Who knew we would be looking at the anatomy of Patrick Star before the start of stage 1?
Alex Hunt
The Tour de France Femmes may only be in its fifth edition, but it has quickly established itself as the biggest shop window in women’s cycling. For teams and sponsors, it’s an opportunity to put themselves at the centre of the sport’s attention, with every bike, component, and piece of kit scrutinised by fans, photographers, and tech journalists alike.
Unsurprisingly, many brands arrive with something special in tow. This year, some leaned fully into the occasion, unveiling bikes inspired by a certain sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea, while others took a more traditional route, rolling out custom components to celebrate classification leaders.
But it’s often the details that don’t make the press releases that prove the most interesting. Wander through the team paddock long enough and recurring themes begin to emerge. Tyres continue to creep wider across the women’s peloton, riders are becoming increasingly particular about contact points and cockpit setups, yet despite rumours and speculation elsewhere this season, 1x road drivetrains remain nowhere to be seen.
There is plenty more to unpack from the race over the coming days, but here are a handful of the random tech finds that caught my eye while wandering the paddock ahead of stages 1 and 2 of the Tour de France Femmes.
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