Cervelo vs. Colnago - The heavyweight bike battle of the 2023 Tour. Photo: ASO/Charly Lopez
The Tour de France is full of exciting race action, tragic defeats, and heroic moments. It's what makes the Tour so magical. But bike nerds like us are here for another reason: the bikes!
Riders, teams, and manufacturers all bring their best equipment to the Tour, so its the perfect place for us to geek out on new bikes, gear, and tech.
For the duration of this year's Tour, I'll be keeping track of what bikes are winning each stage. At the end, we'll have some fun data, and maybe some inspiration for how to equip our own bike quivers at home.
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Stage 01 Winner - Bilboa > Bilboa
Photo: A.S.O./Morgan Bove
Rider: Adam Yates
Bike: Colnago V4Rs
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: ENVE SES 4.5
Tires: Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR
Bike Type: Aero/All-Rounder
Stage Type: Hilly
Adam Yates in Yellow. Photo: A.S.O./Pauline Ballet
Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) took the first Yellow Jersey of the race by beating his twin, Simon Yates (Team Jayco-AlUla), to the finish line after an extraordinary breakaway. This may be the first time a pair of twins have competed for a stage win at the Tour! Yates is riding the newly released Colnago V4Rs, which the UAE Team rode all of last year under the "Prototipo" guise. This year they also switched to Shimano drivetrains, ENVE wheels, and Continental tires.
Stage 02 Winner - Vitoria-Gasteiz > Saint-Sébastien
Photo: A.S.O./Charly Lopez
Rider: Victor Lafay
Bike: Look Blade 795 RS
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Corima WS EVO 47
Tires: Michelin Power Cup
Bike Type: Aero/All-Rounder
Stage Type: Hilly
Victory Lafay taking a surprise win. Photo: A.S.O./Charly Lopez
Victor Lafay (Cofidis) ended Cofidis' 15-year-long drought of Tour de France stage wins with a thrilling and powerful attack in the final meters of stage 2 to beat top favorites like Wout van Aert, Tadej Pogacar, and Tom Pidcock. He did it on Look's new Blade 795 RS. This French brand made the first carbon bike to win the Tour de France way back in 1986, and they brought us the first clipless pedals. Cofidis' Blade 795 RS is painted in Look's iconic Mondrian colors for the Tour.
Stage 03 Winner - Amorebieta-Etxano > Bayonne
Photo: A.S.O./Billy Cuesters
Rider: Jasper Philipsen
Bike: Canyon Aeroad CFR
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace C60
Tires: Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR G2.0
Bike Type: Aero
Stage Type: Flat
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took advantage of a monster leadout from Mathieu van der Poel to beat Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious) and Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Dstny) to the line, proving that he is the sprinter to watch out for in this year's Tour. He did box out Wout van Aert (Team Jumbo-Visma) against the barrieers before the finish but was cleared by the race jury. Philipsen is riding Canyon's super fast and recently updated Aeroad CFR, which has a revised seatpost to reduce slips and squeaks. This is the same bike van der Poel used to win Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix this spring so it's already a proven winner.
Stage 04 Winner - Dax > Nogaro
Photo: A.S.O./Aurelien Vialatte
Rider: Jasper Philipsen
Bike: Canyon Aeroad CFR
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace C60
Tires: Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR G2.0
Bike Type: Aero
Stage Type: Flat
Jssper Philipsen (left) vs. Caleb Ewan. Photo: ASO/Charly Lopez
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has now won two stages in a row, beating Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Dstny) to the line once again and showing that he and Mathieu van der Poel might be the most potent sprinter/lead-out combo in the peloton. The finish was marred by several crashes, but Philipsen kept his Canyon Aeroad CFR safely ahead of all the chaos to take the win.
Stage 05 Winner - Pau > Laruns
Photo: A.S.O./Aurelien Vialatte
Rider: Jai Hindley
Bike: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Roval Alpinist CLX II
Tires: S-Works Turbo 2Bliss Ready T2/T5
Bike Type: Aero/All-rounder
Stage Type: Mountain
Jai Hindley breaking away. Photo: ASO/Pauline Ballet
Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) snuck into a large breakaway group to win the Tour's first mountain stage and snatch the Yellow jersey. Not only did the established favorites get caught out, but Adam Yates and two-time winner, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), lost significant time to last year's winner, Jonas Vingegaard (Team Jumbo-Visma), who moved into second. Hindley performed his coup on the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7, one of the most popular modern road racing bikes. Introduced in 2020, it combined Venge-killing aerodynamic efficiency with the Tarmac's agility and light weight to create a do-it-all racer that's super fast on flat and mountainous terrain.
