What do the Belgian music festival Tomorrowland, off-brand Hulks, and air fryers have in common? Nothing, usually as far as I can guess, but if you dash around the pits like I have at the start of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, you’ll somehow be able to come across all of them.
Yes, this is the ultimate Tour de France Femmes tech round-up, with a side helping of chatter with those taking on the race this year. Want to see the full list of bikes and kit? We have you covered here.
What’s new this year?
As I’ve learned by attending several of the women’s races on the UCI calendar, including the (close to home) Itzulia Women’s, the bikes and tech issued to the women’s peloton isn’t always the same as what the men’s teams receive.
There are, on occasion, disparities in the level of equipment or the sheer amount of it. But this, in my eyes, makes for a pit walk of any women’s race a damn sight more interesting than any WorldTour race on the men’s calendar. The Tour de France Femmes was no different.
We’ve got it all in this video. Colnago Y1Rs and V5Rs models that may not have all the CarbonTi upgrades available to the men’s squad do, but look just as desirable. There are more decals on toptubes, handlebars, and even cranks than ever before, and some are seriously questionable.
We’ve got a bike from Ridley that was built the night before stage 2 to celebrate the Belgian music festival Tomorrowland — yeah, an odd colab, but we’re here for it. Then there are the details, rider-specific wheels, the world champ Lotte Kopecky getting away with upsetting official sponsors by using a Syncros saddle instead of the Specialized ones that the rest of the team have to use. There’s even a drinks/coffee set-up that any pro team claiming marginal gains are key should be building into their team bus.
On top of that, in this video, I wanted to squeeze in some of the characters from the race, riders who you may not be aware of (or maybe you are). I ask the hard-hitting question: “If you weren’t you at this race, who would you like to be?” You’ll be surprised where it leads, from air fryers to cousins battling it out.
Hit that play button and enjoy.
Cheers,
Dave
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