Andre Greipel's Tour de France Ridley Noah SL
Situation normal for the German champ
This article originally appeared on BikeRadar
Despite his win at the German national championships, André Greipel has stuck with his normal team issue Ridley Noah for the opening stages of this year's Tour de France rather than riding a custom-painted model.
With a strong team dedicated to delivering Greipel to the line, it's likely that he didn't want to risk disrupting his fantastic form ahead of the world's most important race.
Well known for its extreme rigidity and aerodynamics, the Noah SL is a perfect machine for a rider of Greipel's impressive abilities. Other component choices also make it clear that this is a sprinter's bike – 54-tooth chainrings, for instance, are rarely used on road bikes by anyone but the fastest of finishers.
Deda's oversized 35 bars, with a 35mm diameter instead of industry-standard 32, and matching stem are extra stiff. Greipel also uses the strongest spring possible in his LOOK Keo Blade 2 Ti pedals, rated a 20, in lieu of the 12 or 16 options.
With Greipel, his compatriot Kittel, Peter Sagan, Mark Cavendish and other fast men all in attendance at this year's Tour, only time will tell if Lotto-Soudal's finisher will do so with his arms raised in victory. But Greipel clearly has a bike that's up to the task.
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