riders use?

The vast majority of stages are road stages, requiring road bikes. In 2022, there are two time trial stages (stage one and stage 20), where riders will be aboard time trial bikes. But you wanted more detail than that, right?! Most brands supply teams with two road models: a lightweight climbing bike, and an aero bike - the latter being more suited to fast, flat stages. Exceptions include Pinarello, where the Italian marquee says its Dogma F can do both.

How much do Tour de France bikes cost?

The Pinarello Dogma is perhaps the best example to give. Relaunched in August 2021 as the ' Pinarello Dogma F ', the top-end SRAM Red eTap model will set you back £12,000 / $14,500. 

Can you buy a Tour de France bike?

WorldTour bikes ridden by the pros are commercially available. Brands across the board will tell you that the bike you can buy in the shops is exactly the same as that ridden by the pros. However, some skepticism surrounds this assertion. If pro bikes are treated with a slightly different carbon layup and geometry, as is often suggested, the changes will be minimal and likely take into account the lesser requirement of longevity and greater strength/flexibility of professional riders. 

Which bike brand has had the most Tour de France wins?

Pinarello hasn't just dominated the past decade or so - bikes bearing the Italian brand's name are the most successful in Tour de France history. The first of its 16 wins came in 1988 with Pedro Delgado and Team Reynolds, with further successes coming with Miguel Induráin, Bjarne Riis and Jan Ulrich and then Team Sky/Ineos Grenadiers.  The next most successful brand is Peugeot. Now better know for cars, the French brand first won in 1905, with its last victory in 1977. Trek can only claim two official Tour de France wins, with Alberto Contador in 2007 and 2009. The US brand would be equal with Gitane on nine wins but, of course, Lance Armstrong's seven 'wins' aboard a Trek have been struck from the record books.

Tour de France bikes

2022: Jonas Vingegaard's (Jumbo-Visma) Cervélo R5 and S5

The 2022 Tour de France was a display of dominance from the squad we have seen at the forefront of racing for so long now, Jumbo-Visma. Last year, the team swept up the overall victory and KOM jersey with Jonas Vingegaard , as well as the points classification with Wout Van Aert . Six stage victories to top things off made this a pretty memorable run for the Dutch cycling team.

Vingegaard used a combination of Cervélo's S5 aero bike, and R5 climbing bike throughout the Tour, but he ultimately rolled into Paris aboard his custom-painted S5.

Both bikes were fully clad in the latest 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 and featured matching wheels. The Dura-Ace wheelsets varied from the C35 offering for mountain days, while the C60s saw use on the flatter stages.

Interestingly too, 2022 is the first year in history to be won strictly on disc brakes . Though Tadej Pogacar did roll into Paris one year earlier on discs, he also used rim brakes in time trials and for a select few mountain stages - Jumbo-Visma on the other hand, ran exclusively disc setups during the 2022 Tour. If ever there was a sign that rim brakes are on their way to extinction, surely this is it.

2020 & 2021: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) Colnago V3Rs

Pogačar's winning machine from stage nine of 2021

Pogačar's 2020 win made him the first ever Slovenian rider to win the Tour de France, the youngest ever rider at 21-years-old, and he achieved that feat riding a Colnago V3Rs , with Colnago having never won cycling's most prestigious race before either.

Though he rode the same bike model each year, his setups differed. In 2020 he opted for a more 'traditional' feel, with a Campagnolo Super Record EPS 12-speed groupset, Bora One tubular wheels and a set of Campagnolo’s Super Record rim brakes. 

In 2021, though, he used Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS groupset and Bora Ultra WTO 45 wheels with Vittoria Graphene 2.0 tubeless tyres. He switched to disc brakes too for most stages, helping his stability in the often tumultuous French weather.

For two stages he did revert to rim brakes though, one of which came during his stage five time-trial win while using his Colnago K.one time trial bike. He used the same setup that helped during 2020's decisive La Planche des Belle Filles time trial, before he ditched the TT bike in favour of a road bike . 

Pogačar's 'traditional' bike without a power meter or computer on stage 19 of the 2020 Tour de France

Pogačar proceeded on a bike without a power meter or computer, riding on feel alone in one of cycling's most pure rides.

In 2021, his bike featured yellow accents as early as stage nine, when he first wore the maillot jaune, so dominant was his performance. 

2019: Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) Pinarello Dogma F12

While the team may have undergone a name change and re-brand, there was no shock at the top of the Tour de France standings as Team Sky, now Team Ineos, took another title.

The 2019 Tour was a historic moment, however, as Egan Bernal became the first Colombian to ever win the yellow jersey and the youngest rider - at the time - in the modern era, at 22-years-old.

It took  Pinarello  another two years to bring out the Dogma F12 after the launch of the Dogma F10, on which Thomas won last year’s Tour de France. In that time, Pinarello said it had improved the aerodynamics, saving eight watts at 40kp/h, and made the frameset stiffer and lighter too.

Bernal stuck with rim brakes in 2019, twinned with Lightweight wheels for the climbing days and Shimano Dura-Ace wheels on the fast and flat days.

The Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 made up the rest of the components.

2018: Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) Pinarello Dogma F10 X-Light

Thomas won the 2018 Tour d France aboard a Pinarello F10 X-Light - which uses a slightly different carbon fibre compared to previous iterations, resulting in a weight drop of around a kilogram.

The geometry remains fixed, as does the use of an asymmetric bottom bracket, plus the wind cheating concave down tube is designed to incorporate bottles in optimal position.

The Tour's first Welsh winner opted for an integrated 40mm Talon handlebar and 130mm stem, with a  Fizik Arione  saddle that carries his optimum position marked in pen. The saddle height was around 78.5cm and Thomas rode with 175mm cranks - which are longer than most opt for.

The groupset is  Shimano Dura-Ace,  with a 53/39 crankset and 11-30 at the back, alongside a Stages power meter. The wheels fitted when we saw the bike were carbon tubular Dura-Ace hoops, wearing Continental Competition tyres and the paint job carries a speed line for every Team Sky victory.

