{"id":6073,"date":"2025-07-18T18:04:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T18:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/6073\/"},"modified":"2025-07-18T18:04:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T18:04:30","slug":"tour-de-france-tt-tech-analysis-pogacars-lightweight-aero-bike-versus-the-best-of-the-rest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/6073\/","title":{"rendered":"Tour de France TT tech analysis: Poga\u010dar\u2019s lightweight aero bike versus the best of the rest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although they\u2019re not as common as they once were, mountain time trials at the Tour de France often serve up a feast of cool bike tech.<\/p>\n

Though just 10.9km in length<\/a>, every rider will face a tough challenge today \u2013 there\u2019ll be no taking it easy as riders fight to avoid getting booted out of the race by the time cut.<\/p>\n

If it were a simple race from the bottom to the top of a mountain, then we\u2019ve no doubt all riders would try simply to make their bikes as light as possible \u2013 or to hit the UCI\u2019s 6.8kg minimum bike weight limit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As on stage 20 of the 2020 Tour de France, in which Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> stole the yellow jersey<\/a> from Primo\u017e Rogli\u0107 in dramatic fashion, today\u2019s mountain TT starts with a flatter opening section (albeit substantially shorter) that poses the riders a more nuanced question as to bike setup.<\/p>\n

Would a time trial bike with lightweight wheels be the fastest choice, or an aero road bike with clip-on aero extensions?<\/p>\n

No doubt every team had a set of boffins crunching the numbers, but here\u2019s how the three top podium contenders decided to play it on the day, and why Poga\u010dar opted for a different bike setup to his key rivals.<\/p>\n

Remco Evenepoel’s Specialized Shiv TT Disc
\n\"SoudalEvenepoel didn’t have his best day on a TT bike, but his setup was dialled. ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

At just 61kg (according to Pro Cycling Stats<\/a>), the reigning world and olympic time trial champion is built for days like this.<\/p>\n

When it comes to flat and undulating races contre-la-montre, the Belgian rider is almost unbeatable, thanks to his ability to sustain ungodly amounts of power in one of the most efficient aero tucks in the bunch.<\/p>\n

Perhaps because of his affinity for time trial bikes<\/a>, Evenepoel opted for the Specialized Shiv TT Disc<\/a> \u2013 supposedly one of the lightest TT bikes available.<\/p>\n

In terms of wheels, it seems Evenepoel opted for Roval\u2019s latest Rapide CLX III \u2013 a mid-depth all-rounder wheelset, with a 51mm-deep front rim paired with a 48mm-deep rear.<\/p>\n

Built with carbon spokes to save weight, these were shod with Specialized S-Works Turbo Cotton clinchers<\/a> (likely paired with lightweight TPU or latex inner tubes<\/a>), rather than the new Turbo Cotton TLR tyres we\u2019ve seen Specialized-sponsored riders using throughout this Tour.<\/p>\n

\"SoudalEvenepoel was back on clincher tyres for the mountain TT. <\/p>\n

In terms of gearing, Evenepoel opted for a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200<\/a> groupset in 2x form.<\/p>\n

As on his Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8, Eveneopoel had a set CarbonTi chainrings and looked to be using an 11-34t cassette at the rear.<\/p>\n

In terms of kit, Evenepoel wore the white skinsuit as the leader of the young rider classification, plus Specialized\u2019s S-Works Evade 3<\/a> aero road helmet, rather than the TT5 time trial lid<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This would have meant giving up some aerodynamic efficiency during the opening kilometres, but would have been significantly cooler, lighter and more comfortable on the climb.<\/p>\n

In contrast to Vingegaard and Poga\u010dar, Evenepoel wore time trial overshoes and took a single bottle cage and water bottle on his bike, though he discarded the water bottle part way through the race.<\/p>\n

Jonas Vingegaard’s Cerv\u00e9lo P5
\n\"TeamVingegaard flew up the mountain on his Cerv\u00e9lo P5 TT bike, but it wasn’t enough to take a stage victory. ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

In contrast to his great rival Poga\u010dar, who opted for a relatively stock aero road bike<\/a> (more on this shortly) Vingegaard rolled the dice and opted for his Cerv\u00e9lo P5 time trial bike<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It appears to have been given the lightweight, all-black treatment with what looks like a custom, likely ultralight, seatpost and a \u20ac1,250 Prologo Predator 01TT saddle \u2013 a version of which was used by Poga\u010dar in the final TT at last year\u2019s Tour de France<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In terms of wheels, Vingegaard opted for what looked like Reserve\u2019s mid-depth 40|49 rims with Vittoria\u2019s featherweight Corsa Pro Speed TLR tyres<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While his Shimano-sponsored rivals used 2x setups, Vingegaard opted for a 1x drivetrain<\/a>, helping his SRAM Red AXS groupset<\/a> be even lighter than normal.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not sure exactly what chainring size Vingegaard used, but it looks relatively small by pro road racing standards, or enormous by typical hill climb standards.<\/p>\n

\"TeamIn contrast to his two podium rivals, Vingegaard opted for a 1x drivetrain. <\/p>\n

We suspect Vingegaard used SRAM\u2019s widest 10-36t cassette option at the rear, however, to give himself the maximum possible range.<\/p>\n

