It’s not every day you get the chance to see some of the sport’s greatest names just up the road from your home, competing in the Tour of Britain 2022.
However, as we crawled through a monsoon north of Laurencekirk the question was; ‘will it be worthwhile getting out of the car?’
Fortunately, by the time we got to Union Street it was just drizzle, not cold but grey and understandably not conducive to riders wanting to stand and chat…
First stop was the Trinity team, we had wanted a chat with US Criterium Champion and Lincoln GP winner, Luke Lamperti but like most, he was keeping cosy in the camper until the last moment.
Now, those Trinity Specializeds with the pink seat posts and green lettering – a tad, ‘too Rapha’ for old hands like us.
None of that trendy stuff for those Bingoal-Pauwels-Sauces WB ProTeam boys; nice machines though from cult Italian company, De Rosa – Ugo De Rosa was the man who taught Eddy Merckx about frame building after the Baron had retired as a rider and was staring his bike business.
‘Punching above their weight’ ProTeam, Uno X ride Taiwanese ‘DARE’ frames, they’re your typical Far Eastern proposition but claim to offer excellent value by cutting out the middle men and selling direct from the factory.
We liked the understated paint job on BORA hansgrohe’s Specialized, no pink there…
Equipe continentale Groupama-FDJ man, Sam Watson steps up to the World Tour next year; this year he’s the won the u23 Gent-Wevelgem, stages in the Course de Paix and Tour Alsace as well as a raft of podiums – he’s riding here at the Tour of Britain for the GB team.
His Lapierre displays their ‘triple triangle’ design frame, it’s not new, Lotto rode GT frames to this design some 20 years ago – and even before that English builder, Hetchins produced a frame to the same configuration, the idea being that it gives a much stiffer frame than the traditional twin triangle design.
Long term Campagnolo adherents, Movistar have jumped ship to SRAM, probably because SRAM supply components to the big teams on a free of charge basis whilst Campagnolo and Shimano require the groupsets to be bought at ‘cost’ price – unless you’re INEOS, that is…
US team Human Powered Health, formerly Rally Cycling, ride Felts; Jim Felt started the company back in 1994 and they’re one of the original ‘aero’ bike pioneers – and we do like a bit of orange on a machine.
The front thru axle doesn’t require an Allen key, you just twist the lever – like those 60’s ‘butterfly’ wing nuts.
Calum Johnston’s Caja Rural team ride Spanish [naturally] MMR frames, we love the paint jobs.
ProTeam Bardiani-CSF-Faizane caused a huge upset back in June when their 23 years-old Filippo Zana took the Italian Elite Road Race Championship ahead of the World Tour favourites – Team BikeExchange have snapped him up for the next three years.
We liked his Cipollini, not ‘overly blinged.’
Ribble supplied any of their riders who were competing in the Commonwealth Games with ‘trick’ silver paint job specials, this one belongs to Grenada road race and time trial champion, Red Walters.
Ribble are far from out of their depth in terms of bike design, even in the presence of the World Tour teams – their ‘direct mount’ brake lev