Read more and see the bike via video

2017: Chris Froome (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma F10

Froome's third consecutive Dogma win. By this point, the employees at  Pinarello 's painting factory in Treviso were probably quite used to applying (apparently) last minute yellow paint jobs  before the roll into Paris.

The  F10 had some minor tweaks from the F8 , but no major overhauls - quite simply, Pinarello and Team Sky felt it was a pretty good bike. Pinarello made the F10 a little bit more aero, a little bit stiffer, and very slightly lighter.

The diet the frame had been on meant that Froome didn't need the X-light model he used when the F8 was in production, so his frame is as per an off-the-peg creation in terms of weight.

When we saw it, Froome had opted for a 53/39 standard set up with an 11-28 cassette, though the chainrings themselves are  osymetric - a preference which can help improve pedalling efficiency.

On flatter stages, Froome used deeper wheels, but when  we had the chance to video it , the bike was shod with shallow Shimano Dura-Ace C40 wheels and pro-only Continental Competition Pro Ltd tubular tyres.

The bars, stem, and bar tape are all Shimano's own brand, Pro, fitted with a K-Edge out from computer mount and Fizik saddle.

See more:   Chris Froome's 2017 Tour de France winning Pinarello Dogma

Like Bradley Wiggins before him, Froome rode the Bolide  time trial bike  during the ITT stages of the race.

Froome opted for 175mm cranks, used a chain catcher to guard against necessary trauma. The saddle height was 79.6cm - 1mm lower than that 79.7cm on his road bike. There was grip tape on his saddle, which helped him maintain the ideal position and he opted for a 58/48T chainring set up with 11-28 cassette.

In a touch of perfectionism, the 3D printed handlebar was made from titanium and moulded perfectly to fit its rider.

Read more:   Chris Froome's Tour de France Pinarello Bolide

2016 & 2015 : Chris Froome (Team Sky) Pinarello Dogma F8

To represent his Kenyan upbringing and passion for wildlife as an ambassador for the charity United for Wildlife, Froome's 2015 and 2016 winning bikes featured unique rhino decals. 

The  osymetric  chainrings are present, with a chainguard to guard against unfortunate chain-drop moments. The rest of the drivetrain was Shimano Dura Ace, with an 11-28 cassette and Stages power meter.

Froome's preference for having two shifting buttons close together meant the satellite shifters were stripped down, also saving him weight in the meantime too. 

The wheels we shot the bike with were Shimano's Dura-Ace C50s, bottle cages were 15g Leggero's from Elite and the bars were Pro.

The winning machine was polished off with a 121mm stem, Fizik Antares 00 saddle with carbon rails and  Continental Competition Pro Ltd tubular tyres.

See more:   Chris Froome's 2016 Tour de France winning Pinarello Dogma F8

2014: Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Specialized S-Works Tarmac

Vincenzo Nibali managed to break up the Pinarello domination in the Tour in the early 2010s, as he rode to victory in 2014 aboard an S-Works Tarmac painted with decals that hark to his nickname - Lo Squalo - or 'the Shark'.

This Tarmac became the first edition to feature a size specific carbon-layup, improving ride quality by better catering for the individual's needs and desires. Nibali added an FSA stem to his machine too, with Corima Viva wheels and a Campagnolo Super Record groupset also included. 

Specialized even customised the Italian's bike for the final day, adding yellow stickered wheels from Corima and a custom FSA stem with yellow decals to the already painted yellow frame. 

During time trial stages, Nibali rode the brand's slippery Shiv TT bike. He finished fourth on the 54 kilometre stage 20 solo event to comfortably maintain his place on the top step of the podium, finishing seven minutes 52 seconds ahead of second-placed Christophe Peraud overall. 

Read more: Vincenzo Nibali’s 2014 Specialized S-Works Tarmac

2013: Chris Froome (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma

The Dogma model before the F8 was the  Dogma 65.1 Think 2 , and it's that iteration which Froome rode to his first Tour de France victory in 2013.

Its standout features were the asymmetric design and wavy forks, seatstays and chainstays. The 65.1 gained its name from the use of a new carbon fibre material: Torayca high-modulus 65 as opposed to the 60 ton carbon of previous years’ models. According to Pinarello, this helped the bike become lighter, and therefore more reactive, which Froome managed to showcase expertly throughout his stellar ride.

Froome's model was of course fitted with osymetric chainrings, Fizik saddle, and the old-faithful looking SRM data-box of days gone by.

2012: Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma

Wiggins rode onto the Champs-Élysées in 2012 on Pinarello's Dogma 65.1, the brand's newest machine, as he secured his maiden Tour de France title. Despite flaunting the sleek bike in Paris that day, Team Sky actually opted for their main rider to stick to the Pinarello Dogma 2 for the rest of the race.

Similarly, Sky ensured Wiggins felt comfortable throughout the three weeks, keeping him on a Shimano Dura-Ace mechanical 10-speed groupset (q for the majority of the time. 

Across both the bike he used in Paris and what he used throughout the rest of the Tour, Wiggins also added a Fizik Arione saddle and yet more osymetric chainrings to complete his machine. 

2011: Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team), BMC Team Machine

Cadel Evans Tour winning machine

Cadel Evans was the first ever Australian to take the Tour victory 'down under', and he did so aboard his BMC Team Machine. The 2011 Tour de France winning machine was the first bike in history to win the biggest bike race in the world with electronic shifting.

Evans' Team Machine featured a relatively chunky carbon lugged design, that even featured an aero seatpost - something more rarely seen back in the early 2010s. The bike was clad with Shimano's first iteration of Dura-Ace Di2, 7970, and featured an SRM power meter too. 

Evans also rode 50mm deep Easton carbon tubular wheels which put together an aero package, that we think, wouldn't look overly out of place today - bar the rim brakes of course!

2010: Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL3

Andy Schleck battling the alpine gradients

Andy Schleck was only officially crowned the 2010 Tour de France champion in early 2012, after the original winner, Alberto Contador, received a doping ban that led to the revoking of his title.

