BBox-Bouygues Telecom team leader Thomas Voeckler’s Colnago C59 is dressed in the colours of the French national road race championJames Huang
Colnago’s new C59 uses more aggressively shaped tubes than beforeJames Huang
Colnago continue to stick with lugged construction on their top carbon modelsJames Huang
The stays are medium-sized compared to some modern competitorsJames Huang
The conventional alloy dropouts are relieved on their inner surfaces to shave a few gramsJames Huang
The internally routed derailleur cables enter the frame just behind the tapered head tubeJames Huang
Voeckler leaves the tops of his FSA Plasma integrated bars untapedJames Huang
Voeckler runs no spacers either above or below the stem so team mechanics trim the steerer just soJames Huang
The deep-section Campagnolo Bora Ultra Two carbon fibre tubulars have custom coloured decals to match the rest of the bikeJames Huang
Campagnolo’s Super Record cranks feature hollow carbon fibre armsJames Huang
The Campagnolo Super Record cranks rotate on stock ceramic bearingsJames Huang
Voeckler foregoes the carbon cage of Record or Super Record in favour of Chorus’s titanium oneJames Huang
Voeckler is using Time’s latest i-Clic Ti Carbon pedalsJames Huang
Voeckler’s carbon railed Prologo Scratch Pro TR Nack saddle is mounted atop a Colnago carbon seatpostJames Huang
Voeckler’s brakes are fitted with carbon-specific blocksJames Huang
Campagnolo’s Super Record rear derailleur is chock full of forged aluminium, carbon fibre and titaniumJames Huang
A steel and titanium 11-25T Campagnolo Record cassette is pictured here but like all riders at this level, Voeckler has a wide range of ratios to choose from on any given dayJames Costley-White
Nosed Gore Ride-On ferrules help protect the cable coating from abrasion as it enters the housingJames Costley-White
Elite Custom Race bottle cages are coloured to match the French national champion colour schemeJames Costley-White
Bastille Day will hold an especially important meaning for BBox-Bouygues Telecom team leader Thomas Voeckler, he being a French rider on a French team, a memorably valiant defender of the maillot jaune two years ago, as well as the current national road champion.
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Proudly dressed in the colours of his country’s flag, his Tour de France bike is, however, a nearly 100 percent Italian machine: Colnago’s latest C59. Rather than use the more common tube-to-tube or semi-monocoque carbon fibre construction, Colnago have opted to stick with their tried-and-true lugged technology. It’s no boat anchor, though, with all-carbon tubes and lugs that keep the frame down to a highly competitive 950g or so.
The C59 doesn’t use old-style round pipes either, with its ‘+’-profile tapered down tube and multisided top tube. The rectangular chainstays are slightly larger than what we’ve seen in the past out of Cambiago, too, while the wishbone-style seatstays slim down a bit for a smoother ride. Also featured on the C59 is a tapered front end for added steering precision and internally routed cables for a cleaner appearance.
Colnago continue to stick with lugged construction on their top carbon models: colnago continue to stick with lugged construction on their top carbon modelsJames Huang
Colnago continue to stick with lugged construction on their top carbon models
The build kit is almost entirely Italian as well, with a nearly complete Campagnolo Super Record group and Campagnolo Bora Ultra Two deep-section carbon tubulars with matching white, blue and red decals. Voeckler subs in a Chorus front derailleur, though, with a titanium cage instead of the carbon fibre one of Record or Super Record. And as is common for most riders at the Tour, it’s supplemented with a slim chain watcher.
Voeckler foregoes the carbon cage of record or super record in favour of chorus’s titanium one: voeckler foregoes the carbon cage of record or super record in favour of chorus’s titanium oneJames Huang
Voeckler foregoes the carbon cage of Record or Super Record in favour of Chorus’s titanium one
Rounding things out are FSA’s Plasma integrated carbon fibre bar and stem, a Prologo Scratch Pro TR saddle with carbon fibre rails, Hutchinson tubular tyres and Time’s latest i-Clic Ti Carbon clipless pedals. Total weight as pictured is just 7.08kg (15.61lb).
Elite custom race bottle cages are coloured to match the french national champion colour scheme: elite custom race bottle cages are coloured to match the french national champion colour schemeJames Costley-White
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Even the Elite Custom Race bottle cages match the French champion colour scheme
