The Tour de France is a hotbed for new cycling tech. Companies are all over the world's biggest bike race with their new gear, as, after all, it's cycling's biggest stage for a bit of marketing.
So it's no surprise that when a rider gets hold of one of the prestigious jerseys of the Tour, their bike and kit sponsor roll out the custom kit to really show off while they have the spotlight.
But some definitely get it more right than others, so we decided to take a look at the best and worst Tour de France bike/jersey combinations.
The Best...
1. Thomas Voeckler, 2011
Colnago class from Thomas Voeckler (Photo: Watson)
(Image credit: Watson)
Not too little, not too much, Thomas Voeckler has nailed it with the almost golden paintjob of his Colnago C59. Combined with the Campagnolo five arm chainset and box section wheels: lovely.
2. Cadel Evans, 2010
Less is more for Cadel (Photo: Watson)
(Image credit: Watson)
The understated yellow of Cadel Evans's bike in 2010 just looks class, doesn't it? So good that we can even overlook the clashes with the fluorescent yellow shoes and black and red shorts.
3. Fabian Cancellara, 2012
Quality rider, quality bike (Photo: Sunada)
(Image credit: Sunada)
Understated in everything but his dominant riding, the plain yellow of Fabian Cancellara's Trek combines perfectly with the deep section black wheels.
4. Marco Pantani, 1998
Pantani's Bianchi: an icon of modern cycling (Photo: Watson)
(Image credit: Graham Watson)
Not strictly a Tour de France customisation as Pantani rode this bike throughout the 1998 season, the celeste and yellow really shouldn't work, but somehow it does. Even with the yellow tyres and yellow shoes, this is an iconic look.
It's the little touches that make all the difference for Froome (Photo: Watson)
(Image credit: Watson)
In Chris Froome's previous stints in the yellow jersey he's added more and more yellow touches to his bike as the Tour has progressed. Early in the race and the little details such as the yellow cable housing looks great.
Watch: our favourite cycling jerseys of all time
... And The Worst
1. Thomas Voeckler, 2012
Wrong in oh so many ways (Photo: Watson)
(Image credit: Watson)
Tommy V goes from hero to zero with this polka dot bike, complete with polka dot wheels and even a polka dot seatpost. Still, nothing can be quite as bad as those polka dot shorts.
2. Peter Sagan, 2012
Peter Sagan: never a man to do things by halves (Photo: Watson)
(Image credit: Watson)
Peter Sagan had every right to be happy about his first green jersey triumph in 2012, but plain black wheels and a black stem would have looked better with the lovely green frame.
Almost there apart from the wheels, hoods, and pedals (Photo: Watson)
(Image credit: Watson)
A black bike with yellow decals should work, but something about Vincenzo Nibali's machine doesn't quite look right. Maybe black hoods, pedals, wheels and bottle cages would have been better.
4. Pierre Rolland, 2013
Pierre Rolland has been spending too much time with Thomas Voeckler (Photo: Watson)
(Image credit: Watson)
Obviously egged on by his teammate Voeckler, Pierre Rolland gets the chicken pox Colnago out for a spin.
5. Alberto Contador, 2010
Yellow cranks? Really? (Photo: Watson)
(Image credit: Watson)
Where do we start really? A yellow frame was never going to work that well with red and pink details anyway, but has then taken things way too far with the yellow pedals and cranks.
Someone at Ridley needs to check the colour palette (Photo: Watson)
(Image credit: Watson)
On the face of it, this doesn't look too bad, but then you notice that the paint is a slightly darker green to the jersey, and the red decals on the Campag wheels clash horribly.
7. Carlos Sastre, 2008
Come on Carlos, put in some effort (Photo: Watson)
Maybe the Saxo Bank mechanics were good mates with the Schleck brothers, but they certainly weren't putting much effort into helping Carlos Sastre celebrating the greatest day of his career in 2008.
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Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
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