Schleck rode a Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL3, which can be seen above in a dazzling chrome colourway. The eventual winning bike featured mechanical shifting in the form of SRAM Red 10-speed, along with rim brakes.

Carbon wheels were still the order of the day in the form of Zipp's 202 lightweight wheels. Interestingly too, there was no power meter to be seen on the 2010 Tour winner's bike, making Schleck the last winner before power data became more mainstream.

2009: Alberto Contador (Astana) Trek Madone 6.9 Pro

The Spanish climbing legend did retain his 2009 title, this time with a dominant 4m11s winning margin over Andy Schleck. Alberto Contador rolled down the Champs-Élysées on his Trek Madone 6.9 Pro, fully equipped with yellow flashes.

The Madone of 2009 sits in a different postcode to the aero-optimized Trek Madone we know today. The Madone sat as Trek's all-round race bike, with oversized OCLV carbon construction that was influenced by a design ethos based on stiffness and light weight.

'El Pistolero' didn't use a power meter, and used SRAM's 10 speed Red mechanical shifting. Bontrager, Trek's in-house component manufacturer, provided the deep-section carbon wheels and finishing kit to the Spaniard's bike.

2008: Carlos Sastre (Team CSC) Cervelo R5

Carlos Sastre post stage 21

We end our dive into the history books with a nice Cervelo-bookend here, with Carlos Sastre winning the Tour 14 years ago aboard the same line of bikes that Jonas Vingegaard used in last year's race.

The two iterations bare more slightly resemblance than the previously discussed Trek Madones, but 14 years of research and development has certainly seen some changes. 

Sastro's 2008 winning machine featured Zipp 202 lightweight carbon wheels and Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 ten-speed shifting. 3T, who worked closely with Cervelo through this time provided the finishing kit.

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Michelle Arthurs-Brennan the Editor of Cycling Weekly website. An NCTJ qualified traditional journalist by trade, Michelle began her career working for local newspapers. She's worked within the cycling industry since 2012, and joined the Cycling Weekly team in 2017, having previously been Editor at Total Women's Cycling. Prior to welcoming her daughter in 2022, Michelle raced on the road, track, and in time trials, and still rides as much as she can - albeit a fair proportion indoors, for now.

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Photos: Bettini

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Tour de France 2015: Route and stages

Read about the full route , or click links in underneath scheme for detailed information on individual stages.

Tour de France 2015 stages

Tour de france 2015: images and more.

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More about the Tour de France

Tour de france 2015 route stage 1: itt in utrecht (nl).

Tour de France 2015 Route stage 2: Utrecht (NL) - Neeltje Jans (NL)

Tour de France 2015 Route stage 3: Antwerp (B) - Mur de Huy (B)

Tour de france 2015 route stage 4: seraing (b) - cambrai (cobbles).

Tour de France 2015 Route stage 5: Arras - Amiens

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2015 Tour de France

102nd edition: july 4 - july 26, 2015.

Sunday, July 19: Stage 15,  Mende - Valence

Back to 2015 Tour de France | Tour de France database

Stage 15, Sunday, July 19: 183 km, Mende - Valence

Stage 15 map and profile | Stage 15 photos | Stage 15 video | David L. Stanley reviews and explains stage 15

Rated ascents:

• Km 9.5 - Côte de Badaroux, 4.6 kilometers @ 5.1% - category 3
• Km 69.5 - Col du Bez, 2.6 kilometers @ 4.4% - category 4
• Km 73.5 - Col de la Croix de Bauzon, 1.3 kilometers @ 6.2% - category 4
• Km 126.5 - Col de l'Escrinet (787 m), 7.9 kilometers @ 5.8% - category 2

André Greipel (on right) wins Tour stage 15.

The Race: At last, the sprinters had a stage that suited their talents. Le Tour summed up the situation thusly:

In its first fourteen stages, the Tour de France has made some people happy in the peloton but the majority remains disappointed or frustrated. Sprinters top that list. They've had very few opportunities to play on their favorite terrain so far because of some uphill finishes, so only two of them have found the way to glory: André Greipel (twice) and Mark Cavendish. Peter Sagan is yet to win a stage but he has almost secured the green jersey after winning the intermediate sprint of stage 14 and finishing fifth in Mende. Giant-Alpecin is probably the hungriest team. During the off season, they had targeted stage wins in the first week with four different riders: Tom Dumoulin in the inaugural time trial [he came third], Marcel Kittel in Zealand [he didn't make the Tour team after being sidelined by a virus], John Degenkolb on the cobblestones or in one of the uphill finishes and Warren Barguil in one of the two Murs (Huy or Bretagne). The reality is that they are still at zero. Alexander Kristoff is the other sprinter with no result so far but his Katusha team has already won two stages with Joaquim Rodriguez. Orica-GreenEdge has been the unluckiest team in terms of injuries but Michael Matthews seems to get better. After Rui Costa's abandon, Lampre-Merida's chance to do something is with their sprinter Davide Cimolai who already won in the Rhône valley [in Rasteau] at Paris-Nice. So it makes a big number of sprinters teams in addition to the already successful Belgians Lotto-Soudal and Etixx-Quick Step. Stage 15 to Valence is definitely dedicated to sprinters who will have only one opportunity after this one. In Paris.

Etixx-Quick Step’s director Davide Bramati explained, "Of course this stage suits Mark Cavendish, but it's going to be difficult to control the race today. The early part is tricky. There's a hill in the first ten kilometers. It can favor a long lasting breakaway. If they're twenty at the front like yesterday, it'll be mission impossible. If they're five or six, we'll cooperate with the other sprinters' teams with the hope for Mark to win another stage.

"Everyone is tired. Greipel crashed yesterday. But Sagan showed he's still in good form with the fifth place in Mende. Mark Renshaw had been disqualified at Bourg-lès-Valence in 2010 but he's not there for revenge. We just hope he'll be there to lead Mark out as well as he did in Fougères."

