A new Bianchi, a special bike for Evenepoel, and a reluctance to adopt aero cockpits
(Image credit: CAuldPhoto)
Sure, the Vuelta a España is serving up a fascinating battle, as it does every year, thanks to being a mix of the pinnacle of some rider's season, and a last chance saloon for grand tour riders who had other duties at the Tour de France or the Giro d'Italia. Jumbo-Visma rocked up with three leaders, and at the time of writing are leading the race with Sepp Kuss, and Soudal-Quickstep are bravely fighting to try and wrestle the red jersey for themselves with Remco Evenepoel, at once a time trial specialist, classics prodigy, week-long stage racer and grand tour specialist.
With this as a backdrop it's easy to miss the new tech that has, as usual, flown slightly under the radar. The Tour de France, and the races leading up to it like the Critérium du Dauphiné, tend to hoover up the lion's share of the new tech releases, as it's the shining beacon in the sports calendar and so ensures maximum coverage. The problem is that there are so many new releases it all becomes a bit of a noisy landscape, so some brands sensibly opt to trickle new things into the final grand tour of the year. At the Vuelta, we've spotted, amongst other things, a brand new Bianchi between the legs of Arkea-Samsic's Kévin Vauquelin, a fresh new lack-of-paint paintjob for Remco Evenepoel's new Specialized Tarmac SL8, and a number of pros opting for classic round bars despite the aero drawbacks.
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Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. There are very few types of cycling he's not dabbled in, and he has a particular affection for older bikes and long lasting components. Road riding was his first love, before graduating to racing CX in Yorkshire. He's been touring on a vintage tandem all the way through to fixed gear gravel riding and MTB too. When he's not out riding one of his many bikes he can usually be found in the garage tinkering with another of them, or getting obsessive about tyres. Also, as he doesn't use Zwift, he's our go-to guy for bad weather testing... bless him.
Rides: Custom Zetland Audax, Bowman Palace:R, Peugeot Grand Tourisme Tandem, Falcon Explorer Tracklocross, Fairlight Secan & Strael