It only feels like yesterday that we were bringing you tech content from Paris-Roubaix, but the Tour de France is officially upon us and I've been in Florence for three days, racing from team hotel to team hotel, much like the Netflix crew I bumped into on Thursday who were fitting GoPros to a dozen teams's cars. I won't list them all, but some of the highlights include the UAE hotel, where I saw Tadej Pogačar's Colnago V4Rs with a few new techy tricks hidden in plain sight; the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale hotel, where an all-new Van Rysel aero bike was spotted, of which there are a handful of close-up detail shots below. I also went to Visma-Lease a Bike, where I got a look inside their controversial new 'Control Room' , as well as a closer look at Jonas Vingegaard's bike.
That too had some tricks up its sleeve, but they were hidden. You'll have to read on to find out what they were. I also spent time at Team DSM-Firmenich-PostNL, where I got a look at their new race radios, which are mounted inside their time trial helmets, rather than in a pocket on their back.
Thursday night played host to the Teams' Presentation at the Pallazo Vecchio in the centre of Florence. In the large quarters behind the First Courtyard, within the Pallazo itself, each of the teams' bikes were stored, waiting for the riders to do their lap of the city centre. I spent most of my evening there - a bike nerd's heaven - getting up close with the bikes.
All in, I took well over a thousand photos and na.