172 riders rolled off at 1:06 PM and the aggression began immediately. After the first climb, the third category Côte de Badaroux, there were 27 riders off the front with Katusha pulling the peloton.

As the racers screamed along, Cannondale-Garin rider Sebastian Leganveld surrendered to his ongoing illness and abandoned.

There was some grouping and re-grouping in the break and after sixty kilometers of racing at nearly fifty kilometers an hour, there were nine riders ninety seconds in front of the pack with eleven riders, including Mark Cavendish, off the back. The nine in front were: Thibaut Pinot, Michael Rogers, Peter Sagan, Lars Bak, Simon Geschke, Sean Yates, Michal Kwiatkowski, Matteo Trentin, and Ryder Hesjedal. Sagan no doubt was thinking of the intermediate sprint, about two thirds into the stage, to increase his lead in the points competition.

One hundred kilometers into the stage, the stragglers with Cavendish, Peter Kennaugh and Simon Yates, now 23 riders, were trailing the peloton by more than six minutes.

Come the intermediate sprint, Michael Rogers successfully led out teammate Peter Sagan, allowing Sagan to further pad his points classification leadership. With the nine still two minutes ahead, Katusha worked the front of the peloton with a will, intent upon bringing the escapees back to the fold. Meanwhile, as the race approached the final climb, the second-category Col de l'Escrinet, the dropped riders remained more than six minutes behind the main group.

Europcar moved to the front to help bring the break back, and as the riders descended the Escrinet, the gap was down to a minute. Meanwhile, it looked as if the dropped sprinters' group had given up. They were roughly ten minutes behind the fast-moving pack.

The pack's chasing efforts paid off. Before the descending to the base of the Escrinet, seven of the breakaways had been caught with only Trentin and Hesjedal still away, but only by 50 seconds.

And even a strong pair like Trentin and Hesjedal couldn't resist the determined efforts of the sprinters' teams to bring it all together for a big romp at the end. With 29 kilometers to go, the pair were rounded up and back in the pack. But the fastest of them all, Mark Cavendish, would not be able to join in the big rush. He and his group were now twelve minutes back.

In the closing kilometers, BMC took over the duty of leading the peloton. But, it was André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) who prevailed to win the stage, his third stage victory of this Tour.  John Degenkolb was second and Alexander Kristoff came in third. Even though Greipel got fifty points for the stage win, Peter Sagan remained in firm control of the Green Jersey.

The GC men finished safely, leaving the top of the GC standings unchanged. Froome was still safely in Yellow.

Complete Results:

Stage 15 photos | Stage 15 video

183 kilometers raced at an average speed of 46.6 km/hr

GC after Stage 15:

2,453.8 km raced so far at an average speed of 40.91 km/hr

• GC leader: Christopher Froome
• Points classification leader: Peter Sagan
• Mountains classification leader: Christopher Froome
• Young rider classification leader: Nairo Quintana
• Team classification leader: Movistar

Stage 15 map and profile:

2015 Tour de France stage 15 map

Stage 15 profile

Stage 15 video

Stage 15 photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:

Peter Sagan fans turned out

Here they come...

The fast guys are up front

André Greipel is the fastest man today.

André Greipel has won three stages this year.

Chris Froome will start stage 16 in yellow.

Peter Sagan gets help putting on his green jersey from Bernard Hinault

Chris Froome also leads the climbers' classification

Nairo Quintana's white jersey is for the best young rider.

Peter Sagan also earned the red number combativity prize.

Back to 2105 Tour de France

© McGann Publishing

Tour de France winning bikes: Which brand has won the most Tours in history?

A history of the most successful bike brands at the Tour de France

With 21 stages covering thousands of kilometres of flat, rolling and mountainous terrain, accompanied by the staccato efforts of the puncheurs, the enormously high power efforts of the sprinters, and the high-speed cornering that accompanies the descents, the Tour de France is one of the biggest tests a bike can face. 

While no bike could win the race alone without a deserving rider, the same can also be said the other way round; any Tour de France winning bike has earned its place on the top step of the podium. 

Over the years, the basic design of all Tour de France bikes hasn't changed all that much. There are still two wheels, two triangles, gears, a chain, and pneumatic tyres, but the technology supporting each part has advanced by lightyears. We can’t help but wonder what the race would look like if you took today’s riders, and made them race the three-week tour on the bikes ridden in the 1903 edition of the race — or the other way around. 

With WorldTour teams using the equipment provided by their sponsors, many of the brands that are racking up stage wins in the modern race are still comparatively young compared to the Tour de France itself. But even while certain brands sponsor multiple teams, some of which are dominant, these young teams may never rack up the same number of TDF general classification wins as many of the now-defunct bike brands of old. 

We’ve combed through the results of every edition of the Tour and tabulated which brands have dominated the race over the last century. Because of the unavoidable shadow cast by doping over the sport during this time, we've listed the total number of wins per brand based on any retrospective action that was taken, such that our list tallies with the Tour's own records. 

Further complicating matters is the historically common practice of frames being built by a different brand than the one displayed on their tubes. The most significant of these instances concerns the French manufacturer Alcyon. Between 1930 and 1939, every bike ridden in the Tour was labelled L'Auto, as decreed by the race organisers. It is widely assumed that these were built by Alcyon in each year except 1938, which would add 9 victories to the company's tally. But, since there was no competition, these wins could be judged to be by default. To simplify matters here, we're sticking with the brand name on the winning frame.

1. Pinarello - 16 wins

By now, we’ve all heard Dave Brailsford’s infamous quote about ‘marginal gains,’ and with the number of Tour wins his Pinarello sponsored team has racked up, it’s hard to argue with this philosophy. But Pinarello was winning the Tour de France long before Brailsford started his tenure at Sky/Ineos or British Cycling. 

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Pinarello earned its first TDF overall classification in 1988, piloted by Pedro Delgado riding with Team Reynolds. This race was marred with controversy, as Delgado tested positive for Probenecid, which at the time was considered a performance-enhancing drug by the IOC, but was not yet banned by the UCI. 

