Tour de France bikes: Mark Cavendish's custom-painted Cervelo S5

<source media="(max-width: 320px)" srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=320%2C416 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=480%2C624 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=640%2C832 4x" type="image/jpeg"> <source media="(max-width: 375px)" srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=90&resize=190%2C247, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=380%2C494 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=570%2C741 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=692%2C900 4x" type="image/jpeg"> <source media="(max-width: 425px)" srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=90&resize=215%2C279, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=430%2C559 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=645%2C838 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=692%2C900 4x" type="image/jpeg"> <source media="(max-width: 768px)" srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=90&resize=295%2C383, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=590%2C767 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=693%2C900 3x" type="image/jpeg"> <source media="(max-width: 992px)" srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=90&resize=136%2C176, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=272%2C353 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=408%2C530 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=544%2C707 4x" type="image/jpeg"> <source media="(min-width: 993px)" srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=90&resize=155%2C201, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=310%2C403 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=465%2C604 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=45&resize=620%2C806 4x" type="image/jpeg"> <img class="wp-image-312178 size-portrait_thumbnail image-handler__image image-handler__image--aspect no-wrap js-gallery-grid-src-image" src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c.jpg?quality=90&resize=556%2C723" width="556" height="723" data-crop-width="" data-crop-height="" alt="Mark Cavendish's custom-painted Cervelo S5" title="dsc_0123-1531547560211-1g1az7zyh2x8q-8c57a2c" style="width: auto; height: 100%;"> Mark Cavendish’s custom-painted Cervelo S5 Josh Evans/Immediate Media

This article first appeared on Cyclingnews .

Mark Cavendish ( Dimension Data ) is within touching distance of taking the record for the most Tour de France stage victories in history .

Tour de France bikes: Dan Martin’s Colnago V2-R – Gallery How to watch the Tour de France 2018 live on TV Tour de France 2018 bikes, gear and tech While the Manxman is yet to get off of the mark at this year’s Tour , the former world champion has been improving stage-by-stage and made a top-ten finish in the run-in to Chartres on stage seven of the race.

The current record holder for Tour stage wins – 34 – is Eddy Merckx, who had a reputation for carrying a 5mm hex key in his jersey for on-the-fly bike-fit adjustments throughout his career.

Just four wins away from the Belgian’s record, the similarities between the two riders are not limited to their Tour-stage-victory tallies. Like Merckx, Cavendish is a serial bike tinkerer and adjusts his bike fit and setup on an almost daily basis.

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data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0153-1531547560155-mgig9vz67v7z-478d092.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=405%2C228, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0153-1531547560155-mgig9vz67v7z-478d092.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=810%2C456 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0153-1531547560155-mgig9vz67v7z-478d092.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=1215%2C683 3x" type="image/webp"><source media="(max-width: 425px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0153-1531547560155-mgig9vz67v7z-478d092.jpg?quality=90&resize=405%2C228, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0153-1531547560155-mgig9vz67v7z-478d092.jpg?quality=45&resize=810%2C456 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0153-1531547560155-mgig9vz67v7z-478d092.jpg?quality=45&resize=1215%2C683 3x" type="image/jpeg"> <source media="(min-width: 768px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0153-1531547560155-mgig9vz67v7z-478d092.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=408%2C230, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0153-1531547560155-mgig9vz67v7z-478d092.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=816%2C459 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0153-1531547560155-mgig9vz67v7z-478d092.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=1224%2C689 3x" type="image/webp"><source media="(min-width: 768px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0153-1531547560155-mgig9vz67v7z-478d092.jpg?quality=90&resize=408%2C230, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0153-1531547560155-mgig9vz67v7z-478d092.jpg?quality=45&resize=816%2C459 2x, 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“Your body changes from day to day, you know? Your body is shorter in the evening than it is in the morning,” he explained. “It’s nothing in particular that I change. It might just be a habit.

“Some people feel a difference, some people don’t. I guess I’ve got less body – I’m so short – and I say that with my tongue in my cheek. It’s sometimes the bars, sometimes the saddle just by a couple of millimetres day by day. If I have a bad mattress at a hotel, sometimes my back can be a little bit funny.

Tour de France Team Time Trial tech gallery <source media="(max-width: 320px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0165-1531547560225-bokfdx24njio-01e90d9.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=300%2C169, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0165-1531547560225-bokfdx24njio-01e90d9.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=600%2C338 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0165-1531547560225-bokfdx24njio-01e90d9.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=900%2C506 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0165-1531547560225-bokfdx24njio-01e90d9.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=1200%2C675 4x" type="image/webp"><source media="(max-width: 320px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0165-1531547560225-bokfdx24njio-01e90d9.jpg?quality=90&resize=300%2C169, 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type="image/jpeg"> <source media="(min-width: 768px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0165-1531547560225-bokfdx24njio-01e90d9.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=408%2C230, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0165-1531547560225-bokfdx24njio-01e90d9.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=816%2C459 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0165-1531547560225-bokfdx24njio-01e90d9.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=1224%2C689 3x" type="image/webp"><source media="(min-width: 768px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0165-1531547560225-bokfdx24njio-01e90d9.jpg?quality=90&resize=408%2C230, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0165-1531547560225-bokfdx24njio-01e90d9.jpg?quality=45&resize=816%2C459 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/dsc_0165-1531547560225-bokfdx24njio-01e90d9.jpg?quality=45&resize=1224%2C689 3x" type="image/jpeg"> Cavendish pairs his drivetrain with a KMC X11-SL Green chain, colour-coordinated with the Dimension Data team colours Josh Evans/Immediate Media “I might be particular, and some people just get on with it, but I like to be comfortable.”

Last year’s Tour for Cavendish came to a now infamous early finish after he collided with Peter Sagan in the finale of stage four of the race. As he did last year, Cavendish arrived at the 2018 Tour with a custom-painted Cervelo S5 frameset.

Various fades throughout the frameset include chrome, green, black and white, with contrasting decals and fine-finishing details throughout.

A Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 groupset provides the shifting and stopping for the Manxman, while Cavendish opts for a 54-tooth outer chainring on his Rotor 2InPower crankset.

Campagnolo disc brakes used for the first time at the Tour de France Peter Sagan and Specialized launch second Sagan Collection at Tour de France Carbon components specialists ENVE finish Cavendish’s bike with SES Aero carbon handlebars and stem, and 4.5 SES wheels, which Cavendish has used both in the standard team-issue version and his own set with custom decals to match the finish of his bike.

As with many sprinters at the top level of the sport, Cavendish runs satellite sprint shifters on his handlebar drops. While common practice is to have the buttons on the inside of the drops, Cavendish runs his on the front outer edge of the handlebars, to use with his index fingers.

Click or swipe through the gallery above for a closer look at the former world champion’s aero race bike.

Full specification Frame : Cervelo S5 in custom colours for Mark Cavendish Fork : Cervelo S5 in custom colours for Mark Cavendish Front brake : Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 Rear brake : Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 Brake/shift levers : Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 with satellite shifters Front derailleur : Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 Rear derailleur : Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 Cassette : Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 Chain : KMC X11-SL Green Crankset : Rotor 2InPower, 54/42 Wheelset : ENVE 4.5 SES with custom decals for Mark Cavendish Tyres : Continental Competition ALX, 25mm tubular Handlebars : ENVE SES Aero Stem : ENVE SES Aero Headset : FSA Pedals : Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 Saddle : Astute Seatpost : Cervelo S-Series Bottle cages : Elite Vico Carbon

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Tour de France bikes: Mark Cavendish’s custom-painted Cervelo S5 – Gallery