Tour de France 2023: Which On-Bike Tech Are They Actually Using?

Here's your Tour de France 2023 Stage 1 Bike Tech, looking at bike GPS computers, power meters, action cams, and plenty more! Dive into the details from the start of Stage 1 in Bilbao, Spain in the Basque country.
Full listing: www.dcrainmaker.com/2023/07/t...
The Tour de France kicked off again today, this time in Bilbao, Spain with 176 riders and 22 teams. And thus begins the annual tradition to ferret out not just the sports tech gear these teams are sponsored to use, but the gear they’re actually using. And there’s some interesting tidbits this year!
First up, best I can tell this is the first year that SRM is not sponsoring a TdF team. Obviously, as always, sponsorship doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but in the case of SRM specifically, I think this marks the end of an era. While one unsponsored power meter team did have a handful of SRM units on-hand, they also had a collection of single and dual-sided Stages units.
Meanwhile, on the bike computer front, we see more of the same from last year. There aren’t any major shifts, with the camp split roughly evenly between Garmin & Wahoo sponsorship fronts, along with Hammerhead and Bryton each sponsoring a team. Giant/Stages has left that scene from the one sponsorship last year. Still, it was notable to see how many teams had the just released Garmin Edge 840 units on-bike. Typically teams don’t tend to put brand new tech on bikes this quickly, but they were today. In fact, I even saw Team Jayco carrying around a Garmin Edge 840 box to the starting area, with less than 30 minutes to the start of the stage. Unclear what the final destination of that was, but, I found it notable.
Next up, we’ve got the bike computer front, where things are a bit messier. Actually, they’re both cleaner and messier. As a rule, all Wahoo teams can use either the BOLT V2 or ROAM V2, per rider preference. Thus, for all the teams I saw, it was a mishmash of the Wahoo units within the team - perhaps just barely favoring the BOLT V2.
Meanwhile, on the Garmin side it’s basically the same story. The Garmin sponsored teams have access to whatever units they want, and in most cases that means riders choose what they want. It tended to be a blend of Garmin Edge 1040, Edge 840, and Edge 830. In non-sponsored teams (like Team Bahrain), you saw some flyers, such as the Garmin Edge 130. Undoubtedly, because bike computers are usually held by the rider till the last minute (inside the team busses), it’s hard to capture all 176 riders within the very short handful of minutes they ride by. Thus, it’s plausible some Garmin-sponsored rider is also doing something quirky too.
#tourdefrance2023 #Tourdefrance #Cycling

[@my_everyday_carry]

Thanks for the inside look - enjoy!

[@jonathanwalters5611]

Thank you for the insight into the teams. Always great content from DC

[@DUBBLARON]

Love this behind the scenes look! Thanks DC!

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks!

[@natalietremblay5102]

Amazing! I've been watching your videos for years now (going back to when the Garmin 300XT came out) to help me figure out what to buy. How incredible that you are behind the scenes at the Tour de France!!!! Happy for you :)

[@a_diverge]

Thank for a small detail contant. Keep up the great work and enjoy the tour.

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks!!!

[@jojisai]

We appreciate your hard work sir.

[@robertmitchell668]

Great seeing behind scenes and fantastic bikes!

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks!

[@snowboardjoe]

Thanks for producing this back scene of technology!

[@bschauz]

Great coverage, thanks!

[@paulmorrison30]

You are and will always be a Legend ✊🏾👌🏾👏🏾👊🏾

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks!!

[@MichaelThorne_za]

Great video, thanks for all the cool info. 👌

[@daveferrell1137]

Great Report! Thanks for showing us what goes on at the tour behind the scenes!

[@tedjeanmahoney8547]

AWESOME!! THANKS FOR THE BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK AND COMEMNTARY.

[@jimpeyton1459]

Thanks Ray...these behind the scenes videos are very cool. Still on the fence for head unit upgrade...so I decided to upgrade my road bike with SRAM Force 12 speed groupset. Logic tells me that I'm being crazy, but o love my Roubaix and I've got 20K km on the Shimano 105 mechanical...with some swap outs for chainrings, chains and cassettes along the way....😅

[@pksteffen]

GoPro Session 5 is rock solid and still the camera of choice for lots of FPV drones due to weight as you said.

[@jeremyjs8863]

very nicely done, thanks !

[@GOmotorsports]

Great video. Great insights. Great access. More of these

[@getoutmore]

Loved this. Well done. Thank you 👍

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks!!!