In the early 1990s, Pinarello road bikes were ridden to six consecutive TDF General Classification victories by Miguel Induráin, Bjarne Riis — he was removed from then reinstated to the winner's list after admitting to taking PEDs, with an asterisk to acknowledge the offence — and Jan Ulrich who finished second in the 1996 tour behind Riis, and won his only Tour in 1997. 

Some of the Pinarello-branded bikes ridden in the Tour in the late '80s and early '90s were actually manufactured by TVT, though this was a pretty common practice of the era. In the interest of names on frames, we count 16 in total for the Italians. 

2. Peugeot - 10 wins

Peugeot has been making bicycles since the early 1800s, and while today it is best known for its cars, the French brand still produces a range of road, commuter, and mountain bikes, and even sponsor an eMTB team.

Originally from Sochaux, France, the French brand earned its first Tour de France victory in 1905 with French rider Louis Trousselier and most recently in 1977 with Bernard Thévenet riding a Peugeot PY-10.

While Peugeot’s official Tour de France count is 10, they were also part of the collective of French automotive manufacturers that banded together after World War I under the moniker La Sportive to provide bikes for the race between 1919 and 1921. La Sportive has won in all three of these editions, which in part can be attributed to Peugeot.

3. L’Auto - 10 wins

In 1903, Henri Desgrange, the editor of the newspaper L’Auto, founded the Tour de France as a publicity stunt for his waning publication - spoiler alert, it worked.

As Desgrange was running the race and setting the rules, in 1930, he banned trade teams and only allowed national teams to participate, stipulating that each rider had to use a generic bicycle. For those 10 pre-war years, every rider from the yellow jersey winner to the lanterne rouge competed on a yellow road bike with L’Auto painted on the downtube. 

 4. Gitane - 9 wins

With nine Tour de France victories, French outfit Gitane made the bikes which Laurent Fignon and Bernard Hinault rode to their wins. The brand was widespread in the professional peloton from the 1960s through to the 1980s and was also well known for producing motorcycles, also supporting moto racing teams during this period as well. 

In 1972, Gitane produced the “Tour de France”, which was a lightweight (for the time) frame, made from Reynolds 531 tubing and served as the brand's race bike, until it went on hiatus from the WorldTour. 

After a few name changes and transfers of ownership, Gitane ended up as part of the same brand portfolio as Peugeot and B.H, under the umbrella of Cyclegroup — which later was purchased by a Swedish firm that now also owns Bianchi. 

Gitane purchased the Helyett company in the 1960s, and also claimed their three Tour victories, which were achieved by Jacques Anquetil in 1957, 1961 and 1962. The Helyett frames may well have been built by Gitane too, but since we're sticking to names on frames, Gitane remains on nine victories.

5. Alcyon - 7 wins

With seven wins to its name, Alcyon, like so many of the brands that provided bikes to early Tour teams, made bikes, cars, and motorcycles. The brand’s first-ever win in the Tour de France came from the Luxembourgian François Faber, who also clinched five stage victories in that edition. 

Alcyon sponsored a team through the 1920s and was becoming a force in the peloton winning the 1927, 1928 and 1929 editions, but the visibility of the Alcyon name ended there due to Desgrange’s ban on trade teams in 1930.

6. Merckx - 5 wins

If we are going by what was written on the down tube, Merckx would be the next on our list, though by all accounts, the Cannibal was riding bikes built by Masi and Kessels. Despite a storied history, and recent sponsorship of AG2R, Merckx isn't a presence at the 2022 Tour. Its recent history involves financial difficulty and a takeover by Ridley Bikes , so we don't expect this number to grow for a while.

7. Automoto - 4 wins

French outfit Automoto was founded in 1902 and like so many others of the era, was in the business of two-wheeled vehicles, both human-powered and motorised. 

The brand won four consecutive Tours de France under Henri Pélissier in 1923, Ottavio Bottecchia in 1924 and 1925, and Lucien Buysse in 1926. A few years later, in 1930, the brand was purchased by Peugeot but still produced bikes and motorcycles under the Automoto brand name until 1962, when it was discontinued.

8. La Sportive - 3 wins

While La Sportive may only have three Tour wins under its belt, and was only in existence for a handful of years, it’s one of our favourite stories in cycling history. 

World War One left Europe in bad shape, and many of the factories that produced bicycles had been reduced to rubble. The continent was in a depression, and spending money on sporting teams was hardly a priority at the time.

So to make sure the race would not be yet another casualty of the war, Alcyon, Armor, Automoto, Clément, La Française, Gladiator, Griffon, Hurtu, Labor, Liberator, Peugeot and Thomann banded together to provide equipment to half the peloton, and sponsored the race from 1919-1921. Given that half the riders were on La Sportive bikes during these years, it’s no surprise they came away with the General Classification each time, with Firmin Lambot winning in 1919, Philippe Thys winning in 1920 and Léon Scieur in 1921.

The group disbanded in 1922 when each respective company restarted their own teams. 

9. Bianchi - 3 wins

The last time a Bianchi was ridden down the Champs-Élysées at the top of the general classification was in 1998 when Marco Pantani had the yellow jersey on his shoulders. This edition was drama-filled not only because of the racing, as the 85th edition was also the year of the Festina affair that marred the race with police raids, rider strikes, and teams pulling out of the race.

Bianchi’s other Tour de France victories were with Fausto Coppi in the saddle, in 1949 and 1952.

The brand came within a hair's width of doing it again in 2020, but Primož Roglič's untimely implosion on the stage 2020 time trial up La Planche des Belles Filles handed the race to Tadej Pogačar, resulting in Colnago's first-ever maillot jaune. 

10. Trek, Colnago, Specialized, Frejus, Stella and Geminiani - 2 wins

For a brand with a history so ingrained in cycling culture, it does seem out of sorts that until 2020, Colnago had never won a Tour de France. Of course, thanks to Tadej Pogacar, it's won two in a row and is the bookies' favourite for the 2022 edition too. His hat trick would see Colnago step up the standings and sit alongside Italian rivals Bianchi.

