Team Sky’s outrageous F-Type TT team car, cooling vests and more
Team Sky's extraordinary F-Type TT chase car evolved from an idea dreamed up by Jaguar's Special Vehicles (SV) team, who create bespoke Jaguars and Land Rovers for clients with particular needs or problems to solve. When asked, Jaguar said that this modification will be available to customers, although we expect it wouldn't be cheap.
Team Sky's extraordinary F-Type TT chase car evolved from an idea dreamed up by Jaguar's Special Vehicles (SV) team, who create bespoke Jaguars and Land Rovers for clients with particular needs or problems to solve. When asked, Jaguar said that this modification will be available to customers, although we expect it wouldn't be cheap. - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The theory goes that two spare bikes are plenty for a car following one rider during a TT, and when time is of the essence, bikes are far easier to grab from a low slung sports car than from the top of a typical team estate car - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Helping to speed up the process is this front wheel channel, which is bonded to the roof, and in testing, held a wheel securely in place at 100mph - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The custom rear carbon panel replaces the F-Type's rear window with recesses for four wheels - two rear wheels of the the bikes carried, and two spares - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Between the two spare wheels is the carbon fibre spar that contains the frame clamps. It is possible to unbolt the base plate holding the spar, and replace it with a flush blanking plate when not in use. - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The deep recesses include drainage holes at the bottom to remove rain water via the wheel arches, and there's also a cover for when the rack isn't in use. It is held in place by a rod that passes through the quick release catches - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The wheel quick release fittings are unique and patented by Jaguar. The knurled knob operates a sliding sprung catch that releases the wheel with one flick, so the hub's QR lever doesn't need to be tightened. When replacing a wheel, it can be dropped in to place and will secure itself - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Customised Team Sky frame clamps have a rubber cradle that tightens around the tube when clamped, and are released with a simple flick of the outer lever - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The carbon spar when the bikes are removed - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Bianchi's top time trial bike for several years has been the Pico, and most of the Belkin riders still raced it in the 2014 Tour time trial - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
But with modern TT bikes majoring in integration of stem, cables and aerodynamics, the Pico's cockpit comes up short - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
A conventionally sited rear brake caliper also looks behind the times in today's drag conscious TT landscape - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
So Bianchi debuted the all new Aquila CV time trial machine in Bergerac, which was raced by Laurens Ten Dam and Bauke Mollema on the road to Perigueux, and it certainly gives a striking first impression. See our news item for more on the new bike. - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The Bretagne-Seche Environment team's Kemo KE-T5 time trial rig. This one belongs to team leader Brice Feillu, and sports a full Vision TT groupset, with the exception of Dura-Ace brake calipers - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
We have to admit we've seen better cable routings, but the Vision groupset is mechanical, so tiny, easy to hide electric wires aren't an option - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The seat tube cut out for the rear wheel is curious for not following the radius of the wheel - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
For some reason, Feillu's machine has these shortened cut off Vision TT shifters. Perhaps for the UCI TT bike length rule? - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
A team mate has a rarely seen Polar V650 head unit, seemingly placed to create lift - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
He also has a pair of conventional Vision bar end shifters - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Could this be the start of Formula 1 style tyre warmers in cycling? No, we didn't think so either. IAM Cycling's mechanics protect a tubular tyre shod disc wheel from the fierce sun before the start - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
IAM were using the latest Scott Plasma with this very neat Di2 cable and stem arrangement - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The team's spare bikes are still the previous model of Plasma, with the most obvious external differences being the chainstays and head tube / stem - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
It is quite different from the new model, with Swiss Champion Martin Elmiger's bike pictured here - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Elmiger's machine had a novel Di2 control box placement, cable tied to the seat post, presumably for proximity to the internal battery - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
IAM Cycling were only one of many teams who badged up Lightweight disc wheels as those of their own sponsor - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Either Micheal Albasini of Orica-Greenedge rides a very small TT frame size, or he has extremely lengthy femurs, as that saddle can't be any further back! Note the external Di2 battery mounted at the rear - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Alongside the legion recent TT machines with hidden rear brakes, the old Plasma's conventional caliper looks fussy - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Pushing the limits of how close you can mount TT extensions and still operate the Di2 shifters! - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Tony Gallopin's Ridley Dean Fast fully kitted out in Campagnolo Record EPS, but with a PRO (Shimano) cockpit - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Gallopin's Dean Fast unusually has a UCI Approved sticker on its aero bar - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Net App Endura's Leopold Konig rode his Fuji Norcom Straight to 5th place on the day, and 7th overall in the Tour - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
His external Di2 battery is mounted beneath the Prologo Zero TT saddle rather than on the mounting bolts provided on the rear of the seatpost - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