Stage 06 Winner - Tarbes > Cauterets-Cambasque
Photo: A.S.O./Charly Lopez
Rider: Tadej Pogacar
Bike: Colnago V4Rs
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: ENVE SES 4.5
Tires: Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR
Bike Type: Aero/All-Rounder
Stage Type: Mountain
Tadej Pogacar attacks Jonas Vingegaard. Photo: ASO/Charly Lopez
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) struck back after losing time to his main rival, Jonas Vingegaard (Team Jumbo-Visma) yesterday. Attacking on the final climb, Vingegaard was unable to follow, and Pogacar took the stage win, 24 seconds, as well as 10 bonus seconds. Vingegaard, however, is now in the Yellow Jersey, but the gap between the two is only 25 seconds. It's looks like it's going to be a big fight in the mountains. Pogacar has a much better kick, and might take a few more stage wins on his Colnago V4Rs. Fun fact: while Ernesto Colnago had been building Tour-winning bikes for decades, when Pogacar won his first Tour back in 2020, it was actually the first Tour win for a Colnago-branded bike.
Stage 07 Winner - Mont-de-Marsan > Bordeaux
Photo: A.S.O./Pauline Ballet
Rider: Jasper Philipsen
Bike: Canyon Aeroad CFR
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace C60
Tires: Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR G2.0
Bike Type: Aero
Stage Type: Flat
After three sprint stages, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and his Canyon Aeroad CFR have scored a hat trick of wins. He really is the fastest sprinter this year, and with three more flat stages in this year's Tour, there's a very good chance we'll see Philipsen and the Aeroad CFR take the top step again. Of note, Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan Team), took second, and looked oh so close to beating the Tour stage win record. The next chance for the sprinters will be stage 11, so we'll hopefully get a few different riders and bikes in the mix soon!
Stage 08 Winner - Libourne > Limoges
Photo: Mads Pedersen
Rider: Mads Pedersen
Bike: Trek Madone SLR Project One
Drivetrain: SRAM RED eTap AXS
Wheels: Bontrager Aeolus RSL 62
Tires: Pirelli P Zero Race TLR
Bike Type: Aero
Stage Type: Hilly
Mads Pedersen (left) beats van Aert, Groenewegen, and Philipsen. Photo: ASO/Charly Lopez
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), finally broke Jasper Philipsen's winning streak in Limoges. The story of the day, however, was Mark Cavendish's crash and subsequent abandonment due to a broken collarbone. Pedersen is aboard the new Trek Madone SLR Project One. The Madone received a major update for 2023 with an "IsoFlow" opening in the seattube to enhance aerodynamics and improve comfort. It is also the first SRAM-equipped bike to win a stage. Pedersen's bike features a custom oil-slick Project One paint job for the Tour. Interestingly, he runs a massive 56-tooth outer chainring plus a gold Flattop chain, which SRAM reserves for world champions like himself.
Stage 09 Winner - Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat > Puy de Dôme
Photo: A.S.O./Charly Lopez
Rider: Michael Woods
Bike: Factor OSTRO VAM
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 + FSA K-Force Team Edition crankset
Wheels: Black Inc THIRTY
Tires: Maxxis High Road SL
Bike Type: Aero/All-Rounder
Stage Type: Mountain
In the GC fight, Pogacar has now closed to 17 seconds behind Vingegaard, but it was the breakaway that won the day. Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) judged his effort perfectly to take one of, if not the biggest win of his career. Woods overhauled a fading Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar Team) in the final meters of Puy de Dome aboard his Factor OSTRO VAM. Factor is a small British brand and the OSTRO VAM is its latest aero all-rounder. Since Israel-Premier Tech is also sponsored by FSA, this is one of the few bikes to run a mixed drivetrain, with Shimano components paired with an FSA carbon crankset.
Rest Day 1
Now that was an exciting opening 9 stages! We're witnessing an incredible battle between the two favorites — Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar — and it's not clear (yet) who will be the strongest in the final week.
