Netcompany-Ineos, which started as Team Sky, was a forerunner of marginal gains, where small optimisations are made in the hope of a big overall reward.
That approach has become the norm in pro cycling, with the likes of Visma-Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates XRG employing huge budgets to eke out every possible advantage.
But ahead of yesterday’s team time trial in Barcelona, Netcompany-Ineos employed a peculiar tactic before they rolled down the start ramp in the 30-degree heat.
The team’s eight riders sat next to one another with their arms in large plastic tubs full of water in a bid to keep cool.
The approach gained the squad attention at the race, and online where the official Tour de France X account posted a clip of the team. One user commented that, “Pro cycling just got a tad weirder”.
With Europe set to be hit by extreme heat in the coming days, this might not be the last time we see Tour de France teams turning to novel approaches to stay cool.
Race director Christian Prudhomme has already said that organisers will be taking extra measures to help riders and fans deal with the heat, which could hit 40˚C during stage 4 on Tuesday.
Netcompany-Ineos had hopes to claim the yellow jersey on the first stage of the race, and came crushingly close after a fraught race.
Kévin Vauquelin punctured with 7km remaining of the 19.6km stage, wiping out his hopes of victory.
Filippo Ganna almost saved the day with a powerful ride on the final climb up to Barcelona’s Olympic stadium. But the Italian finished 8 seconds behind the race’s first yellow jersey, won by Jonas Vingegaard.
Consolation came through Egan Bernal winning the first green jersey of the race after he led the team through the intermediate sprint.
