photography by Ronan Mc Laughlin

A hot and dusty day of carnage on the cobbles left one winner and many losers in the GC battle for the 2022 Tour de France. But as we mentioned in our Roubaix stage tech preview, the mechanics are often left with the roughest end of the stick before a visit to the fabled pavé.

As predicted, though, many mechanics had a slightly easier day than previous visits to the Department du Nord. As the ‘everyday’ team bikes become more versatile, fewer adaptions are needed for the occasional trip over the rough stuff of Northern France. Furthermore, with a comparatively short 19 km of pave today – as compared to the 50 km of Paris-Roubaix – a less exciting tech day was destined to be on the cards.

Apart from tyre changes and the odd double wrap bar tape, for most riders, it was a case of ‘as you were’ on the tech front. Still, though, we spotted some interesting tech choices in the start village. Here’s a few highlights.

photography by Ronan Mc Laughlin