While everyone catches their breath on the first rest day, here are some quick hit stats:
Most Wins - Canyon Aeroad CFR
With three wins, the new Canyon Aeroad CFR has been the king of the first half of the Tour. This is entirely down to Jasper Philipsen's domination of the sprint stages. So far, the Colnago V4Rs is the only other bike with multiple stage wins (2).
Shimano vs. SRAM
Shimano holds a strong 8-1 lead over SRAM. It's not too surprising since SRAM only sponsors 2 of the 22 teams at the Tour. Campagnolo sponsors one (AG2R) and the rest are running Shimano. However, since SRAM sponsors Jumbo-Visma, I think we can expect some more stage wins as the Tour continues.
Tubeless vs. Clincher
I'll have to do some deeper investigating to be sure (many teams use a mix of tubeless, clincher, and tubular wheels), but it appears that 8 out of 9 stages so far have been won on tubeless tires. This shift started a few years ago, and at this point, all the top teams have the option to run tubeless set-ups. Victor Lafay may be the only stage winner on clinchers, though his team does also have wheels and bikes set up with tubulars.
Stage 10 Winner - Vulcania > Issoire
Photo: Merida
Rider: Pello Bilbao
Bike: Merida Scultura Disc Team
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Vision Metron 60 SL
Tires: Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR
Bike Type: All-Rounder
Stage Type: Hilly
The breakaway was expected to prevail today, and Pello Bilbao (Team Bahrain Victorious) came out on top in the final sprint. He dedicated his first Tour stage win to his late friend and teammate, Gino Mäder, who tragically passed away after a crash during this year's Tour de Suisse. In Gino's memory, Bilbao has promised to plant trees in deforested areas, an obsession of Mäder's. Bilboa has been donating €1 to Mäder’s charity for every rider he beats in each stage, and promised to donate double if he won a stage.
Bilboa (yellow helmet) in the six-man break on a black Scultura. Photo: A.S.O./Charly Lopez
As for the bike, Bilboa rode a Merida Scultura Disc Team. Merida is a Taiwanese manufacturer, who like Giant, actually manufactures frames for many other brands as well. The fifth-generation Scultura was released at the end of 2021 and incorporated new aero touches from Merida's Reacto aero bike. Team Bahrain brought frames with "Pearl-inspired" white paint, but Bilboa is riding a black bike, likely to commemorate Mäder.
Stage 11 Winner - Mont-de-Marsan > Bordeaux
Photo: Jasper Philipsen/Photo News
Rider: Jasper Philipsen
Bike: Canyon Aeroad CFR
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace C60
Tires: Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR G2.0
Bike Type: Aero
Stage Type: Flat
Jasper "Disaster the Master" Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and his Canyon Aeroad CFR are looking unbeatable this year with 4 wins now. Philipsen didn't even need a leadout from Mathieu van der Poel this time. He jumped on the wheel of Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco–AlUla) in the final meters and steamed past. Philipsen clearly has the power and the positioning. Maybe his new aero bike is just that much more slippery than everyone else's.
Stage 12 Winner - Roanne > Belleville-en-Beaujolais
Photo: Mathilde L'Azou
Rider: Ion Izagirre Insausti
Bike: Look Blade 795 RS
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Corima WS EVO 47
Tires: Michelin Power Cup Competition Line
Bike Type: Aero/All-Rounder
Stage Type: Hilly
Ion Izagirre going solo. Photo: A.S.O./Charly Lopez
Ion Izagirre Insausti (Cofidis) took advantage of a chaotic day to go off the front alone and secure a second stage win for Cofidis. This is the French team's best performance in over a decade after a 15-year-long drought of Tour de France stage wins, and it's Izagirre's second Tour stage win after he took his first seven years ago. Interestingly, like his teammate and Stage 2 winner, Victor Lafay, Izagirre appears to be riding the Corima WS EVO 47 wheels with clinchers (instead of tubulars) rather than the higher-end Corima MCC EVO 47 wheels. Also, after seeing it again, I am starting to thing that Look's new Blade 795 RS in the iconic Mondrian colors might be the best looking bike at this year's Tour.
