Ordinarily, the Mallorca Challenge, a series of one-day races on the popular island, wouldn't garner as much attention as it has this year, or perhaps even this team roster. This year, however, the race organisers played a blinder by adding a team time trial into the mix to tempt the top-tier teams into an early dress rehearsal for stage one of the Tour de France.
While the first day of racing was a total washout, day two's TTT was dry, though still very windy, and unsurprisingly victory was hoovered up by Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, giving superstar signing Remco Evenepoel his first race of the season and an impressive (albeit statistically insignificant) 100% win rate.
Let’s start on day one of the race series, in the rain, with Remco Evenepoel’s new gold bike… or at least partially gold.
He still gets his gold K-Edge computer mount.
And a gold ‘Remco’ signature on the top tube.
But the overall feel of his bike is much more in line with the rest of the team's machines. Maybe I’m reading too much into some paint, but it’s certainly different to his Soudal-QuickStep machine and how that stood out from the pack.
I can't lie, in the rain the paint looked fantastic.
The EF riders were about an unreleased new version of the Cannondale SuperSix Evo, though it is extremely similar at first glance.
These Continental Archetype tyres came out for the Tour de France last year, for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, but now they're being seen elsewhere, like on this Movistar bike.
The UAE team bikes, meanwhile, were sporting the Enve Pro wheels, with silver spokes and hubs.
Clemént Venturini of Unibet Rose Rockets was sporting a different rain jacket from his teammates to deal with the deluge. It looks to be an old Shakedry, still in use despite the fraying pockets.
These Kern Pharma shorts look to have Dyneema threads for abrasion resistance on the sides and hips.
The Unibet paint is certainly going to turn heads.
Don’t be fooled by the Rose logo on the downtube, this is a Ridley Dean Fast. Rose, bike supplier to the team this year, has a licensing agreement with the Belgian brand, and Unibet aren't the only squad on Deans at this race.
You’ve got to love the attention to detail in the branding.
Not content with riding an unreleased bike in the mass start races, EF were also aboard what appeared to be an unreleased prototype version of the Cannondale SuperSlice.
The form is similar to the old version, but this headtube-top tube sweep is more organic, and dare I say Dean-esque.
EF is sponsored by Muc-Off, which supplies pink valves for the team's wheels (along with tyre goop). I admire the commitment to sponsor correctness in fitting a pink valve that’ll be covered up completely. I guess it paid off, as here it is in the gallery…
Gold pen makes sure the saddle position is just so after transport and servicing.
Shorter cranks are a growing trend, but there are still plenty of 172.5mm sets on show here at EF.
These Elite Leggero Carbon superlight bottle cages are becoming the new standard for Elite-sponsored teams - which is a lot of them.
The new SuperSlice cockpits were finished with Leap grips.
Here are those pink valves again, fitted to monstrously deep Vision front wheels.
Or at least, they’re stickered up with Vision logos. The hubs look like Visions, but I can’t find a Metron this deep with these logos online. Astana were rocking some badged ‘SL91’, so I suspect it’s these; a new model if so.
The bottom bracket isn’t crazy high like some TT bikes nowadays.
Some team bikes had old-school SRAM blip setups clamped onto their tri bar extensions.
While others had them mounted on these neat, aero Leap Blip covers.
While black is undoubtedly lighter, it does strike me as a shame for such a large canvas to go unpainted.
A central strut holds up the Vision TT extension bars.
The Cannondale fork blades make the super deep wheels look somewhat proportional.
How does it feel sitting behind Remco in a TT, Nico?
Given that Evenepoel is the current Belgian, European, World, and Olympic TT champion, it’s a minor miracle his TT bike is so toned down.
Unlike on the road, his bike stands out from the plain black Shiv TT machines of his teammates.
Sixty eight teeth. Count them if you like.
The rainbow stripes are confined to the seat tube and inside the fork legs.
A gold K-Edge chain keeper matches his road computer mount.
His bike was also sporting these Leap grips for a very smooth transition from brakes to base bar.
The riders, presumably for better vision in the wheels, had more upright positions in the TTT, but some still sported the cutout visors, allowing them to get even lower when their turn on the front came.
Custom branded Puma trainers. Respect the drip.
The commissaires were out in force, armed with callipers. Given this tyre was a 25mm tubular (I think), I’m not sure it's likely to be troubling the maximum wheel-tyre diameter rule anytime soon…
Yes, that’s right, those are rim brakes. One stone and it’s all over though… talk about tight clearances!
Not only were the Petrolike team sporting rim brakes, but tubular tyres; a delightful throwback.
I don’t think they were ever going to challenge for the win, so one can forgive this distinctly un-aero computer mounting.
The ‘tunnel of team bikes’ photo is a terrible cliché, so for that I apologise, but one of the X-Labs is not like the others.
This black bike is the same as the others in form, and given the parcours was totally flat for the race, there’s no real advantage in spending hours sanding paint down to raw carbon, so I suspect this is a different layup, given XDS is the team sponsor and direct manufacturer of a great many bike frames for other brands too.
Here are those whopping Metron 91SL wheels again. It was a windy day to be rolling with such a deep front wheel.
This Vision rear disc, as with most of the team bikes, is an old rim brake disc with a disc brake hub rebuilt into it.
