Lars Boom's chain with a healthy coating of race-day wax - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
While the rest of his Astana teammates used standard chain lube, Boom's white chain stood out - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Some Astana riders had Specialized-branded tubulars. Others had these, likely FMBs - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
What is the wax formula? "It is a special secret," a mechanic told us - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Tire pressure is obsessed about before the race - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
On many teams, each rider has a specific front and rear pressure - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Saddle choice is always a matter of personal preference, but the cobblestones accentuate this - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Riders cannot ride a non-sponsor-correct frame, of course, but saddles can be another matter - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Wanty-Groupe Gobert rode the Tour of Flanders in memory of their late teammate Antoine Demoitié - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Not everyone uses a Garmin or an SRM head unit, you know - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Fizik's relatively new line of anatomic-channel saddles is becoming popular in the peloton, as is the Specialized Power saddle - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Continental is the most-used tubular in the pro peloton now, with 10 Flanders teams aboard the German brand's rubber - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The 11-28 cassette is a common sight at the Tour of Flanders. The cobbled hills aren't long, but they are steep and narrow - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
There are a few different ways to wrap around or over a Shimano Di2 sprint shifter - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Some mechanics make a small cut in the tape, others just wrap tightly around the shifter - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
An example of the small-hole method - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
At Etixx, Stijn Vandenbergh runs sprint shifters with spliced cables up to his stem, making for a much smaller option than Shimano's substantial climbing switch - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Vandenbergh and Etixx teammate Matteo Trentini opted for 28mm tubulars; the rest of the team used 26 - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Tom Boonen runs his bar tape right up against the stem - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Supacaz handlebar tape is the company of Anthony Sinyard, son of Specialized founder Mike Sinyard - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Boonen was the one Etixx rider aboard a Specialized Roubaix; the rest rode Tarmacs - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Is there water or sports drink in here? Sometimes the simplest marking solutions are the best - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Most AG2R bikes have SRAM's wireless eTap drivetrain, but the odd mechanical group can be spotted now and again - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Giant-Alpecin riders have two ways to run the climbing switch shifter - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Some like to shift with their thumb, others with their forefinger - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
With 28mm tubulars, Giant-Alpecin set most pressures around 5.5bar / 80psi - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Fabian Cancellara is riding a new Trek Domane that Trek still isn't talking about - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Scarface intended to go out shooting at his last Tour of Flanders - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The split down tube of the new Trek Domane - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
A little cobble detail on the back of the Domane down tube - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The segmented head tube/top tube junction is most curious - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Speculation is rife that this part could house some sort of vibration-damping technology, similar to the IsoSpeed Decoupler at the rear of the frame - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Team Sky started the Tour of Flanders on two bikes: the Dogma F8 and the not-yet-announced K8 - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The K8 is similar to the K8-S bike that was launched at last year's Tour of Flanders with one key difference: no rear elastomer suspension - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The K8 has the same flattened chainstays as the K8-S - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sky goes a step beyond cutting out the race bible's list of cobble sectors and taping it to the top tube - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
There would likely be some big numbers recorded in this Garmin by day's end - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The race number sits where the K8-S's elastomer suspension would be — Team Sky riders liked the suspension when seated but disliked it when out of the saddle, so it was removed - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Michal Kwiatkowski doesn't like a baggy chain, evidently - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Kwiatkowski's computer - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Dimension Data's Tyler Farrar lays out the day's expectation - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Dimension Data is running Rotor's new 2INpower - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Orica-Greenedge has a mix of integrated Scott Foil stems and standard options - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Shimano neutral support for the Tour of Flanders had a token set of disc wheels on each car — but with 140mm rotors, not the 160mm version Lampre-Merida used - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Shimano is happy to help Look riders, too - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
While new school technologies abound, sometimes the tried-and-true is just fine - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Rotor size remains a debated subject in the pro peloton - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Although the Tour of Flanders is steeped in history and tradition, there is always room for new things. At the 100th running of the Ronde van Vlaanderen, unreleased Trek and Pinarello bikes were raced alongside an entire fleet of Merida Scultura Disc machines, and waxed chains were spun through electronic and mechanical drivetrains alike.
Click through the sizable gallery above for a close look at the Pinarello K8, the new Trek Domane, the specific tubular pressure methodology of a few teams, riders’ saddle preferences and much, much more.
Be sure to check out Cyclingnews.com for complete coverage of the 100th Tour of Flanders.
On many teams, each rider has a specific front and rear pressure: on many teams, each rider has a specific front and rear pressure
Air pressure is specified for each Astana rider, front and back. Pressures across the team were set between 5.2-6.2bar / 75-87psi, with the tubulars expected to soften a bit after a few hours of racing before the riders hit the cobbles
Ben Delaney is a journalist with more than two decades of experience writing for and editing some of the biggest publications in cycling. Having studied journalism at the University of New Mexico, Ben has worked for Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, VeloNews and BikeRadar. He has also previously worked as Global Brand Communications Manager for Specialized. Ben covers all things road and gravel, and can be found logging big miles in the Rocky Mountains that nestle alongside his home in Boulder, Colorado. He has covered the most important bike races in the sport, from the Tour de France and Tour of Flanders, to the Unbound gravel race, and specialises in tech content, showcasing what the pros are riding and putting everyday equipment through its paces.
This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