While many of his teammates opted for Giro\u2019s smaller Aerohead time trial helmet<\/a> (the original model which debuted at the Tour in 2015) or an aero road helmet, Vingegaard went full-TT and wore his outlandish red and white Giro Aerohead II<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He discarded the visor at the foot of the climb to gain some extra ventilation, though.<\/p>\n

Unlike Poga\u010dar and Evenepoel, Vingegaard was able to wear his team-issue skinsuit, which he paired with a set of Nimbl Air Ultimate lace-up cycling shoes and aero socks.<\/p>\n

Looking to save every last gram, Vingegaard opted to go with a bottle cage on his bike.<\/p>\n

Tadej Poga\u010dar’s Colnago Y1Rs
\n\"PEYRAGUDES,While his rivals used TT bikes, Poga\u010dar went with his Colnago Y1Rs aero road bike. Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Thanks to Daniel Benson\u2019s substack<\/a>, we got a preview on what kind of bike Poga\u010dar, the current holder of the yellow jersey, would liekly be riding today.<\/p>\n

While we spotted a Colnago V5Rs with clip-on ENVE aero extensions<\/a> at Poga\u010dar\u2019s team hotel before the Grand D\u00e9part in Lille, the Slovenian rider opted for a relatively stock version of Colnago\u2019s Y1Rs aero bike<\/a> on the day.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the world champion\u2019s Y1RS we saw in Lille<\/a>, though, as Poga\u010dar is the road race world champion and therefore doesn\u2019t have the right to ride a rainbow bike during a TT.<\/p>\n

Although the bike Benson saw featured a team-issue paint job, Poga\u010dar actually rode one with an all-black paint job, to save every possible gram.<\/p>\n

Poga\u010dar opted against a set of tri-bar aero extensions \u2013 perhaps as they simply wouldn\u2019t fit on the Y1RS\u2019 funky integrated handlebar \u2013 but he did use a TT-specific saddle.<\/p>\n

\"PEYRAGUDES,This Y1Rs had a stripped-back paint job and plenty of weight weenie details. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to tell, but it looks like a modified version of the Fizik Transiro Aeris saddle Poga\u010dar has on his Colnago TT1 time trial bike<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Clearly concerned about not carrying too much weight up the climb, Poga\u010dar opted for his new ENVE SES 4.5 Pro wheels<\/a> with 28c Continental GP5000 TT TR<\/a> time trial tyres.<\/p>\n

Rather than run a 1x setup, though, Poga\u010dar opted for the wider range of a 2x setup with his Shimano Dura-Ace groupset. According to Benson\u2019s report from the ground in France, Poga\u010dar opted for 55\/38t chainrings up front paired with a wide-range 11-34t cassette out back.<\/p>\n

It looks like he\u2019ll go without fluids during the race as there are no bottle cages<\/a> on his bike, but Poga\u010dar has opted for a Shimano Dura-Ace power meter<\/a> crankset and a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt 3 bike computer<\/a> to help him pace his effort.<\/p>\n

Last but not least, Poga\u010dar also opted for simple electrical tape on his bars instead of proper handlebar tape<\/a>, and we reckon he\u2019ll also have used the lightweight CarbonTi thru-axles we spotted on his ultra-light Colnago V5Rs at the Grand D\u00e9part<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"PEYRAGUDES,Poga\u010dar used what appears to be the sleeve of an aero base layer to cover the bandages on his left arm. Tim de Waele\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

While we weren\u2019t able to weigh Poga\u010dar\u2019s setup, it should be a decent bit lighter than the 7.57kg his world champion\u2019s Y1Rs weighs \u2013 thanks mainly to the more reserved paint job, and the swap from ENVE SES 4.5 wheel<\/a>s and Continental Archetype tyres<\/a> to the lighter SES 4.5 Pro wheels and TT tyres.<\/p>\n

The lighter wheels and tyres alone should save around 217g, for example. If we say the change in paint is worth another 200g plus another 50g for losing the Y1Rs\u2019 integrated bottle cages, that would put this Y1Rs at around 7-7.1kg.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s respectable for a full-on aero road bike, but still some 2-300g off the UCI\u2019s minimum bike weight limit.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible Colnago produced a special lightweight frameset for the day, though, so it could be even lighter in reality. We\u2019re sure no stone was left unturned, after all.<\/p>\n

\"PEYRAGUDES,The result suggests Poga\u010dar made the right bike choice, but the gap was so big perhaps it didn’t matter either way. Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Speaking to the press after the stage, Poga\u010dar said the team\u2019s race modelling had shown little difference in performance for this stage between his aero road and TT bikes, so he opted for the bike he felt most comfortable on, and had been riding for the previous stages.<\/p>\n

Poga\u010dar reasoned this would help him produce more power on the climb, and that certainly seems to have been the case as he romped to victory by 36 seconds over Vingegaard.<\/p>\n

In terms of kit, Poga\u010dar wore the race-leader\u2019s yellow skinsuit with a MET Manta aero road helmet<\/a>, his signature DMT Pogi shoes<\/a> and aero socks.<\/p>\n

He even had a section of aero-striped fabric \u2013 possibly the sleeve from an aero base layer \u2013 covering the bandages from his crash on stage 11<\/a>, which looks like a clever marginal gain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Although they\u2019re not as common as they once were, mountain time trials at the Tour de France often…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6074,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,82],"class_list":["post-6073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}