Stage 13 Winner - Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne > Grand Colombier
Photo: A.S.O./Charly Lopez
Rider: Michal Kwiatkowski
Bike: Pinarello Dogma F
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace C36
Tires: Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR
Bike Type: Aero/All-Rounder
Stage Type: Mountain
Kwiatkowski going solo. Photo: A.S.O./Pauline Ballet
Former world champion, Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers) dropped the breakaway to take the summit finish of the Grand Colombier. Pogacar also managed to take another 8 seconds on Vingegaard with a late burst. Ineos (formerly Team Sky) has been riding the Pinarello Dogma for over a decade. The current Dogma F replaced the Dogma 12 in 2021. It continues to use Pinarello's trademark asymmetric frame design, but I'm always sad that the current Onda fork and rear stay design don't use the quirky wavy carbon the Dogma used to be so well-known for.
Stage 14 Winner - Annemasse > Morzine Les Portes du Soleil
Photo: A.S.O./Charly Lopez
Rider: Carlos Rodriguez
Bike: Pinarello Dogma F
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace C36
Tires: Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR
Bike Type: Aero/All-Rounder
Stage Type: Mountain
Carlos Rodriguez makes it two stages in a row for the Ineos Grenadiers and the Pinarello Dogma F. He paced his effort perfectly to bridge back to the front after getting dropped on the final climb and went alone to the win on the descent. He's now taken third in the GC away from Jai Hindley, but the two are separated by a single second. Likewise, the battle for first between Vingegaard and Pogacar remains a battle for seconds as the two remained glued together. With time gaps this close, maybe the podium in Paris will be determined by whose bike is slightly more aero...
Stage 15 Winner - Les Gets les Portes du Soleil > Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc
Photo: A.S.O./Pauline Ballet
Rider: Wout Poels
Bike: Merida Scultura Disc Team
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Vision Metron 45 SL
Tires: Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR
Bike Type: All-Rounder
Stage Type: Mountain
Wout Poels launching his attack. Photo: A.S.O./Pauline Ballet
Another brutal day in the mountains and Wout Poels (Team Bahrain Victorious) took the win to give his team its second stage of this year's Tour. When he launched an attack on his Merida Scultura Disc Team, the other Wout (van Aert) didn't respond. He took the win nearly 3 minutes up on van Aert. Once again, there's nothing separating Vingegaard and Pogacar, the GC leaders, who came in several minutes behind Poels. Like his Bahrain Victorious teammate, Pello Bilbao, who won stage 10, Poels is riding the lightweight Merida Scultura for this tough and mountainous stage. He also switched to shallower 45mm Vision wheels.
Rest Day 2
The GC race between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar is still incredibly tight. They've been stuck to each other on every stage, which has allowed several opportunists to sneak away and steal stage wins as the Jumbo and UAE teams spend all their time and energy marking at each other.
Double Stage Winners
Several teams and bikes have had a relatively good Tour so far, winning two (or more) stages:
- Alpecin-Deceuninck - Canyon Aeroad CFR - 4 wins!
- UAE Team Emirates - Colnago V4Rs - 2 wins
- Cofidis - Look Blade 795 RS - 2 wins
- Team Bahrain Victorious - Merida Scultura Disc Team - 2 wins
- Ineos Grenadiers - Pinarello Dogma F - 2 wins
Of these multi-stage winners, the biggest surprise has to be the Look Blade 795 RS of Cofidis. After 15 years without a Tour stage win, to take two on a brand new bike makes the new Blade 795 RS look very promising. I also think it might be the best looking bike in the Tour right now.
What Bikes Are Underperforming?
Of course, it's riders who win, not bikes, but sometimes, you expect certain bikes to win because they're ridden by exceptional teams and riders. Personally, I'm surprised that Specialized and Cervelo haven't taken more wins.
Specialized sponsors 3 teams at the Tour, all with high-power riders capable of winning stages. The Tarmac SL7 was also hailed upon its release as the king of aero all-rounders. But this year it's only taken a single stage with Jai Hindley.
Cervelo is sponsoring Jumbo-Visma and Wout van Aert, a team and rider that have won multiple stages at the Tour over the last few years. But with a major focus on keeping Jonas Vingegaard in yellow, van Aert and the team perhaps don't as much freedom to chase stage wins this year, though van Aert has come very close on several occasions.
What's Coming Up Next?
The next stage is the first and only time trial of this year's Tour. The winning rider will need a lot of horsepower, but also a very slippery bike. When seconds matter, reducing aerodynamic drag to save a few watts can be the difference.
I also expect to see some serious fireworks between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar in the time trial and the final couple of mountain stages. Maybe Cervelo will finally nab a stage win? Even if they don't, making it to Paris in the Yellow jersey is perhaps the bigger prize.
