Pro gear to combat the cobbles and weather of Flanders
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Jempy Drucker's (BMC Racing) BMC Teammachine SLR01 for the 2018 Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
World champion Peter Sagan aboard his new Sagan Collection S-Works Tarmac(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The riders lined up ahead of the 2018 Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The majority of Quick-Step Floors and Bora-Hansgrohe used Specialized's S-Works Hell of the North cobble-specific tyres(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Quick-Step Floors and Bora-Hansgrohe are also using the new power meter from Specialized in 2018(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Philippe Gilbert shows off the new S-Works Evade helmet(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Peter Sagan raced aboard an S-Works Tarmac SL6 in the new Sagan Collection colours while his spare bike was in the Sagan Superstar finish(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Greg Van Avermaet aboard his custom BMC Teammachine SLR01 in the Grote Markt, Antwerp(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-Scott) was the only rider on the team aboard a Scott Addict as opposed to the Paris-Roubaix winning Scott Foil(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Mitchelton-Scott mechanics double-layered the course notes, allowing riders to peel away the first half of the notes once completed(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Like all the BMC Racing riders, Drucker's Teammachine was equipped with a Shimano R9100-P power meter(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Drucker's dog Elvis features on the customised shoes(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Spare wheels at the ready for Quick-Step Floors(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Philippe Gilbert uses a relatively old Specialized Chicane saddle(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Quick-Step Floors have added 'The Wolfpack' branding to their team for 2018 to invoke team spirit amongst the riders and fans(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Philippe Gilbert's (Quick-Step Floors) Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL6 for the 2018 Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Julien Vermote opted to race aboard a Cervelo R5(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Ryan Gibbons raced aboard the Cervelo R3(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Rotor provide the South African team with cranksets and power meters(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Hidden underneath his race notes, Ryan Gibbons used the new Enve Aero SES carbon stem(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
John Degenkolb's spare Trek Madone atop one of the Trek-Segafredo team cars(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Jasper Stuyven had the new Shimano Ultegra RX clutch rear derailleur on his spare Trek Domane(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The clutch derailleur can be switched on or off to engage the derailleur over cobbles and reduce chain movement and disengaged on flatter surfaces to reduce friction(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
What integrated aero cockpits lack in comfort, they make up for in real estate for course notes(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Trek-Segafredo mechanics double check tyre pressures before race sign on(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
A closer look at the file tread tyre pattern and new Bontrager Aeolus XXX 6 wheels(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Bontrager's new XXX handlebars have IsoCore internals to dampen vibrations and a deeper curve on the drops, which Trek say their team riders prefer(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
John Degenkolb takes advantage of the new Bontrager handlebars as opposed to the integrated aero cockpit that usually features on the Madone framesets(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Davide Cimolai (Groupama-FDJ) adds grip tape to his seat rails to prevent any slipping on the cobbles(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Team Dimension Data raced on a mix of Cervelo R3, R5 and and S5 framesets(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
A closer look at the Muc-Off C3 ceramic chain lube(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
ENVE provide Team Dimension Data with the majority of their finishing kit, as well as wheels(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Team Dimension Data added a touch of motivation to their rider's top tubes(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij race aboard Isaac framesets equipped with FFWD wheels and Ritchey finishing kit(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Sometimes simpler is better(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The Dutch Pro Continental outfit use Vredstein tyres(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
A double-column, two-coloured appraoch for the EF-Drapac course notes(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Sep Vanmarcke was running Vittoria Corsa Control 28mm tubulars for the race(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Vanmarcke's mechanics removed the Dutchman's power meter with only a few minutes before the race began in an attempt to get bike weight down. The decision brought the bike weight down to 6.81kg(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Sebastian Langeveld's Cannondale was equipped with a Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 series front derailleur(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Sep Vanmarcke rides a size 58 Cannondale SuperSix(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Sep Vanmarcke's (EF-Drapac) Cannondal SuperSix for the 2018 Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