[@ross88mac]

Awesome thanks!

[@James-KL]

Excellent DC! Many thanks!

[@Dcrainmaker]

Cheers!

[@psychepath]

"They're just like me!" I say because of the edge 130, despite a $10000 bike.

[@Inpreesme]

Thank you

[@davidcarroll4150]

Cool vid. Thanks

[@trannel73]

Love the behind the scenes vibes! Thanks Ray!

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

Wow... Shimano had to toss up big money for an astonishing percentage of teams to use power meters that are clearly not even in the top 5 for performance (ok, they are aggressively bad), let alone value! That was unexpected, to say the least. Thanks for the peek behind the curtain! 🙂

[@Dcrainmaker]

Yup, Shimano has always hung their hat on marketing via WorldTour teams

[@chrisvanbuggenum871]

Miss your channel.

[@TrickyTree84]

Goes to show it doesn't really matter that much. Pros don't wanna ride SRAM so they'll end up with crappy power meters

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

@@TrickyTree84 more like sunk cost for Shimano. They don't belong in the PM business in my opinion. They have so much R&D and inventory tied up in this they have to shove it on every new high end bike for pros and amateurs alike to not lose their ass. I would bet money that some of the teams are using debranded power sources discretely. A pedal body, for example, can be modified simply enough, Assiomas can use the SPD style and would never be detectable to viewers. I don't fault the teams that really need those sponsor dollars for eating sh*t on those contracts, but it's garbage. Power meter accuracy is MOST important for elite riders. Let's face it, enthusiasts won't be impacted if power is off by 10% - not saying it's ok, but they don't have anything riding on it. Pros build their pacing and nutrition on these numbers damn near down to the kJ. It's honestly inexcusable and beyond anti-competitive from Shimano. I will likely always ride Shimano because they excel at their core product, but this certainly has me disappointed in their business practices. 🙄

[@andrewcockburn7484]

Pioneer made decent power meters almost a decade ago. I don't understand how Shimano could buy pioneer and still make a rubbish PM.

[@CatManDoSocial]

Great video, Ray.

[@JonathanSmith87]

I’m still rocking my Hero Session for exactly the same reasons…lightest/smallest/most aero! Great vid as always

[@Dcrainmaker]

Right on!

[@GMoneyLove]

Me too. Simple, small, light. Win.

[@PaulTomblin]

It’s too bad they overheat so badly if you try to run them for 3-4 hours on external battery. Sometimes get too hot to touch!

[@ThatJohnJohnson]

Absolutely loved this video🥳

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks, appreciate it!!!

[@johndibiase882]

Thank you I have always wanted to see all this. So Cool

[@Spicy.Dip3]

Great geekery. Thanks Ray

[@joehiatt1992]

Love this stuff

[@CreamyBone]

Great job finding the b/w to upload this 😉

[@Dcrainmaker]

Astoundingly, the hotel I'm at has astoundingly fast WiFi (and it's astoundingly cheap). In fact, my hotel doesn't have much, but it has the speeds. Uploaded 3.3GB in 4 minutes. :)

[@garyharmon5386]

Great coverage

[@Dcrainmaker]

Appreciate it!

[@ClarkDroneFilms]

If anyone is after the GoPro QR firmware, it's a feature of GoPro labs 👌 Great video, love seeing this behind the scenes stuff

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks!!!

[@h.p.734]

These bts videos are really great. Makes it feel more immersive to viewers who don't get the chance to go to the individual stages.

[@DADVNTRS]

Awesome video & insights! Your & the team staff dedication to wearing a mask in 2023 is astonishing 🙌🏼🙏🏻

[@Xhadp]

Wow that is a lot of Bolt v2s vs Roam v2s! I would have thought that it would be more leaning towards Roam v2 units. I'm guessing that the preference to Bolts is mostly due to weight and aerodynamic benefits.

[@alphatruckhouse8223]

Excellent Content ! Thank you Sir !! 👈

[@4ndrossi]

Pretty sure riders love the printed sheets as it helps them mentally break the stage down into manageable chunks. Also, it’s another thing to stop them getting bored

[@JB-uv4hm]

Bored? Clearly you’ve never pinned a #.

[@dannytranlx]

4:00 TIL about the GoPro Labs firmware and QR code configuration - really cool!

[@FredAmaya8]

The one that barely didn't make it up the last hill...LOL... Wishing Kav the best...!!

