Where fevered anticipation and expectation once stood, all 21 stages of the Tour de France have now been coloured by the livery of the riders who crossed their lines first. Fifteen individual riders took the top step of the podium during the three-week race, demonstrating immense power and passion to overcome their rivals. Of course, with every rider comes their all-important bike, without which they’d have no hope of glory! Here are just some of the “winningest†bikes of the Tour de France 2017.
Specialized Venge
If the Tour had finished after the 11th stage, then the runaway winner would have been the Specialized Venge, having beaten its rivals over the line for the sixth time in just ten road stages. Peter Sagan was the first to soar to victory on stage 3, even after pulling his foot out of the pedal with a little over 100m to go. At Quick-Step Floors, Marcel Kittel had his best Tour to date, scooping five stage wins, his fearsome form too much for nearly all his fellow sprinters. You too can get your hands on the Tour-proven pedigree of the S-Works Venge frame and see your personal records tumble before you.
Giant TCR
Two of the standout riders of the Tour could be found not only on the same bus, but in the same hotel room. Both Warren Barguil and Michael Matthews endured bad luck at the race before Barguil took his first victory in the polkadot jersey and Matthews snatched his own win just 24 hours later. A second stage each in the last week, and the inheritance of the green jersey for Matthews, culminated in a race to remember for the Sunweb team and the Giant TCR which are both enjoying a stellar season. Check out this exemplary all-rounder, Giro-winner, stage hunter, for yourself:
Cannondale SuperSix Evo
If you found yourself successfully wooed by the passion, enthusiasm and broad grins of the Sunweb team, then you’ll likely also have found yourself falling for Cannondale-Drapac. So far this season, they have successfully chased away the demons of years gone by, winning their first WorldTour race in two years at the Tour of California and then doing it again, and again! Rigoberto Uran was their chosen son at the Tour de France and the team surprised everyone by putting him in second place on the final podium in Paris, claiming a heroic stage win along the way. The super-light Cannondale SuperSix Evo was the machine of choice, proving perfect for big days in the mountains and long days in the breakaway.
Trek Emonda
The Trek-Segafredo team arrived in France set on supporting Alberto Contador in his yellow jersey challenge. Ultimately, misfortune in the early mountain stages all but ruled out an assault on the podium, but in true Contador style, this released the attacking vigour we have come to expect and admire. It also meant that some of his teammates were allowed the freedom to hunt down their own prize. Though he already had one grand tour in his legs, Bauke Mollema was clearly lacking in neither power nor race craft. His win into Le Puy-en-Velay on his new Trek Emonda was one of the more dominant victories of the Tour after he surged off the front of the breakaway to solo across the line.
Only poor workmen blame their tools, but a cyclist is nothing without their bike. Any one of the models above will inspire a renewed enthusiasm in their owner, and though they may not carry you to Tour de France glory any time soon, their proven racing prowess and stories to be told will help you to ride harder, faster and longer than ever before.
Image - Bettiniphoto