Other bikes were seen sporting this newer model, which is effectively a 40mm deep Vision rim with a skin over the top. It’s wider, but I was told the riders preferred the all-carbon monocoque option as it’s stiffer.
The Prologo Predator TT saddle will set you back (no, this isn’t a joke) €1,250.
I’m unsure who manufactures this chainring. It has no distinctive markings on it that I could see.
Right, let’s play 'What bike is this?'... I’ve not seen a port on the rear side of the head tube before.
Aero pulley wheel covers were on it, but that doesn’t narrow things down much.
I also can’t recall seeing a junction box up here, in the wind, before.
It’s an Aurum, and not a prototype either… but Aurum doesn’t make a time trial bike. According to the UCI codes, it’s an ‘Aurum Chrono Disco’. Whether it’ll be released or not remains to be seen, but Aurum is a small brand and developing a time trial bike is quite the undertaking financially.
It’s quite an unassuming machine, but it bears a passing resemblance to the SuperSlice in some ways.
When stock risers aren’t enough, aluminium comes into play.
The Polti - Visit Malta squad are also rolling on Scope wheels on the road, though it looks like it's using Enve discs and an unbadged front for the TT.
The Artech wheels have an unmistakable fish scale texture, and test very fast in our own wind tunnel testing.
Enric Mas’ extensions had full-length towelling lining them.
I know it’s not the drive side, but this De Rosa was a looker.
I know you’ve got to keep the sponsors happy, but keeping this dangly thing on the Selle SMP saddle is silly for a time trial.
Shorter cranks - 170mm - but nothing crazy at Uno-X.
The team was using the Ridley Dean, but badged up properly this time.
It’s mad how fast time trial tech has moved. The Overton window of crazy helmets has shifted so much that these Sweet Protection lids, previously extremely outlandish, look normal now. -
Two screws in these Deda base bars allow plenty of angle adjustment within the available range.
Curiously the team was using the Continental Aero 111 front tyre on their road bikes….
…but not on their TT bikes. My suspicion is that the benefit of it is in better crosswind stability, which is somewhat overpowered by the much greater side area of a TT bike, meaning they may as well fit a lower rolling resistance model.
Another Ridley Dean, rebadged. Eddy Merckx is owned by the same parent company though.
This Fast Forward wheel was the shallowest front I saw all day. Safety first!
Most teams were using either tubeless, or latex tubes, but the Baloise squad was on TPU tubes.
Another new bike! What is this, the Dauphiné?!
We are now officially in the era of W I D E B I K E S. This new BMC was hiding in the Tudor paddock.
These extensions are so tall and really rather graceful. A far cry from the ‘lower is faster’ mantra of old.
The outward curve of the struts must be to allow more air to pass cleanly underneath the rider’s body.
I respect the fact the mechanics gave the race chip holder a black innertube to match the bike.
We also appear to be entering an era of fully integrated front ends. No adjustable base bars, just fully moulded carbon.
The SRAM controls flow well into the base bar, but I could see the junction being smoothed with tape in time.
The rear stays are hugely wide-set.
The front end tubing, like the rear, is blade-like.
It’s a mad looking bike, but my favourite detail was this cover over what I assume is the seat wedge bolt. It’s 3D printed, and I assume smoothes the flow of air at the near-right angle junction between top tube and seat post.
The Cubes of Total Energies had a strut to the rear of the head tube.
All the bikes appeared to have their saddles slammed very far back.
Quite unusual to see a double chainset for a flat TT nowadays. 170mm cranks, too.
As Shimano doesn’t make giant 1x chainrings, teams appear to be at liberty now to go aftermarket.
The seat cluster is a whopping piece of carbon.
The Cube is a dual-purpose bike, also catering to triathlon riders who often run snack pouches on the top tube. Here, the bosses are blanked out for a small gain.
The team’s Newmen wheels also feature hidden valves for an aero boost up front.
Unused bosses on the seat tubes were also taped over.
With so many bikes now using proprietary TT bottles, it’s novel to see round ones in use still.
UAE have an aero bottom bracket with a smooth non-driveside shell as part of their sponsorship equipment (no, really), but it seems they opted to not fit it to a single bike, road or TT, that I could see.
These larger CarbonTi chainrings are skeletal, with an outer carbon facade.
Very deep - 80mm or so - Enve Pro front wheels.
Lotto - Intermarché had 3D printed titanium handholds on their TT extensions.
The team is sponsored by OQUO wheels, so used its wheels up front… -
… but not at the back, as OQUO doesn’t make a disc.
The Euskatel squad had road bikes atop the cars kitted out with No Limited wheels, a relatively new brand from Poland.
Merida neutral service bikes weren't fitted with dropper posts, but just had an allen key jammed in the seat clamp of every bike. I hope they stayed in…
Mechanical Ultegra… now there’s a blast from the past.
This may be lost on some of our European readers, but to a great many of us, this bike will simply make us think of getting vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella.
Some of the Giant Trinity bikes of Jayco - AlUla had patches of carbon weave applied behind the seat tube, but not all of them.
Most riders opted for a standard, deep front wheel, but one was brave enough for the quad-spoke.
Nothing techy here really, just some really lovely paintwork to finish on.
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