An older 5 arm Dura-Ace crank and Ultegra Di2 rear mech was clearly no hindrance on the day for Konig who put many much bigger names to the sword. Vision's Metron Disc is actually a Metron 90 rim with conventional spokes and a removable cover bonded to it, although it's not really user serviceable - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The Oval Concepts TT bars have a blunt frontal profile, and Konig favours rotating his shifters upwards - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
This Cofidis rider warms up on a Lemond revolution direct drive trainer, but he isn't wearing a body warmer… - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Cofidis were using TriRig Omega centre pull delta shaped brakes for their aero bonus - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Rather than being a body warmer, Cofidis was one of several teams with cooling vests, designed to keep the rider's core temperature down while they warm up - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
This Team Cofidis Look had one of the cleanest front ends of any TT machine in the race, helped by Look's own unique handlebar clamp - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Although mounting the external Di2 battery below the BB is possibly less neat, it does at least have a partial shroud - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
A selection of exotic Mavic wheels ready for Cofidis TT duty - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Serial green jersey winner Peter Sagan heads for the start on his Cannondale Slice RS - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The 2014 Tour's Most Aggressive Rider winner, Alessandro De Marchi warms up on his Slice RS fitted with a SRAM drivetrain and Vision wheels and bars - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
2014's King of the Mountains winner Rafal Majka's Specialized Shiv has a SRAM drivetrain, Specialzed Roval front wheel and Lightweight disc - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Beneath the untaped TT extensions is a custom made SRM mount bolted to the bars - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Trek Factory Racing's Bontrager disc wheel doesn't manage to disguise its Zipp logo very well - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
We doubt Campagnolo intended for the external EPS battery to double as a bike support when on a work stand, but Team Europcar beg to differ - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Giant-Shimano's Tom Dumoulin rocks a cooling vest while having a final snack of what looked like puree, but it must work for him since he placed second on the stage to a dominant Tony Martin - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
An inventive place to keep your bottle while warming up - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Dumoulin's aero track mitts and three gels for the time trial inside his long tailed Uvex TT helmet - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Movistar rider Jon Izaguirre's Canyon Speedmax CF looked very purposeful - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Although we're unsure why the internal Campagnolo EPS battery is mounted externally with some form of Velcro - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Continental Podium TT 22mm tubulars on Jon Izaguirre's Speedmax CF - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Spanish road champion Jon Izaguirre warms up for the time trial in front of an interested crowd - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Whereas Michael Albasini has his saddle all the way back, Alejandro Valverde's couldn't be any further forward - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The Movistar mechanics were keeping a tight rein on Valverde's TT bike, but we managed to grab a shot of it before it was whisked away - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Valverde's TT rig had a Power2Max power meter on a Campagnolo crank, and a silver enlarged TT outer ring - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Valverde chose the unusual combination of grip tape over the team's already grippy Lizard Skins DSP bar tape - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Tejay van Garderen's BMC TM01 and a puncture for AG2R's Romain Bardet helped the American pull back enough time to finish the Tour in 5th place overall - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Shimano's neat SRM crank with 54/42 rings - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The front end of van Garderen's BMC TM01 is all fairings and smooth lines, although there's no room for the Di2 control box - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
A 24mm Continental Force Comp tubular on van Garderen's Lightweight disc wheel, although to the naked eye it looked wider - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The TM01 combines a slim head tube with a wide fork and one-piece bar and stem. The front tyre is a 25mm Continental Competition Pro Ltd - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
In part two of our huge Tour de France time trial tech gallery, we take a close look at Team Sky’s outrageous F-Type TT team car, new and old time trial bikes, external-internal batteries and yet more gear with someone else’s brand on it.
In our visits to each and every one of the teams at the race, we look at the bikes of upstart Kemo, the veteran (nearly 130 years old now) Bianchi, plus cooling vests, magic puree, saddle positions, custom modifications and more.
Oh, and that F-Type? Everyone walking past it, even the most traditional, dyed-in-the-wool cyclists, agreed that it sounded awesome just burbling at walking pace.
Elmiger's machine had a novel di2 control box placement, cable tied to the seat post, presumably for proximity to the internal battery: elmiger's machine had a novel di2 control box placement, cable tied to the seat post, presumably for proximity to the internal battery - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
Check out all the novel solutions like this one in the gallery above
Robin Wilmott is a freelance writer and bike tester. He began road cycling in 1988 and, with mountain bikes in their infancy, mixed experimental off-road adventures with club time trials and road races. Cyclocross soon became a winter staple and has remained Robin's favourite form of competition. Robin has always loved the technical aspect of building and maintaining bikes, and several years working in a bike shop only amplified that. Robin was a technical writer for BikeRadar for nearly a decade, and has tested hundreds of bikes and products for the site. He has also written extensively for Cycling Plus, Velonews and Cyclingnews.
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