[@chrissielbeck49]

Captivating 👍🏻

[@eugeniocajiao9062]

Great video!!! You should do a video with the communication equipment they use

[@Dcrainmaker]

Yup, I’ve done some in that realm in the past, on some the Velib tracking efforts for example, but all that’s changing. More Probably again!

[@titustiger27]

what might be interesting is to do how sponsor contracts are put together.. like I wonder if the head rider has any imput in a team sponsor

[@billhulley]

Hero 5 Session is a great little camera. Sad it was discontinued, difficult to find them for a reasonable price now, even refurb. I guess ASO and Velon have a enough of a stash to keep them going until they find something better.

[@Ih8GoogleandApple]

8:35 crazy looking negative stem on that Merida bike

[@suedfrucht44]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWi0eZaif9h8r5I 9:13

[@SnappyWasHere]

Did someone catch the name of that little pump? Looks super handy being able to set a pressure and not do it with a hand pump.

[@Dcrainmaker]

It's the Fumpa mini pump, from Australia. Cheers!

[@abestoz]

Thanks

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks, much appreciated!!

[@vijayramachandran3559]

Pl talk about what smartwatches the riders are wearing and how they actually use them sometime 😊

[@CorentinHarbelot]

Super interesting report 👌🏼👌🏼

[@flo_i]

Thanks for the excellent and interesting video! Why do the teams with Shimano power meters not use secondary units, e.g. spider-based ones? Do you think Shimano forbids that contractually? How do teams cope with faulty data from such an important event?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Many teams do use secondary sources elsewhere, but not typically in the Tour de France. Contractually they're not supposed to, but sometimes Shimano will turn a blind eye on TT stages, and you see a few teams sneak something else on the bikes for that, given the higher importance of power there. But yeah, teams/riders have reached out to me regarding the Shimano issues, and it's something most of them are keenly aware of. Hopefully they're pressuring Shimano to address it in future hardware (I don't think it's fixable in current hardware).

[@jamesryan1699]

Hi could you cover all the sw the public can use to track the tour ~ ie where can I see all the rider tracking ?

[@drewd9985]

That was a far better BTS than any other channel does.

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks!!!

[@rd_rae]

Looking good in that „Photo“ vest! 😃 Would cavs RM watch also qualify as tech geekery? 😊

[@Dcrainmaker]

Hahaha, I think he’d have to loan it to me so I could validate it! 🤣

[@PaulTomblin]

@@Dcrainmaker I think Allophillipe has one as well.

[@fukairen9601]

1:34 did they use a grinder to cut the rotor chainring to fit the 4iiii powermeter??????

[@pmcmpc]

Wonder how many SRAM teams will be using the Karoo 3 next season (or by the end of this).

[@Tamanisawesome]

Anyone notice the super weird integrated bars on the Bahrain Scultura? Vision branded yet they dont make non aero integrated handlebars...

[@roadfert]

Great video! What brand was that mini inflator he was using on the tires?

[@Dcrainmaker]

It's the Fumpa Mini Pump, and Australian brand.

[@JaniOllikainen]

1:19 It's kind of weird that if those are the needs for pro's that no GPS computers supports creating the route with adding those manual nutrition and hydration alerts bounded to the route. One could then just use the GPS computer and have personalized alerts. That's pretty trivial to implement. Granted it needs UI to be able to add them based on time/distance of the course but then it's pretty easy to pop you alert when the time/distance is reached.

[@Dcrainmaker]

There's a few Connect IQ apps that kinda-sorta-barely do it, but not to the simplicity (or cleanliness of the paper). But I agree, I think there's definitely demand for it.

[@Adanteh]

Makes me almost look at Garmin SDK for this. Really would've thought something like this should be super easy, from the fairly limited offering of Connect IQ apps I imagine development is quite a pain though.

[@Kobalta]

Maybe they use both, the paper method can be the backup if the computer dies (I thought that these could be confidential data, accessible only within the team)

[@thefourthfox]

@Dcrainmaker I saw a quick clip somewhere of Jonas saying that while he trains with the larger Garmin 830/40, that he actually races with the smaller 5xx or 2xx. Can you shed any light on which model is his race computer? I can't find the clip that I saw anywhere.

[@BurgerTime7441]

I think I made a big mistake selling my GoPro session. It was years old and I thought they would sell for fairly little. I posted it for a low price without checking what they're going for. The guy that bought it was SO HAPPY 😂

[@reyskidude]

11:10 check out the Richard Mille Cav is wearing...

