A new Specialized S-Works tubeless road tyre and Roval aero front wheel have been spotted at the start of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
Despite its tan sidewalls, a Red Bull-Bora-hansgroh mechanic told BikeRadar that, while the tyres are indeed new, it isn't a tubeless version of the long-standing S-Works Turbo Cotton clincher.
Instead, the team mechanic said the tyre is an entirely new model. This could be a development of one of Specialized's existing S-Works Turbo RapidAir 2BR tyres.
The tyre has yet to become popular in the pro peloton with several Specialized-sponsored riders, including Olympic road and time trial champion Remco Evenepoel, deferring to the tube-type S-Works Turbo Cotton.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is the opening race of the Spring Classics, and features several cobbled sections and climbs where wider tyres are often favoured for their ability to smooth out rough surfaces.
As expected, the new tyre was being used in wider forms, with the mechanic saying the tyre we saw was a 30mm-wide model.
This new tyre may not be available in a wider form, however, as Ryan Mullen chose the Specialized Mondo in a size 32mm. Or, perhaps, the new tyre uses a less robust casing, and Mullen simply didn't want to take any chances.
Either way, we'll have to wait for the official word from Specialized to be sure.
Few details, however, were available for what looks to be a new Roval aero front wheel.
A visibly deeper rim is being used in comparison to the Roval Rapide CLX III Team – which is currently Roval's fastest road bike wheelset.
Another telltale sign comes at the hub. This is black, rather than the silver found on the Rapide CLX III Team wheels. It also appears to be a slimmer design.
The lacing on the drive side is radial, while the non-drive side gets a 2x pattern to help deal with braking forces.
We'll just have to wait on an official release from Specialized and Roval for more details, although it's safe to say the new wheel is almost certainly a faster option for flat or rolling races.
