{"id":629420,"date":"2026-06-09T15:35:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T15:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/629420\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T15:35:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T15:35:22","slug":"lightweight-parts-prototype-bikes-wider-bars-and-more-5-tech-trends-from-the-2026-tour-auvergne-rhone-alpes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/629420\/","title":{"rendered":"Lightweight parts, prototype bikes, wider bars and more | 5\u00a0tech trends from the 2026\u00a0Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes \u2013 the Tour de France warm-up race \u2013 underway, we\u2019ve had a glimpse of what\u2019s to come in July.<\/p>\n

While none of the \u2018big three\u2019 Tour de France contenders are in attendance at the Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes, the race formerly known as the Crit\u00e8rium du Dauphin\u00e9<\/a> has thrown up four new bikes and other juicy tech nuggets to get our teeth into.<\/p>\n

Aside from the bikes, the tech choices have given us an early indication of how the riders might turn up at the Grand D\u00e9part in just under a month\u2019s time, and enabled us to put our finger on the pulse of the peloton.<\/p>\n

These are the key tech trends defining the dress rehearsal for road cycling’s main event in July.<\/p>\n

Wider tyres aren\u2019t always faster
\n\"JoshContinental-sponsored teams opted mostly for lighter, 28mm tyres ahead of stage 1. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

While the \u2018wider tyres are faster\u2019 bandwagon was in full swing at early-season races this year, many riders at the Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes are still using 28mm-marked tyres.<\/p>\n

There seems to be a consensus, especially among Continental-sponsored teams, that this is the fastest way to go for mountainous races such as this, even though a 30mm version of the GP5000 TT TR is now available.<\/p>\n

This contrasts with the thinking of some Vittoria-sponsored teams, who ran either 29 or 30mm tyres. Michelin\u2019s new Power Cup S race tyre<\/a> was a 28mm model, according to the team mechanic we spoke to.<\/p>\n

The nominal size difference is small, but it was enough to prompt Visma-Lease a Bike to run 30mm tyres on its front wheels, and 29mm tyres on its rear wheels \u2013 ostensibly for aerodynamic reasons on the team\u2019s Reserve wheels.<\/p>\n

\"EdoardoVittoria-sponsored teams were generally going a little wider, with 29mm- and 30mm-wide tyres common. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Of course, teams also look to match their tyre choices to the rims they\u2019re running.<\/p>\n

Uno-X, which uses DT Swiss wheels, went with the brand\u2019s Continental-collab Aero 111<\/a> front tyre in a narrow 26mm size on the Ridley Noah Fast, and a 28mm GP5000 TT TR rear tyre. The team says this is the fastest combo for these wheels and this terrain.<\/p>\n

Nominal and \u2018actual\u2019 inflated tyre widths are often different things, though. On the modern, wide rims teams are now using almost exclusively, most of these tyres inflate to \u201caround 31-32mm anyway, but the narrower tyre is lighter\u201d, according to a NetCompany Ineos team mechanic.<\/p>\n

Tyre development continues at a pace
\n\"UnreleasedMichelin isn’t resting on its laurels. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen huge strides in the development of road-racing tyres in the past few years.<\/p>\n

Tubeless has finally killed off tubulars and clinchers (in the WorldTour, at least) and tyres that are nominally designed for short time trials are now trusted by the best riders in the world for long road races.<\/p>\n

If you thought things might be about to plateau in this area, though, Michelin\u2019s new Power Cup S could show that isn\u2019t the case.<\/p>\n

\"SpecializedSpecialized formally announced its new Cotton TLR tyre recently. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

It joins the likes of Specialized\u2019s Cotton TLR<\/a> and Pirelli\u2019s P Zero Race TLR SL-R<\/a>, and has us wondering whether we might see Continental\u2019s venerable GP5000 S TR<\/a> updated sooner rather than later. After all, that tyre was launched almost five years ago, following Sonny Colbrelli\u2019s iconic victory at the 2021 Paris-Roubaix<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As well as a new all-rounder road-racing tyre (likely a successor to the Power Cup TLR<\/a>), a source at Team Picnic-PostNL confirmed Michelin is working on a new time trail-specific tyre.<\/p>\n

The team refused to offer any further insight into what that might entail, but we suspect it will be a tubeless-ready upgrade to the existing Power Time Trial clincher.<\/p>\n

No more ultra-narrow handlebars
\n\"\"All riders in the pro peloton must now use handlebars measuring a minimum of 400mm, outside-to-outside. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

A further finding is that handlebar sizes have, as expected, settled largely on the UCI’s updated minimum bar-width regulation<\/a>, which now sits at 400mm, measured outside-to-outside at the drops.<\/p>\n

We measured more than a dozen handlebars, although we were only allowed to photograph a couple (due to many teams wishing to keep the riders’ choices out of the public eye). Each one measured differently between the brake hoods due to different mounting points and canters.<\/p>\n

\"\"Riders can still get a fairly narrow ‘hoods’ position if desired, though. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

When asked about this, two mechanics said the choices were mainly about rider comfort and grip when riding on the hoods, rather than any specific aero considerations.<\/p>\n

Of course, that\u2019s not to say there isn\u2019t an aero gain to be had if the hood position influences how comfortably the rider can hold their optimal position.<\/p>\n

Lightweight race bikes aren\u2019t dead yet
\n\"TorsteinTorstein Tr\u00e6en rode the unreleased Ridley prototype on stage 01 of the 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

The reveal of a new lightweight Ridley race bike, plus more exposure for Paul Seixas\u2019 prototype Van Rysel, proves low weight remains a key trait for pro bikes, despite the popularity of aero bikes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Both bikes have aero features, of course, but they stand apart from each brand\u2019s aero bike \u2013 the Noah Fast<\/a> and RCR-F,<\/a> respectively.<\/p>\n

A leak of the supposed new Specialized Tarmac SL9<\/a>, broken by Cyclingnews, also reveals the American brand isn\u2019t planning on radically transforming its race bike.<\/p>\n

While likely a little more aerodynamic (if the updated tube shapes are anything to go by), unconfirmed renders<\/a> and Instagram leaks<\/a> all but confirm the all-round formula looks set to remain.<\/p>\n

Even Tour de France debutant team Caja Rural was using the two race bikes from its sponsor MMR \u2013 the aero Aelion SLR and lightweight Adrenaline SLR.<\/p>\n

Wax lubes take over
\n\"WaxedWaxed chains are very much in fashion among pro teams now. <\/p>\n

The peloton now appears to have made a wholesale switch to using wax-based chain lubes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This trend has been gathering pace for a while, as teams look for marginal performance gains in drivetrain efficiency.<\/p>\n

In a nutshell, waxed chains<\/a> can be more efficient because the wax creates a solid barrier to contamination \u2013 dirt from the road \u2013 that would otherwise increase friction.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fair to say committing to waxed drivetrains across an entire team is a labour-intensive process (especially for one on the road at a stage race), but most seem to believe it\u2019s worth the additional effort by team mechanics.<\/p>\n

When we investigated this trend a couple of years ago<\/a>, there were still several pro teams choosing to stick with oil-based chain lubes (whether for performance, logistical or sponsorship reasons) but wax is clearly in fashion now.<\/p>\n

Given road cycling\u2019s two dominant teams \u2013 UAE Team Emirates XRG and Team Visma-Lease a Bike \u2013 have been doing it for a few years now, it\u2019s perhaps no surprise to see rival teams have taken notice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes \u2013 the Tour de France warm-up race \u2013 underway, we\u2019ve had a glimpse of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":629421,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-629420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-cycling","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629420\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/629421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}