Team TotalEnergies will race a new Cube Litening Aero C:68X on todays first stage of the 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes (formerly known as the Critrium du Dauphin). The bike technically remains unreleased, with the team and brand tight-lipped on details, but it is distinctive for its sloping seat post insertion point. This unreleased bike appears tidier than the current model, and the seatpost collar design has changed. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media Most bikes have a level collar zone around the circumference of the seat post, but the new Cubes tapers dramatically at the rear, exposing more of the seatpost behind. In theory, this could allow the seatpost to flex more to improve compliance, but in this instance the seatpost has a distinctive teardrop shape. Here, this could have been optimised aerodynamically beyond the typical flatback designs often seen, but with compliance gained back through the extra exposure. Two bolts fasten it in place as before, but the seatpost is now more ovalised. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media Given the seat tube tapers around the rear tyre, there isnt a lot of insertion space, so the two fixing bolts on the rear of the seat tube are likely there to serve as two fastening points for a wedge clamp. Despite this, the inside corner of this junction remains filled in, and as with the current bike its likely purely for aerodynamic gain (given the seatpost clamp isnt housed here). Up front, things are fairly standard. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media The seat stays join to the seat tube in a dropped position, but with a tapering flare to the rear axle. At the front, things are more typical of aero and all-rounder race bikes. Matteo Verchers bike pictured is a size 50cm, but the head tube and down tube are very deep but narrow, arguably pushing up to the limit of the UCIs 8:1 tube ratio regulation. Tyre clearance is unconfirmed, but looks wider than the current bike's 31mm. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media Cube appears to have stuck with a standard headset and steerer layout, as opposed to an offset bayonet design as seen on the Factor One, Cervlo S5 and Colnago Y1Rs. Tyre clearance appears to be upped from the 31mm measured maximum of the current bike, but not to the same extreme as the prototype Orbea aero race bike we exclusively spotted on Friday. The bottom bracket shelf is likely there to improve airflow. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media The bottom bracket area has a similar shelf to the Orbea on the non-drive side, which we suspect is there to improve airflow along the chainstays and improve stiffness. Also asymmetrical are the fork dropouts on the drive side the zone is squared off to a point, while the brake side is narrower, with much of the real estate taken up by the thru-axle. The fork dropouts are distinctly different from one another. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media No official geometry figures have been published, but the downtube doesnt feature a cutout, suggesting the front wheel could be pushed further forward than some race bikes. This effective slackening of the front end might serve to ease the handling. This looks to be a new one-piece aero cockpit. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media The bike also features a new-looking cockpit. The current model has a down-kinking stem, but this one extends forward at a single angle. The tops are also notably broad. The hidden valve still takes a little getting used to to behold. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media Verchers bike is specced with a Newmen Streem A.49/A.54 Vonoa wheelset, featuring the brands hidden valve system. This takes the form of a smaller valve recessed inside of the rim, with access granted via an extension valve. Well bring official details of the new Cube Litening Aero C:68X when we have them.