A Dimension Data mechanic applies the course notes ahead of race sign on(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Team Dimension Data are using Astute saddles for 2018(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Niki Terpstra - the race winner - wears leg warmers cut just above the knee for some extra warmth on the thighs(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Zdenek Stybar (Quick Step-Floors) was also wearing plenty of layers at the race start in the national champion colours of the Czech Republic(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Michal Kwiatkowski adds another layer at the startline(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Kwiatkowski has his Castelli toe covers labelled up(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Sep Vanmarcke was also wearing the new POC Ventral helmet(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Vincenzo Nibali at the startline of the 2018 Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Some of the Dimension Data Cervelos had their gold KMC chains coated with Muc-Off's C3 wet ceramic chain lube(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) was wrapped up with plenty of layers at the start of the race and stripped down as the kilometers ticked by(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Wout Van Aert has customised bidons commemorating his cyclocross world championship title(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Mitch Docker of EF Education First-Drapac shows off the new POC Ventral semi-aero helmet(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Christian Knees asked his Team Sky mechanic to reallign his stem after signing on before the race(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Team Sky's Castelli rain jackets have extended rear flaps for additional coverage of the rear(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Wout Van Aert's Veranda's Willems-Crelan team use Schwalbe G-One tyres(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Wout Van Aert's (Veranda's Willems-Crelan) Stevens Xenon for the 2018 Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Vital Concept Cycling Club raced exclusively on Orbea Orcas for the race(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
One of the EF Education First-Drapac team cars was an all-electric Tesla(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Groupama-FDJ used a mix of Lapierre Aircode and Xelius framesets(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Michael Valgren's (Astana) Argon 18 Gallium Pro for the 2018 Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Michal Kwiatkowski's spare bike was equipped with a Shimano power meter(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Filippo Ganna (UAE Team Emirates), who made it into the race's breakaway, raced aboard the new Colnago C64 frameset(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Ben Swift (UAE Team Emirates) went for a more rustic approach to the course notes(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Easily identifiable bottles for Ben Swift. Different riders will usually have different nutrition mixes dependant on physique or metabolism(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Guillaume Van Keirsbulck split the hellingen and the kassien on his top tube and stem respectively(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Only minutes from the race start, Van Keirsbulck didn't have any pedals attached to his bike(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Alexander Kristoff's (UAE Team Emirates) Colnago V2-R in European champion colours for the 2018 Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic use a hybrid drivetrain consisting of a Shimano Dura-Ace front derailleur, Shimano Ultegra rear derailleur, cassette and chain, and a Rotor crankset(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Mitchelton-Scott had a mix of FMB and different Continental tubular tyres(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
A Groupama-FDJ mechanic applies a waxy chain lube by hand to a riders bike at the race start(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Movistar Team riders raced the Tour of Flanders aboard both the Canyon Aeroad and Ultimate framesets(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Jorge Arcas (Movistar) customises his Fizik saddle to reduce any movement on the saddle(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
One of the Movistar riders' race notes(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Interestingly, Nibali opted for a mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace drivetrain(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Team Sky had a mix of Stages and Shimano power meters for the race(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
The Pinarello Dogma K10's Dogma Suspension System can increase compliance through remotely to suit the varied terrain of the cobbled Classics(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
A few WorldTour teams switch to Elite Ciussi bottle cages for the rough cobbled terrain(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
UCI staff were at the race start checking bikes for technological fraud(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Bahrain-Merida were another team to use electronic tyre pumps(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
25 Continental Competition RBX tubulars were used by several teams for the 2018 Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Sonny Colbrelli double checks his tyre pressures with a mechanic after sign on(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
All of the Bahrain-Merida team used Merida Reactos except for Vincenzo Nibali, who opted to race on a Merida Scultura(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Several riders in the race were equipped with live data transponders, to give an insight into speed, cadence or power(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Vincenzo Nibali's (Bahrain-Merida) Merida Scultura for the 2018 Tour of Flanders(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
While other teams opt for electric pumps and digital pressure gauges, Lotto-Soudal use a traditional track pump and analog pressure gauge (Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Each Lotto-Soudal chain was generously lubricated ahead of the race start(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
One of the top tube course notes for a Lotto-Soudal rider(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Marcel Sieberg is one of several Lotto-Soudal riders to affix a strip of handlebar tape on his pedals for some extra comfort(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
Oliver Naesen's used a CermaicSpeed UFO chain in a colour-coordinated yellow finish for the Belgian national champion(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
French Pro Continental outfit have switched from Orbea to Kuota bikes for the 2018 season(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
A LottoNL-Jumbo rider opts to run handlebar tape to the centre of the Vision Metron 5D aero handlebars(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
A close look at the outer tread pattern on LottoNL-Jumbo's Vittoria tubular tyres(Image credit: Josh Evans / Immediate Media)