Snapping at Colnago's heels are five other brands, each with two wins to their name: Frejus, Stella, Geminiani, Trek and Specialized. 

Trek has a tumultuous history with the Tour de France; its bikes have 'won' a total of nine Tours de France, however, with all of Lance Armstrong’s 'victories' being officially stricken from the record, the big red barn in Wisconsin can only officially claim Alberto Contador’s 2007 and 2009 wins. In 2022, none of the Trek Segafredo riders are expected to fight for GC, so don't expect Trek to get another this year.

Given Frejus, Stella and Geminiani no longer operate in the sport, Specialized is the only other brand able to climb above Colnago. However, despite sponsoring three of the teams in this year's race, Specialized's hopes would fall on Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora Hansgrohe) as the only of their riders at the race with any serious GC ambitions. 

Elsewhere, BMC has also crossed the line 1st in Paris on two occasions, but while Cadel Evans' 2011 title is irrefutable, soon after the 2006 Tour, Floyd Landis was found to have doped, was removed from the results, and Óscar Pereiro confirmed as the race winner, thus adding to Pinarello's victory total.

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Based on the Gold Coast of Australia, Colin has written tech content for cycling publication for a decade. With hundreds of buyer's guides, reviews and how-tos published in Bike Radar, Cyclingnews, Bike Perfect and Cycling Weekly, as well as in numerous publications dedicated to his other passion, skiing. 

Colin was a key contributor to Cyclingnews between 2019 and 2021, during which time he helped build the site's tech coverage from the ground up. Nowadays he works full-time as the news and content editor of Flow MTB magazine. 

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Race information

• Date: 26 July 2015
• Start time: -
• Avg. speed winner: 38.72 km/h
• Race category: ME - Men Elite
• Distance: 109.5 km
• Points scale: GT.A.Stage
• Parcours type:
• ProfileScore: 5
• Vert. meters: 562
• Departure: Sèvres
• Arrival: Paris
• Race ranking: 0
• Startlist quality score: 1812
• Won how: Sprint of large group
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• Bar tape & grips
• Bottom brackets
• Brake & gear cables
• Brake & STI levers
• Brake pads & spares
• Cassettes & freewheels
• Chainsets & chainrings
• Derailleurs - front
• Derailleurs - rear
• Gear levers & shifters
• Handlebars & extensions
• Inner tubes
• Quick releases & skewers
• Energy & recovery bars
• Energy & recovery drinks
• Energy & recovery gels
• Heart rate monitors
• Hydration products
• Hydration systems
• Indoor trainers
• Power measurement
• Skincare & embrocation
• Training - misc
• Cleaning products
• Lubrication
• Tools - multitools
• Tools - Portable
• Tools - workshop
• Books, Maps & DVDs
• Camping and outdoor equipment
• Gifts & misc

But I hung around and watched him making some adjustments to the cable tension, and to be fair it did appear to be fairly straightforward, but he was making life easier with this cable stretcher tool, sometimes known as a “fourth hand”. There is always going to be a downside to such extreme packaging of the components and cables, though, and it's certainly not going to be as quick to build or repair a cable as a regular bike, but that's missing the point of an aero road bike.

Mark Cavendish wasn't riding the Venge today. Instead, he took his Roubaix out for a spin, as did most of the team, to give it a shakedown and make sure everything is set up correctly.

And it wasn't. Cavendish stopped shortly after hopping on the bike to make some adjustments himself.

The new Venge has obviously generated a lot of interest since it was launched. Tony Martin jumped aboard Cavendish's Venge and took it for a blast around the hotel car park, which was quite a sight as it's way too small for him.

More from the Tour de France soon...

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David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes . 

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Whatever (S-) works, looks like it did today.

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Quote: ...the Quickstep team have instead positioned it rather neatly underneath the saddle, where it’s well out of the wind.

Well, those recovery shakes can sometimes generate a few gusts...

Not a Specialized fan but that looks very nice indeed.

Only as fast as the rider.

Seeing it in the flesh at the nationals at the weekend, certainly impressive.

Nixster wrote: A mountain bike saddle, in white

Cav can do what he likes.

The saddle angle looks extreme.

New madone - just ugly.

New Venge - Not classically good looking, but somehow pulls it off ... maybe like a Stealth Fighter ... sure, no Spitfire, but somehow still impressive.

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Tour de France bikes 2023: who’s riding what?

All the bikes and tech on display at the 2023 Tour De France

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Paul Norman

The 2023 Tour de France covers 3,404km (2,115 miles) over its 21 stages. That’s 54km more than last year’s Tour.

However, the bigger news is that time trial kilometres are down from two time trials totalling 53km last year (including the Prologue) to just one at 22.4km this year. It finishes at 974m in altitude and has a 2.5km Cat 2 climb to the finish, with an average 9.4 per cent gradient.

For several years, there's been an individual time trial on the penultimate stage, but this year, it’s on the Tuesday of the final week.

Given how a time trial can upset the final result, as in the 2023 Giro d’Italia, or cement it, as in last year’s Tour, it’s a surprising move.

That means the teams’ road bikes are increasingly to the fore. As usual, there’s some very flashy tech on show and we can expect more to be announced in the run-up to the Grand Départ and probably to be unearthed by the sharp-eyed as the race proceeds.

Read on for a complete list of the bikes in this year’s Tour de France, along with the kit they’re fitted with, and our pick of some of the new bikes and tech to keep an eye out for at the 2023 Tour de France .

Also check out our guide to prize money in this year's race, our explainer on leaders jerseys , a comprehensive Tour de France jargon buster and our round-up of how to watch the Tour , wherever you are in the world.

Tour de France 2023 bike brands

The 2023 Tour de France peloton is made up of 22 teams of eight, 176 riders in total. The 18 WorldTour squads receive an automatic invitation to compete, while four second-tier Pro Continental teams get a wildcard invitation. Between them, 19 bike brands are represented.