Stage 16 Winner - Les Gets les Portes du Soleil > Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc
Photo: Team Jumbo-Visma
Rider: Jonas Vingegaard
Bike: Cervelo P5
Drivetrain: SRAM RED eTap AXS
Wheels: Reserve 77|Disc
Tires: Corsa Speed G+ 2.0 TLR
Bike Type: Time Trial
Stage Type: Time Trial
Photo: A.S.O./Charly Lopez
I thought Jonas Vingegaard (Team Jumbo-Visma) might make it all the way to Paris without a stage win, but he had the TT of his life today, taking a commanding win and pulling out an additional 1 min 38 sec over Tadej Pogacar (who chose to switch to a road bike for the final climb of the TT). Cervelo is well-known for its class-leading aero bikes, and the P5 TT bike has definitely shown itself to be very fast since Vingegaard's teammate, Wout van Aert, rounded out the podium. It's equipped with a 1x wireless SRAM RED AXS drivetrain, with a massive aero chainring, a full rear disc from Reserve, and Vittoria's Corsa Speed G+ 2.0 TLR tires which are among the fastest road tires ever tested.
Stage 17 Winner - Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc > Courchevel
Photo: AG2R Citroën Team/Pauline Ballet
Rider: Felix Gall
Bike: BMC Teammachine SLR 01
Drivetrain: Campagnolo Super Record EPS
Wheels: Campagnolo Bora Ultra WTO
Tires: Pirelli P ZERO Race TLR SL
Bike Type: Aero/All-Rounder
Stage Type: Mountain
Felix Gall at the summit finish. Photo: A.S.O./Pauline Ballet
While the big news is that Jonas Vingegaard increased his lead over Tadej Pogacar to a massive 7 minutes and 35 seconds, it was Felix Gall (AG2R Citroën Team) who took the Queen stage win aboard his BMC Teammachine SLR 01. The Teammachine is BMC's high-tech aero all-rounder, but it's particularly unique because it's the only bike in the peloton equipped with Campagnolo. AG2R are running the recently released Super Record EPS electronic groupset, which the team help develop and test. The latest Super Record group is a big shift for the legendary Italian component maker as it's a wireless disc-brake-only group which also does away with Campy's iconic thumb shifters. At $5,399 for a complete group, it's also absurdly expensive!
Stage 18 Winner - Moûtiers > Bourg-en-Bresse
Photo: A.S.O./Pauline Ballet
Rider: Kasper Asgreen
Bike: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Roval Rapide CLX
Tires: Specialized S-Works Turbo Cotton
Bike Type: Aero/All-Rounder
Stage Type: Hilly
Kasper Asgreen leading the Break. Photo: A.S.O./Pauline Ballet
Kasper Asgreen (Soudal Quick-Step) got into a four-man breakaway that displayed exceptional teamwork to hold the peloton at bay and disappoint the sprinters in a thrilling finish. It's the second stage win for the Specialized S-works Tarmac SL7. Asgreen's bike is essentially the same as the bike Jai Hindley used to win stage 4, with one notable exception. It seems that many riders at Quick-Step are still using the older Specialized S-Works Turbo Cotton clincher tire, in some cases with the older Roval Rapide CLX wheels instead of the Rapide CLX II. A possible explanation is that the older clincher set-up is a bit lighter (around 100 grams) than the newer tubeless wheel and tire combo. He may also prefer the tubular-like ride quality of the Turbo Cotton tires. Either way, it's a proven winner since Asgreen won Tour of Flanders in 2021 on this exact set-up.
Stage 19 Winner - Moirans-en-Montagne > Poligny
Photo: Merida
Rider: Matej Mohorič
Bike: Merida Reacto Team
Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Vision Metron 60 SL
Tires: Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR
Bike Type: Aero
Stage Type: Flat
Despite a flatter stage, the breakaway managed to disappoint the sprinters once again! Kasper Asgreen very nearly got two stage wins in a row, but it came down to a photo finish and he was denied at the line by Matej Mohorič (Team Bahrain Victorious) who beat him by centimeters with a perfect bike throw. It's the third stage win for Bahrain Victorious and Merida, but instead of the Scultura, Mohorič was riding the Reacto Team aero bike. The Reacto was redesigned in 2021 and is now in its fourth generation. The updates have made it lighter and more comfortable, while retaining its class-leading aero edge.
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