Eurobike wasn’t only awash with the newest bikes for 2012; there were also many professional racing bikes fresh from the Tour de France being proudly displayed.
Here’s our roundup of them, from the BMC Team Machine that Cadel Evans rode to victory in the stage race to Fabian Cancellara’s custom painted Trek Madone.
Cadel Evans’ Tour de France winning BMC Team Machine SLR01
Cadel Evans’ Tour de France winning BMC Team Machine SLR01 took pride of place on BMC’s stand. The team and its suppliers pulled out all the stops to deliver a bike worthy of a Tour winner, with no part on the bicycle immune from a splash of yellow paint.
Details include a 14cm Easton EA90 stem slammed as low as it’ll go, custom painted SRM head unit and matching yellow bar tape, saddle and Speedplay pedals. Even the Easton decals on the deep-section carbon rims have been treated to a dollop of yellow ink.
Fabian Cancellara’s Leopard Trek Madone 6.9 SSL
Spartacus is a lucky boy; this is the fabulous bike he gets to ride on. Nice, isn’t it? That’s what being a prolific winner does for you. Trek’s Project One, the company’s in-house custom painting facility, pulled out all the stops on this elaborate finish, which is one of the classiest we’ve seen.
The bike is packed with fantastic details, but two stand out more than any other. A first that we know of is the tyres being printed with Spartacus – that can’t be cheap to do can it? Secondly there’s the fantastic decoration on the massively long stem, about sums up the guy’s riding style really.
Mark Cavendish’s HTC Specialized McLaren Venge
Here’s Mark Cavendish’s HTC Specialized McLaren Venge, resplendent with green details to match the sprinter’s jersey he won in the Tour de France. Cavendish was one of the first to get to swing a leg over the new Venge, and has demonstrated the speed of the bike with ample authority.
Cav’s bike gets a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, C50 carbon tubular rims, Fizik Arione saddle and Elite bottle cages. He likes his bikes stiff and the latest Pro Vibe Sprint carbon stem is fitted, as low as it’ll go above the headset, along with a pair of Pro aluminium bars.
Thomas Voeckler’s Colnago C59
The plucky Frenchman’s yellow C59 was centre stage on the Italian company’s stand, as it ought to be.
With the yellow jersey comes the inevitable plethora of yellow kit, including in most instances these days a specially painted yellow frame and matching kit. In this case Colnago pulled out all the stops. Reportedly the frame was rushed from Colnago’s factory, the paint still tacky, to the Europcar team hotel on the rest day in a drive that totalled some 1400km. Gives you some idea just how much the yellow jersey in the biggest cycle race means to a bike brand.
Aside from the bright paintjob, Voeckler’s frame is essentially the same as that which you can pick up from your local dealer. It’s subtly different however, with a custom frame that measures 50cm thanks to a 1cm longer top tube to fit the Frenchman.
Alberto Contador’s Saxobank Specialized SL4
Berty didn’t have the best Tour de France, but he can’t blame the Specialized SL4 he’s supplied with. A full SRAM RED groupset (the Black version), Specialized cranks and Zip 202 carbon wheels keep the weight real low.
Lars Boom’s Rabobank Giant TCR Advanced SL
Lars Boom is a tall fella. At 6ft 3in he requires a large frame and that much is clear when taking a look at his setup. Check the huge drop from the saddle to the bars, fitted to a long stem. To get a satisfactory fit, Lars opts for a couple of spacers under the stem. Carbon Dura-Ace C35 wheels are shod with Vittoria Corsa Evo CX tyres, which from the picture look well worn.
Mark Renshaw’s Specialized SL4
Cavendish likely wouldn’t have such an impressive stack of stage wins if it wasn’t for his fast leadout man Mark Renshaw. Here’s Renshaw’s Specialized SL4, complete with Dura-Ace Di2 and PRO finishing kit.
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