That’s two up on last year’s Tour, although the majority of brands are the same as in last year’s race. Even Ridley and Factor, who saw their teams demoted to the UCI’s second division, are back this year thanks to wildcard invitations for Lotto-Dstny and Israel-Premier Tech respectively.

New bike brands this year are Bianchi, Look and Dare, while out this year is De Rosa. Specialized continues to sponsor three teams, as in 2022, but Canyon is down from three to two.

Bianchi was absent last year, but is back with Arkéa-Samsic. It had its first race win back in 1899 and its bikes were ridden by Fausto Coppi, Felice Gimondi and Marco Pantani as well as a who’s who of other top-drawer racers, so it’s a prestigious return for the brand. On the other hand, De Rosa is an equally famous name from cycling’s past that has departed the Tour.

Bike brands represented at the 2023 Tour de France:

• Bianchi : Team Arkéa-Samsic
• BMC : AG2R Citroën Team
• Cannondale : EF Education-EasyPost
• Canyon : Alpecin-Deceuninck, Movistar Team
• Cervélo : Jumbo-Visma
• Colnago : UAE Team Emirates
• Cube : Intermarché-Circus-Wanty
• Dare : Uno-X Pro Cycling
• Factor : Israel-Premier Tech
• Giant : Team Jayco-AlUla
• Lapierre : Groupama-FDJ
• Look : Cofidis
• Merida : Bahrain Victorious
• Pinarello : Ineos Grenadiers
• Ridley : Lotto-Dstny
• Scott : Team DSM-Firmenich
• Specialized : Bora-Hansgrohe, Soudal-QuickStep, TotalEnergies
• Trek : Lidl-Trek
• Wilier Triestina : Astana-Qazaqstan

Read on for more details of each team’s bikes, wheels and other kit.

What’s new in Tour de France tech?

New bike launches.

Since last year’s Tour, the Colnago Prototipo ridden to second place by Tadej Pogačar has finally become the Colnago V4Rs and been released for us to review – and anyone with deep enough pockets to buy.

Rather like the Colnago, the new Look 795 Blade RS ridden by Team Cofidis has been in plain sight for months, but was only officially launched earlier in June.

Its profile is similar to many other pro bikes with front-end integration, aero tubes and dropped seatstays, but is a departure from Look’s previous pro-level race bikes.

As per the usual playbook, Look says the new bike is stiffer and more aero.

There are more subtle changes to the Canyon Aeroad . Canyon has yet to announce details, but there are slight changes to the tube profiles and the seatpost clamp has moved from the rear of the seat tube to the top of the top tube.

The changes to the Cannondale SuperSix EVO are equally small but significant, with the fourth generation of the bike lighter and more aero – and in LAB71 format significantly more expensive.

Other new bikes bubbling under include an update to the Factor O2 VAM , BMC's new aero road bike and a new Ridley bike , also aero.

One thing all these bikes have in common is there's not a cable or brake hose in sight. In part, that's down to all the groupsets ridden now having wireless connections between the shifters and the derailleurs.

It's also due to the brake hoses running exclusively internally. Since they're invariably hydraulic, there's no loss of braking efficiency, however sharp the bends and no matter how convoluted the routing becomes.

Tubeless wheels and tyres have mostly taken over

Almost all teams are now running tubeless tyres in place of the pros’ favourite tubulars. There are good reasons for this beyond the lack of potentially carcinogenic and addictive solvents in the tub cement (more of an issue for the team mechanics than the riders).

Matej Mohorič of Bahrain Victorious has claimed tubeless tech can lower rolling resistance by up to 15 watts per tyre. Paired with the latest aero wheel designs, that’s a huge margin.

You’re also less likely to need a wheel swap at a crucial point in the race, with sealant helping to cope with punctures, although unlike tubs you can’t ride a flat tyre to the finish or while waiting for the team car to give you a wheel swap.

28mm tyres are also increasingly taking over from 25mm, even on the smooth tarmac generally enjoyed on the Tour. Riders often sub in time trial tyres for road tyres, due to their lighter weight, although they in general offer less puncture protection than the best road bike tyres .

One team that has remained on tubs is Astana-Qazaqstan, although it’s in the process of swapping from Corima wheels that don’t offer a tubeless rim, to HED which does.

Component choices

As in previous years, Shimano dominates the teams’ drivetrain choices, with just three teams on SRAM (Jumbo-Visma, Movistar, Lidl-Trek) and one (AG2R-Citroën) on Campagnolo – one down on 2022 with the defection of UAE Team Emirates to Shimano at the beginning of 2023.

There's more on Campagnolo Super Record below, but an unlaunched update to SRAM Red AXS has been spotted. With SRAM focusing on the launch of its updated Force AXS groupset earlier in 2023, it seems likely that a new version of Red AXS will be announced sooner rather than later.

We've seen an increasing acceptance of single chainrings in races earlier in the season, such as Paris-Roubaix , and that may extend to flatter stages in the Tour, when the small chainring is little used.

Expect 2x setups to take over in the mountains again though, yet even there Primož Roglič showed that a single ring with a wide-range cassette was a winning option.

There’s more variation in wheels than drivetrains, with the aforementioned Corima and HED, as well as Reserve, Vision, DT Swiss, Roval, Newmen, Black Inc, ENVE, Bontrager, Zipp and Cadex all represented.

Campagnolo goes wireless

Campagnolo is providing its Super Record groupset to just one team this year, AG2R Citroën. However, it has dispensed with wires, with the recent launch of the new Super Record Wireless groupset.

As with SRAM Red AXS , the consumer version of Super Record Wireless uses smaller chainrings paired to cassettes starting with a 10-tooth sprocket and rising to just 29 teeth as the largest sprocket option. However, the pros are likely to stick to closer ratios for all but the toughest stages.

There are a couple of interesting things to watch out for here: first, are all the riders using the latest Wireless groupset?

When Shimano Dura-Ace went 12-speed last year, there were still teams using the older 11-speed Dura-Ace long after the official launch, due in large part to the new groupset’s scarcity.