[@haentz]

Yeah, I also love how they till use Hero Sessions :) Guess they work just fine for what they are used for, so why change…

[@jschaffer1079]

Great video. Who makes the mini pump?

[@neilsmith6638]

Also curious to know

[@simonderoo9189]

I spy with my eye a new Ridley... Keep an eye out for the new specialized sl8, it should be tested at this tdf...

[@toober247]

So am i right in thinking it is ok for riders to have a detailed route track and mapping in their head units??

[@Seba-or9bn]

Can you add spacers on the old aeroad

[@Zane_Zaminsky]

Jumbo-Visma! 👍👏💪

[@dakilangwaiter]

We need a review of the Richard Mille Cav is wearing!

[@BETRNSX]

I’m wondering what they do with the bike computer/power meteor if they have to swap a bike mid-race? Some computers are screwed on right? Power meters are synced. So swapping a bike would mean you lose some data.

[@fepatton]

Usually you see them grab the computer and mount it on the new bike. I’ve wondered about syncing also, but I’m _guessing_ the computers are pre-paired with the replacement bikes. Would love to know for sure.

[@PaulTomblin]

I always wondered how they got footage from a 4+ hour race with a camera that only has an 80 minute battery life. Using GoPro Powertools QR codes solves the mystery.

[@Dcrainmaker]

Indeed!!

[@veryboringname.]

I'm still not clear... do they only turn it on for e.g. 10 minutes every half hour or something like that?

[@Dcrainmaker]

@@veryboringname. The QR code basically sets a time to turn on, then the camera just stays on recording till it runs out of battery (roughly an hour or so later).

[@veryboringname.]

@@Dcrainmaker Oh, right! I guess they could stagger the starting times too across the cameras to get more variety. I'm still amused they stick to such old cameras. Makes me feel better about my Session!

[@PaulTomblin]

@@veryboringname. I think it’s more than that, because they often get footage from sprint leadout riders in the final kilometer, so they must do some calculations involving estimated times to various crucial parts of the race as well. I’ve been experimenting with external batteries to record kayak races that last two or three hours but the only camera that I’ve found that can run consistently without overheating for that length of time is a Garmin VIRB360 - pity the camera quality isn’t better.

[@z_dan]

Do they use live tracking on their garmins to see each other positions ?

[@ryanivan4806]

I would love to see a stage or stages where no computers are visible or usable by the riders. They could record the ride for post ride analysis but can't use it for the ride! back to ride by feel.

[@natalietremblay5102]

Question: what happens when during the race, the rider needs to do a bike switch. Are all the cameras, computers, scan bars installed on the extra bikes or must some of the gear be changed from the bike they were using to the new bike they are getting?

[@markcoyle234]

Spare bikes don’t have cameras on them.

[@islarun4103]

The phone mp3 auto sature sound is awesomr🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😂

[@triscuitbiscuit]

With all the research into aerodynamics, I feel like the Go-Pros create a decent aerodynamic penalty. How do they decide who gets this then?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Surprisingly enough, no penalty. When we tested it years ago (the Session) it technically tested faster than the bare bike, likely due to blocking the cabling at the time. But also likely due to being within the margin of error for the tunnel: www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/03/specialized-wind-tunnel.html

[@triscuitbiscuit]

@@Dcrainmaker oh interesting. Thanks for the reply!

[@markcoyle234]

I work for Velon. We make a camera plan for a race/stage based on the nature of the race - a sprint, climb, TT - then ask the chosen teams for riders to carry the cameras.

[@mrbrg]

Interesting that the P2M meters have the NGEco battery instead of the micro-USB version.

[@rasherdk]

I miss my GoPro Session.

[@alexgonzalezMI]

Cav racing with an RM is the ultimate flex.

[@SY-ve5qm]

Is it due to the weight, no one uses peddle power meters? Not seeing many using wahoo paddles either…

[@wolfgangzil7064]

TotalEnergies secured the Garmin with the wire around the handlebar - how they manage a bike replacement until the stage??

[@bstaplet]

Why is Total Energie still on 11 speed? Seems weird to be still on that

[@mricho]

did anyone else spot Egan Bernal trying to reset his power meter in the neutral zone of stage 1. he attempted it several times. I'm guessing he and the other riders are aware of the Shimano PW issues and are trying to reduce the issue?

