Race leader Tejay van Garderen raced the uphill stage 5 time trial at the USA Pro Challenge on his BMC TM01 timemachine - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
Like all BMC bikes, Tejay van Garderen's machine got a thorough clean and polish before the stage - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
BMC mechanic Aaron Fairley spent a number of minutes going over an already very clean bike - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
Acetone is kept on hand for the particularly sticky clean-ups (read: sweat and sports drink) and Motorex polish keeps things shiny - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
Motorex isn't a team sponsor, but BMC goes through so much lube and polish that mechanics sometimes pick up supplies on the road. A silicone lube was applied prior to the dry time trial start - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
While some pro gear is quite expensive, sometimes the simplest solutions are the best, like this duct tape holding on a magnet - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
Tejay van Garderen has a custom-molded stem/aero bar from 3T. While most of the team rides stock bars, top riders such as Cadel Evans and Taylor Phinney get this custom job - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
The custom 3T bar is drilled to hold the Di2 interface - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
You won't find this Di2 configuration on a stock bike - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
Tejay van Garderen's custom bar isn't so much low as it is extremely narrow - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
Tejay van Garderen is hoping for a home win in Colorado's USA Pro Challenge - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
Elite's aero bottle requires a dedicated cage - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
While some riders have opted for saddles with dramatic cutouts for time trials, Tejay van Garderen rides a standard Fi'zi:k Arione - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
Stage 5 of the USA Pro Challenge was a time trial, and uphill, so Tejay van Garderen ran the standard 53/39 rings on his Dura-Ace SRM crank - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
The painted Lightweight disc provides quite the mirror. While the electronic drivetrain wires are neatly tucked out of sight, Tejay van Garderen has an old-school wheel magnet and sensor taped and zip-tied on, respectively - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
The BMC timemachine's seatpost bolt is tucked neatly out of sight and covered with a rubber stopper - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
With the brake tucked behind the bottom bracket and the seatpost bolt hidden on the top tube, the rear of the BMC timemachine cuts quite the smooth profile - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
BMC has team-only Continental tubular tires. On the relatively narrow Lightweight disc, BMC uses 22mm tires. On the wider PRO discs, they use 25mm - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
This team-only Continental tubular has a perfectly smooth center tread with fine file-tread shoulders - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
The front tire, which features the same dual tread as the unmarked rear, has a 24mm width to match the Shimano C50 tire bed - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
The BMC timemachine features a dial on the rear dropout to precision-set the rear wheel - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
The Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 battery is tucked out of sight in the down tube - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
Turning the handlebar reveals the internal routing for the timemachine - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
Just to the left of the red paint is a rubber bumper to prevent the integrated fork fairing hitting the frame - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
Race leader Tejay van Garderen raced the uphill stage 5 time trial at the USA Pro Challenge on his BMC TM01 timemachine - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
Tejay van Garderen set out on the uphill time trial of the USA Pro Challenge in the yellow leader’s skinsuit, aboard a BMC TM01 timemachine with a custom 3T aero bar and new team-only Continental tubulars. Although not exceptionally light at 18.98lb (9.06kg), van Garderen’s timemachine was chosen for its aerodynamic advantage.
With about 1,500ft of climbing in the 10mi/16.1km time trial, some riders opted for road bikes with aero bars, but all the GC contenders rode full TT rigs.
The custom 3t bar is drilled to hold the di2 interface: the custom 3t bar is drilled to hold the di2 interface - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
Tejay van Garderen's custom 3T integrated aero bar, with Di2 modification
Van Garderen ran a standard 53/39 ring setup on his SRM Dura-Ace cranks, with an 11-25 cassette in the rear.He matched a Shimano C50 front wheel with a Lightweight disc, which BMC mechanics have painted over and polished to a mirror-like finish. On the front, a 24mm Continental tubular marked 'Force Comp' shared the same tread as the unmarked 22mm rear.
Chief team mechanic Ian Sherburne explained that the tires are pro-team only, with a perfectly smooth center tread for ultimate speed matched with file tread shoulders for cornering grip. When BMC riders use a rear PRO disc, which has a wider tire bed, mechanics mount a 24mm or 25mm tire to match.
This team-only continental tubular has a perfectly smooth center tread with fine file-tread shoulders: this team-only continental tubular has a perfectly smooth center tread with fine file-tread shoulders - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
BMC uses team-only Continental tubulars with a smooth center tread and file tread shoulders
But the most remarkable piece of van Garderen’s timemachine is the custom-molded aero bar, which integrates not only the bars and stem but the bayonet fork itself.
The Shimano Di2 wiring is molded into the aero bar, which is drilled for a zip-tie connection for the wiring harness.
You won't find this di2 configuration on a stock bike: you won't find this di2 configuration on a stock bike - Ben Delaney/Future Publishing
You won't find this configuration on a stock BMC
Van Garderen’s resulting position is not insanely low by pro standards, but his extensions are quite narrow. The arm rest pads are 14cm apart (c-to-c) and the extensions are only 5cm apart at the tips.
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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