Will Campagnolo have got its manufacturing and distribution ducks in a row better than Shimano?

Second, with SRAM Red AXS, there are a series of chainring options designed specifically for the pros, which are larger than the chainrings on the complete cranksets available for consumer purchase.

That’s partly because pros like to push larger gears at their elevated riding speeds (winner Jonas Vingegaard averaged over 42kph throughout the entire Tour last year).

It’s also because the chainline and the degree of curvature of the chain as it passes over the jockey wheels and cassette make small, but significant, differences in drivetrain friction. Therefore, riding in a larger sprocket nearer the middle of the cassette is an easy marginal gain. It’s also the reason why OSPW systems are used by the pros.

Will we see AG2R Citroën riders using larger chainrings, perhaps borrowed from the previous generation of Super Record, with Campagnolo Super Record Wireless at the Tour?

Tour de France 2023 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) too are on top-spec bikes and equipment – there’s no second best here.

Read on for a breakdown of who’s riding what.

AG2R Citroën Team (ACT)

• Framesets: BMC Teammachine SLR01/Timemachine Road/Timemachine (TT)
• Drivetrain: Campagnolo Super Record Wireless
• Wheels: Campagnolo Bora WTO/WTO Ultra
• Finishing kit: BMC, Power2Max, Look, Pirelli, Fizik, Elite, Wahoo

Alpecin-Deceuninck (ADC)

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

Astana-Qazaqstan (AST)

• Bikes: Wilier Triestina Filante SLR/0 SLR/Turbine (TT)
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace/SLF Motion jockey wheels and bottom bracket
• Wheels: Corima/HED
• 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

Bora-Hansgrohe (BOH)

• Bikes: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7/Shiv (TT)
• Wheels: Roval
• Finishing kit: Roval, Specialized, Wahoo

Cofidis (COF)

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

EF Education-EasyPost (EFE)

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

Groupama-FDJ (GFC)

• Bikes: Lapierre Xelius SL 10.0/Aircode DRS/Aérostorm DRS (TT)
• Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace / PRO
• Finishing kit: PRO, Continental, Prologo, Elite, Garmin

Ineos Grenadiers (IGD)

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

Intermarché-Circus-Wanty (ICW)

• 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 / O2 VAM / Hanzo (TT)
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace/FSA chainset
• Wheels: Black Inc
• Finishing kit: Black Inc, Rotor, Maxxis, Selle Italia, CeramicSpeed, SwissStop, Elite, Hammerhead

Jumbo-Visma (TJV)

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

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: Ridley Noah Fast Disc/Helium SLX Disc/Dean Fast (TT)
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace/Cema bearings
• Wheels: DT Swiss
• Finishing kit: Deda, 4iiii, Vittoria, Selle Italia, Tacx, Garmin

Movistar Team (MOV)

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

Soudal-QuickStep (SOQ)

• Bikes: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7/Roubaix/Shiv (TT)
• Finishing kit: Roval, Specialized, CeramicSpeed, Tacx, Supercaz, Garmin

Team Arkéa-Samsic (ARK)

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

Team DSM-Firmenich (DSM)

• Bikes: Scott Foil RC/Plasma 5 (TT)
• Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace
• Finishing kit: Syncros, Vittoria, Elite, Wahoo

Team Jayco-AlUla (JAY)

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

TotalEnergies (TEN)

• Finishing kit: Roval, Specialized, Tacx, Garmin

UAE Team Emirates (UAD)

• Bikes: Colnago V4Rs/K.one (TT)
• Wheels: ENVE
• Finishing kit: Colnago, Look, Continental, Prologo, Elite, Wahoo

Uno-X Pro Cycling (UXT)

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

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Tour de France

Tour de france stage 15: another leg-buster in the high mountains, second pyrenean stage imposes serious demands on tiring tour de france peloton, with multiple climbs before final ascent..

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Stage 15 — Sunday, July 15 Loudenvielle to Plateau de Beille Distance: 197.7km (123 miles) Profile: Mountain stage

Stage 15: Second Pyrenean stage imposes serious demands on Tour peloton

Bastille Day is both the French national holiday and the stage where every home rider tries to land a career-defining success. If a French rider succeeds this year, they will do after a brutal 198km in the saddle, with four categorized climbs littered along the route prior to the demanding final ascent.

The pressure is on right from the start in Loudenvielle, with the riders immediately onto the Col de Peyresourde. While this use of the climb will subject the riders to just 6.9km of ascent, being under pressure right from the gun will be costly for anyone with weakening legs.

The start is also perfect for long-range attackers who aren’t afraid of a long, testing day of climbing, with the combination of both extremes putting the weaker riders in danger of missing the time cut.

That opening climb is followed by the Col de Mente and the Col de Portet-d’Aspet, with the latter averaging a shade under 10 percent. It is sadly the location where Olympic champion Fabio Casartelli crashed and died during the 1995 Tour, and both riders and Tour officials are likely to pay tribute.

A long 60-plus kilometer section of comparatively flatter ground follows before an-ever difficult finale. First off is the Col d’Agnes (10km at 8.2 percent) and the third categorie Port de Lers, then the final ascent to Plateau de Beille. This subjects the riders to 15.8km of climbing at a 7.9 percent gradient, with three sections over 10 percent, and is severe enough for big time gaps.

Expect riders to go deep prior to the second rest day; time gains are crucial here.

The view of Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme: “The third Sunday of the Tour could prove crucial. Whatever’s happened on the previous days in the mountains, the terrain on this stage is ripe for revenge or confirmation, with 4,850 meters of vertical gain on the menu over almost 200 kilometers of racing.

“All manner of scenarios could play out, and it’s not unrealistic to imagine that teammates of the GC contenders will attempt to infiltrate the breakaway climbing the Peyresourde.

“That would prove invaluable given what lies ahead, especially in a finale that features the climbs of the Col d’Agnes and the Port de Lers followed by the final haul up to Plateau de Beille.”