[@Dcrainmaker]

I didn’t see that, will have to go back and check…

[@capp81]

Hey rainmaker. What is the sensor for on the bikes front forks? Looks like they are wrapped in some kind of rubber covering or something. I can’t find anything about it. Thanks

[@Dcrainmaker]

It’s a timing sensor from the race organizer (Tour de France). Basically a race chip.

[@capp81]

Thanks for the information

[@Scheddy]

Do you think it's less 1040 due to the bugs in the software? For example losing all sensors?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Nah, I’d guess just weight savings.

[@devdroid9606]

Do those sheets need to be recharged, or are they wireless?

[@Dcrainmaker]

They only need to be recharged in the event of rain.

[@jesusgjchuza6491]

😎😎

[@WowRixter]

Are rides specifically selected to have the added weight of the cameras?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Yeah, it's a combination of Team + ASO or Velon choosing the riders.

[@WowRixter]

@@Dcrainmaker interesting. I don't imagine its ever a protected rider 😉

[@markcoyle234]

It’s rarely if ever on a GC rider but it wouldn’t make sense really because they’re the guys people want to see on the cameras.

[@WowRixter]

@@markcoyle234 true. Hadn't thought of that

[@echtogammut]

I assume Cav takes off the RM before the race start?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Nope, he went straight out. The photos I took were seconds before he started, and he rode away from me as I took photos.

[@BETRNSX]

Is Cav wearing a Richard Mille watch?

[@bobicabayo]

The nutrition/hidration stocker is interesting

[@Dcrainmaker]

So much so that I ended up writing an entire post about it today after getting even more details: www.dcrainmaker.com/2023/07/tour-de-france-tidbits-sticker-tech.html

[@buzzman4860]

👍

[@dashie4yt]

How do they manage the GoPro battery life during all the ride?

[@Dcrainmaker]

It's all pre-timed, so they just turn it on for specific chunks of time via the QR code, to keep it within the battery limits.

[@daveallenwex1962]

Andy McGuire of Wexford Wheelers CC … at 3:45 in his role for Velon … clubman

[@jkotsche7035]

Hey DCR, None of the teams use Assioma? What is your conjecture?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Nope. It's roughly 90% due to Favero not wanting to pay ~$130-150K (or more), and about 10% due to riders being very picky on pedal types. Doing power meter pedals has always been tricky with pro riders. Garmin tried years ago, and basically go into 'challenges' with the pro teams. Wahoo has had more success on the women's side last year (this year too), and in fact, so did Favero with one team as well.

[@jkotsche7035]

@@Dcrainmaker Is it fair to say you use Assioma as the gold standard when testing power meter products? @EverythingIsPhotogenic (below) makes a good point re: Shimano. Go Bills!!! It would seem power analysis might be suspect. The use of video blew me away. It would be interesting to see the pushing and shoving up close. Blackbox for cycling. It would be great if you could review the video technology. Thanks

[@Dcrainmaker]

@@jkotsche7035 Yeah, I find the Favero Assioma/Garmin Rally/Wahoo Powerlink to be all pretty much equal as reference products. They all have their tiny little quirks to be aware of (in different ways), but in my testing I can use any of the three without any concern. Likewise, I can generally depend on Quarq/SRAM and Power2Max as good reference units. Not excluding others, just what comes to mind first.

[@natheirabu-dahab1446]

8:37 new Vision one piece cockpit?

[@richardcarr6493]

I M SHOCKED at how many skinny tubed bikes l just seen ??!! Usually we ve been shown fat heavy aero tubed bikes on every other video NICE TO SEE ACTUALLY . SOO WHO MAKES THE BEST POWER METER ??

[@TheConcreteblock]

Interesting you mention SRM’s fall from grace, what happened?

[@Dcrainmaker]

They became overpriced (2-3x their competitor), and then argueably even more important, their competitors became way more accurate (especially in temp shifting situations), and finally, their competitors added more features (eg Bluetooth, more data, etc)…

[@JamesBriano]

Meanwhile, only one team is using a Campagnolo groupset... a French team on a Swiss bike. 🤔

[@mlaw1983]

With the trackers on the back of each bike, if a rider need a bike change, do they no longer have a tracker at that point?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Correct.

[@mlaw1983]

Thank you!

[@shumlai1506]

Why not use the Drift cameras for more streamlining? The GoPro cameras are so wide and flat.