To avoid injury... Please treat mechanics with respect - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Part of being a Tour de France mechanic is the art of improvising when working on the road - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Building and maintaining machines is a critical part of the job, but the work isn't done until every bike shines - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Some bikes just get fresh tape, tires and chains, but many bikes are built up from scratch for the Tour - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Team Lotto'Jumbo mechanics use a Tacx trainer wheel block to protect wheels while mounting fresh tubulars - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Think you could get a tubular on straight the first time? Good luck with that - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The Tour de France isn't the first rodeo for most mechanics, nor is it the first race for many bikes in attendance, as old race numbers are clipped off and replaced with new ones - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
As this year's Tour starts with a time trial, mechanics worked to prep road and TT bikes - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sunweb's truck is a tightly organized affair - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
At only 14km long, the Tour's stage 1 time trial prompted many riders to bust out the big rings - and mechanics to adjust the front derailleurs accordingly - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sunweb's Warren Barguil opted for a massive 58t big ring - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
As teams often do, Sunweb recruited a local rider (in Giro kit) to lead a ride outside of Dusseldorf - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
With rain in the forecast, Sunweb packed rain bags in the follow car - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Team riders have a mini buffet of ride food to pull from before short training rides - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
While titanium bolts are all fine and good, the humble electrical tape sees widespread use among mechanics for things like security race transponders - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
You have an air compressor in the vehicle you drive to races, too, right? - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
It might be raining for the stage 1 time trial, but if it's warm, Sunweb soigneurs have ice vests at the ready - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Every team starts the Tour with a hefty supply of musette bags - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Thirsty? - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Some are water, some are drink mix, but all get a quick towel off so riders have perfectly dry bottles to grab - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Drink mix Is marked with an 'X' on the bottle - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
New bearings get hammered into Mavic wheels at Cannondale - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Geoff Brown has been gluing wheels for years - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Some riders hop on without thought; others give their bikes a close inspection - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
This is one of the more ridiculous cover-ups we have seen - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Personal air conditioning for time-trial warm-ups? Check - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
There's another way to use a bike workstand... - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sometimes bike parts need a little forceful encouragement - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
And sometimes a gentle hand is enough - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Shimano's Race Support was a near-constant presence around its eight sponsored teams, with vehicles packed full of new product - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Defending champ Chris Froome has his bikes built and cleaned like everyone else on Team Sky - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
And Froome's bikes have seen some wear and tear, too - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
By UCI rule, mechanics can only scoot saddles so far forward. But riders still creep forward on their TT bikes, so a little grip can help keep them anchored on their machines - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Because of his ovalized rings, Froome's Bollide TT bike has a unique chain catcher - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Team cars often get a refresh before the start of the Tour - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Each rider has a rain bag that goes in the follow car on training days before the Tour - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Just like bikes, team busses don't wash and shine themselves - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Nor does clothing wash itself - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Team Sky's Mikel Nieve talks with mechanic Ryan Bonser about his handlebar set-up - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Two days before the opening time trial, Geraint Thomas puts in an effort on his TT bike - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
While race numbers are often mounted at the rear brake caliper, BMC's Teammachine SLR01 bikes have a different configuration - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Here's something you didn't see at the Tour de France 10 years ago: a portable battery for charging a fleet of Shimano Di2 batteries - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
In addiiton to standard bike tools, Tour mechanics also have precise tools for setting up bikes to riders' fit coordinates - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
You and I may use electronic trainers for Zwift; BMC's Tour riders use them to warm up for the biggest race in the world - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
With Richie Porte, BMC is hoping for one more sticker to add to the team car - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Entire fleets of Tour de France race bikes don’t just build themselves, you know.
In the days before the Tour kicks off with a 14km time trial in Dusseldorf, Germany, team mechanics put in long hours to build, rebuild, wash and tune multiple bikes for each rider.
While much of this routine is, in fact, routine for veteran mechanics, the Tour can add a little extra spice, as brands rush to capitalize on the cycling world’s attention to showcase new products.
Click through the gallery above for a look at the handiwork of Tour de France mechanics.
Sometimes bike parts need a little forceful encouragement - 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
