Cyclist Tour of Flanders tech gallery: Eddy Merckx returns and carbon chainrings The cobbled Classics are some of the most interesting races of the year for bike tech, and of course the Tour of Flanders is no different. Although Paris-Roubaix has seen more extreme setups over the years, Flanders’ combination of cobbles and steep climbs means teams can’t usually just rock up on the same bike they use all year, and they’ve refined their choices over winter as well as earlier Classics like Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Before he captured the chaos of the Koppenberg, photographer Xavier Pereyron went behind the scenes to check out this year’s selection of bike tech at the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Related Posts Tour of Flanders gallery: Koppenbergcross spring edition Strade Bianche tech gallery: Bikes of the Women’s WorldTour Omloop Het Nieuwsblad tech gallery: Van Aert’s Cervélo Soloist, 30mm tyres, Lidl-Trek on tubs? All the WorldTour team bikes, tech and kit 2024 Xavier Pereyron Eddy Merckx bikes has returned, and the Flanders-Baloise team are riding them in 2024. Xavier Pereyron Wonder what Eddy’s thoughts on 30mm tyres at Flanders are. Xavier Pereyron Once a sight reserved for the front end of stages races, Movistar have become a Classics powerhouse in part thanks to the owner of this Canyon Aeroad, Oier Lazkano. Xavier Pereyron The 54/41 chainring isn’t anything crazy these days. Xavier Pereyron Movistar’s SRAM sponsorship means they use Time pedals. Xavier Pereyron Jayco-AlUla’s Giants are one of, if not the, best looking bikes in the men’s peloton. Xavier Pereyron After the UCI’s new regulations on turned-in hoods, the teams are limited in how far they can turn in, Jayco-AlUla are taking the gains they can. Xavier Pereyron Bling for Bling. Michael Matthews almost had back-to-back Monument podiums but got punished for his sprint and relegated. Xavier Pereyron Stunning. Xavier Pereyron Vittoria seems to run the show this season, with its Corsa Pro tyres seemingly the most prominent in the peloton. Xavier Pereyron Jayco-AlUla are Shimano all round. Xavier Pereyron Intermarché’s Cubes are probably the most aesthetically underrated in the WorldTour, this one’s Biniam Girmay’s. Xavier Pereyron They use Continental GP 5000s on Newmen wheels. Xavier Pereyron Their Shimano Dura-Ace groupset is paired with Look’s new pedals. Xavier Pereyron Groupama-FDJ have moved on from Lapierre for the first time in 2024, this Wilier propelled Stefan Küng to 41st! Their best placed finisher was Valentin Madouas in 16th. Xavier Pereyron Guess whose bike this is. Xavier Pereyron This one gives the game away. Xavier Pereyron The chosen one. Soon to be lofted at the finish line. Xavier Pereyron Decathlon’s Van Rysel bikes are another 2024 addition, and they could hardly have wished for a better start, Oliver Naesen was the team’s highest placed finisher in seventh. This particular bike didn’t make it to the finish with Edvald Boasson Hagen. Xavier Pereyron They’re very clean. Xavier Pereyron The team switched out their Shimano Dura-Ace chainrings for lightweight Carbon-TI ones. Xavier Pereyron While EF changed their kit to a pretty rubbish black number, their Cannondale bikes maintained enough pink that they’d stand out on the road. Xavier Pereyron They were running 30mm Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres. Xavier Pereyron Their chainring switch has always been for a spider chainring, this year’s is FSA’s K-Force Team Edition. Xavier Pereyron Visma-Lease a Bike’s fleet was up against it with no Wout van Aert. Xavier Pereyron They were also on 30mm Vittorias. Xavier Pereyron Their Cervélo S5s are all fitted with SRAM Blip shifters on the inside of the drops. Xavier Pereyron Despite a new SRAM Red on the horizon, it’s still the old version currently for Visma. Xavier Pereyron BMC are out of the WorldTour but still appearing at big races with Swiss team Tudor. Xavier Pereyron They’re committing to edging the boundary of the UCI’s regulations. Xavier Pereyron Matteo Trentin rode this Sella Italia 3D printed saddle to a solid 19th. Xavier Pereyron Soudal-QuickStep’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8s were light on bar tape. Xavier Pereyron They use Specialized parts wherever possible. Xavier Pereyron And it’s full Shimano Dura-Ace. Julian Alaphilippe finished 70th. Xavier Pereyron It wasn’t a great day out for Bahrain Victorious and their Meridas. Xavier Pereyron They were also using the same Carbon-TI chainrings as Decathlon-AG2R. Xavier Pereyron And keep their bars as narrow as possible. Xavier Pereyron It’s only a matter of time before we never see a road shoe again. Aero shoe covers are taking over – although in this instance they’re probably more helpful for keeping out the dirt than reducing drag. Xavier Pereyron Shoe brand Nimbl is owned by Cervélo and Lease a Bike owner Pon Holdings, but Uno-X’s Alexander Kristoff is also sporting Nimbl footwear. The team’s Dare bikes have Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets with an FSA crankset. Xavier Pereyron Good or bad advert for the shoe covers? You decide. Xavier Pereyron Despite taking a battering around the toe area, that front portion is incredibly white. Xavier Pereyron Finally, women’s World Champion Lotte Kopecky rode this lovely S-Works Tarmac SL8 to a disappointing – for her – fifth. Roubaix next. Let there be mud. The post Tour of Flanders tech gallery: Eddy Merckx returns and carbon chainrings appeared first on Cyclist.