Tour de France time trial clothing – photo gallery

<source media="(max-width: 320px)" srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=45&resize=320%2C416 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=45&resize=480%2C624 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.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/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=90&resize=190%2C247, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=45&resize=380%2C494 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=45&resize=570%2C741 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.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/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=90&resize=215%2C279, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=45&resize=430%2C559 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=45&resize=645%2C838 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.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/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=90&resize=295%2C383, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=45&resize=590%2C767 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.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/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=90&resize=136%2C176, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=45&resize=272%2C353 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=45&resize=408%2C530 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.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/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=90&resize=155%2C201, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=45&resize=310%2C403 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=45&resize=465%2C604 3x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=45&resize=620%2C806 4x" type="image/jpeg"> <img class="wp-image-300822 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/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a.jpg?quality=90&resize=556%2C723" width="556" height="723" data-crop-width="" data-crop-height="" alt="Defending Tour de France champion wore Castelli's new Body Paint 4.0 Speed Suit" title="tour-de-france-tt-clothing-1-1498937239379-1bo4316v5wr76-c0b874a" style="width: auto; height: 100%;"> Defending Tour de France champion wore Castelli’s new Body Paint 4.0 Speed Suit Ben Delaney / Immediate Media

Power divided by aerodynamic drag is a primary game in time trials, and clothing companies like Castelli pulled out all the stops for the opening TT of the Tour de France with brand new and tried-and-true aero gear.

Spotted: Giant Propel Disc at the Tour de France Tour de France gallery: Mechanics’ prologue Tour de France bikes, gear and tech Defending Tour champion Chris Froome and stage 1 winner Geraint Thomas raced in brand new Castelli Body Paint 4.0 Speed Suits.

“We have spent the last nine months working on this,” Castelli’s Steve Smith told BikeRadar. “We have gone beyond rider-specific designs to speed-specific concepts.”

By rider-specific, Smith was referring to the tailoring Castelli has done for top riders, adjusting fabric type and seam placement based on an individual’s shape in a wind tunnel.

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data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-2-1498937239383-xah6r50vpxmg-d92f3f8.jpg?quality=90&resize=408%2C230, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-2-1498937239383-xah6r50vpxmg-d92f3f8.jpg?quality=45&resize=816%2C459 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-2-1498937239383-xah6r50vpxmg-d92f3f8.jpg?quality=45&resize=1224%2C689 3x" type="image/jpeg"><source media="(min-width: 590px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-2-1498937239383-xah6r50vpxmg-d92f3f8.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=556%2C313, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-2-1498937239383-xah6r50vpxmg-d92f3f8.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=1112%2C626 2x" type="image/webp"> The shoulders and upper arms feature dimpled material, presumably as vortex generators to smooth air flow Ben Delaney / Immediate Media Now, the Body Paint 4.0 suit is targeted for speeds around 50kph.

Most notable on the 4.0 are the textured patches on the portions of the upper arms and shoulders that face the wind. Presumably, these dots are there as vortex generators , smoothing the airflow around the body.

Smith said the 4.0 suit is actually marginally slower than the current 3.3 suit at slower speeds, but for a short effort it was the top speed that mattered. On July 1, stage winner Geraint Thomas average 52.3kph for 16 minutes and four seconds. And that was on a rain-drenched technical course with plenty of treacherous turns.

Click through the gallery above for a look at the various clothing strategies riders and even fans employed on stage 1 of the 2017 Tour de France.

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media="(min-width: 768px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-14-1498937239426-wzindnkpaask-38ff40f.jpg?quality=90&resize=408%2C231, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-14-1498937239426-wzindnkpaask-38ff40f.jpg?quality=45&resize=816%2C462 2x, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-14-1498937239426-wzindnkpaask-38ff40f.jpg?quality=45&resize=1224%2C693 3x" type="image/jpeg"><source media="(min-width: 590px)" data-srcset="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-14-1498937239426-wzindnkpaask-38ff40f.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=556%2C315, https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/tour-de-france-tt-clothing-14-1498937239426-wzindnkpaask-38ff40f.jpg?webp=true&quality=45&resize=1112%2C630 2x" type="image/webp"> An increasing number of riders use skinsuits with integrated number pouches stitched in Ben Delaney / Immediate Media