Nacer Bouhanni and his Cofidis teammates are racing the new Orbea Orca Aero at the 2017 Tour de France - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The Orca Aero comes with Vision's integrated Vision Metron 5d bar/stem, but Bouhanni prefers this massive Metron Aero stem and a traditional bar - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
You can't tape up bars any further than that. The boxing glove, 'fight' and NB initials form Bouhanni's personal logo - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The rear-most button on the new Di2 levers are elongated enough that, on a compact bar, you can hit them with a slightly extended knuckle to shift while sprinting - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The Orca Aero has the integrated Di2 junction box we are seeing more and more - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
You know you're a French team leader when you don't even have a second cage on your bike. Note the plug in the upper boss - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Cofidis and Astana are both running a mix of FSA and Shimano components - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Prologo's Nago Evo features a few dozen tiny soft knobs - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Cofidis is the one team in the Tour on Kenda-branded tubulars. They are made by Veloflex - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The French sprinter boxed growing up and still trains in the ring in the off season. 'Fight' is part of both his personal logo and a marketing campaign of his bike sponsor Orbea ("Ride. Fight. Win."). And while that is all well and good, punching someone in a bike race is in fact not okay, and the Tour jury let him know with a small fine and one-minute penalty.
You can't tape up bars any further than that. The boxing glove, 'fight' and NB initials form Bouhanni's personal logo - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
At the Tour, Bouhanni is racing on a brand new Orbea Orca Aero, the first aero road machine from the Basque brand.
The Orca Aero, as the name implies, is an aerodynamically faster version of the longstanding Orca race bike, with elongated profiles on the down tube and seatpost, and a sculpted seat tube reminiscent of a Cervélo S5 or a Canyon Aeroad.
Cofidis is racing on a mix of FSA and Shimano components, with wheels and cockpit pieces from FSA sister-brand Vision.
You know you're a French team leader when you don't even have a second cage on your bike. Note the plug in the upper boss - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
But perhaps the most striking part of his bike is the one that isn't there; like Direct Energie's Thomas Voeckler, Bouhanni is racing with only a single bottle cage.
Click through the gallery above for a closer look at Bouhanni's Orbea Orca Aero, and and be sure to visit Cyclingnews.com for complete coverage of the 2017 Tour de France.
The Orca Aero has the integrated Di2 junction box we are seeing more and more - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
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
