Alexander Kristoff's Tour de France Canyon Aeroad CF SLX

Alexander Kristoff's Tour de France Canyon Aeroad CF SLX

The Norwegian champ's German race rocket

Alexander Kristoff's Norwegian-champ Canyon Aeroad CF SLX

Nick Legan / Immediate Media

Ben Delaney

Published: July 13, 2016 at 6:06 pm
Alexander Kristoff's Norwegian-champ Canyon Aeroad CF SLX - Nick Legan / Immediate Media
Every rider at the Tour has a GPS transponder - Nick Legan / Immediate Media
If you win a national championship you can probably get your own saddle, too - Nick Legan / Immediate Media
SRAM sponsors Katusha, but doesn't yet make a direct-mount brake, which the Aeroad requires, so the team uses unbranded Dura-Ace calipers instead - Nick Legan / Immediate Media
The Aeroad's integrated stem/bar looks better with this purpose-built computer mount than rubber bands around the stem - Nick Legan / Immediate Media
Katusha and AG2R-La Mondiale are the two teams using SRAM Red eTap at the 2016 Tour de France - Nick Legan / Immediate Media
Zipp 404 Firestrikes have an etched brake surface for improved braking - Nick Legan / Immediate Media

Team Katusha's Alexander Kristoff won the Tour de France field sprint on stage 11 behind the highly unusual configuration of the yellow jersey (Chris Froome), the green jersey (Peter Sagan) and the green jersey's teammate (Maciej Bodnar) who went clear with Froome's teammate Geraint Thomas with 12km to go in the windy stage. As Kristoff continues his hunt for a stage win, we take a look at the current version of his trusty Canyon Aeroad CF SLX.

While some riders switch bikes to fit the stage — a cobbles bike for Paris-Roubaix, an aero bike for the flat stages, a lightweight bike for the mountains — Kristoff goes all aero, all the time. The bike he is racing at the Tour is quite similar to what he used at the cobbled classics of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

Kristoff and his Russian team raced on Shimano's Dura-Ace Di2 last year, but this year Katusha has SRAM's new wireless Red eTap group. Despite the change from Shimano to SRAM, Shimano direct-mount calipers remain (albeit unbranded), for a simple reason: SRAM doesn't yet make direct-mount brakes, which the Canyon frame requires.

SRAM sponsors Katusha, but doesn't yet make a direct-mount brake, which the Aeroad requires, so the team uses unbranded Dura-Ace calipers instead: SRAM sponsors Katusha, but doesn't yet make a direct-mount brake, which the Aeroad requires, so the team uses unbranded Dura-Ace calipers instead - Nick Legan / Immediate Media

The other unbranded piece of kit is the nearly solid Rotor chainring, which Kristoff and his teammates have been using off and on this season.

Check out the gallery above for a closer look at Kristoff's Aeroad CF SLX, and be sure to visit Cyclingnews for complete coverage of the 2016 Tour de France.

Ben Delaney

Contributor

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.
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