Shimano 105 and rainbow wheels spotted at Argentina's premier race
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Omar Mendoza of Colombian team Medellin-Inder races aboard a Berria BR(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
UAE Team Emirates are one of just two WorldTour teams who use Campagnolo drivetrains(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
A closer look at the Shimano 105 drivetrain(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Medllin-Inder pair their Berria bikes with Vittoria wheel and tyre combinations(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Berria bikes was founded by former pro David Vitoria, who raced for the iconic Rock Racing team and BMC Racing(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Oscar Sevilla has a custom painted Berria(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
The Berria BR features direct mount TRP brakes(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
While Bianchi's Oltre XR4 is raced at the WorldTour level by LottoNL-Jumbo, earlier models of Bianchi's frameset are still being raced on at the top level in South America(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
United Healthcare Pro Cycling race aboard Orbea Orca's with full Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 groupsets(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
The majority of the Movistar Team raced aboard Canyon Ultimate framesets over the Aeroad model(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Stage 3's individual time trial resulted in road bikes being converted into time trial machines for the stage(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Bora-Hansgrohe mechanics work on the team's Specialized Tarmacs(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Lluis Mas' of Caja Rural's De Rosa Protone(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Riders from the Argentina national team warm up ahead of the time trial (Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Daniel Zamora's Colner Calypso(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Movistar's hybrid road/time trial set up ahead of stage 3's time trial(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Remi Cavagna of Quick-Step Floors wears an ice vest ahead of the time trial in an attempt to keep his core temperature down(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
While Shimano Dura-Ace is de rigour in the WorldTour peloton, plenty of Pro Continental teams use Ultegra and 105 still clearly has acceptable performance(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Mauricio Knapp of the Brazil national squad shows off his machine(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
UAE Team Emirates can race on Colnago's C60, Concept or V2-R models(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Israel Cycling Academy have distinctive blue metallic flecks on their De Rosa framesets(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Gold KMC chains also catch the eye on the Israel Cycling Academy De Rosas(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Caja Rural riders in discussion ahead of the race(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Greg LeMond won the Tour de France aboard a Bottechia, now Androni-Sidermec-Bottechia race them at the Pro Continental level(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Bottechia bikes have a long, Italian heritage(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Trek-Segafredo use the Trek Madone as the team's aero option(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Peter Stetina represents his home state of California on the top tube of his Madone(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Sindicato Empleados Publicos of San Juan had some special wheels for the race(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Along with the colourful wheel decals, the Dynatek frames also caught the eye(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Gaston Javier of Sindicato Empleados Publicos of San Juan raced aboard an CKT 398(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Dullio Ramos of the Argentina national team races on the lesser know Drag Bluebird(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
The Bluebird is Drag's aero offering and has similar design features to more well known aero models(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Dayer Quintana's Canyon Ultimate CF SLX in the eye-catching Movistar Team colours(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Brazil also had a national team at the race(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
One of the riders raced with a 55-tooth outer chainring from ROTOR(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
You could be forgiven for thinking the new Merida Reacto was a time trial bike in its own right(Image credit: Pat Malach/Immediate Media)
Seven WorldTour teams made the journey to South America, and while Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) abandoned ahead of stage 1 with illness, Darwin Atapuma (UAE Team Emirates), Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal), Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors), Rafal Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Jarlinson Pantano (Trek-Segafredo) all tested their legs and showed off their new 2018 kit.
With the WorldTour having started in Australia, much of the 2018 WorldTour tech has already been documented. Alongside the more common tech, however, the Vuelta a San Juan showcased bikes from the lower-league South American teams, as well as rising stars from the continent representing their country in their national colours.
Shimano's dominance in the WorldTour sees 16 of the 18 WorldTour teams using at least some of the Japanese component giant's parts, and thus a sea of black, shiny Dura-Ace R9100 series drivetrains. Mauricio Knapp, representing the Brazil national squad at the race, continues the Shimano trend. However, while his colleagues at the race equip their bikes with Shimano's flagship Dura-Ace groupsets, Knapp runs the budget-friendly 105 groupset.
Stage 3 of the race was a 14.4km individual time trial and with many teams travelling from Europe to the race, regular road bikes were used in conjunction with time trial wheelsets and aero helmets.
Click or swipe through the gallery above to see the tech on show in Argentina.
