The 111th Tour de France has been one to forget so far for Lidl-Trek. The bad news of Tao Geoghegan Hart not starting due to illness was further compounded by the abandon of Mads Pedersen ahead of stage eight following his crash on stage five’s bunch finish.
However, Jasper Stuyven has proved himself to be in fine form, almost taking the win on stage nine's electric gravel stage aboard his new Trek Madone. With 10 seconds over the chasing bunch with just 2km to go it looked to be a done deal, and if it hadn’t been for a driving effort by EF Education’s Ben Healy he might have stayed clear.
Stuyven’s new Trek Madone launched just ahead of the Tour de France, making Trek the latest manufacturer (see also: Specialized) to merge its aero and lightweight platforms. The new Trek Madone cannibalises the Trek Émonda, marking the end for an iconic lightweight racing bike.
The eighth generation Madone’s frame tubing is distinct from the outgoing version, with Trek opting for smaller tubing over the bulky kammtail shapes used previously on both the Madone and the Émonda. The new tubing is broader and squatter which Trek says makes it as light as the outgoing Émonda but as aero as the previous generation Madone.
Introduced on the seventh generation Madone, the distinctive IsoFlow (read: aero hole) remains, albeit shrunken in size to reduce weight and improve performance. It has an additional benefit of improving comfort – an 80% increase in vertical compliance, according to Trek – which Stuyven would have valued across stage nine’s lumpy gravel sections.
Other neat features include aero bottles and bottle cages, which Trek claims save 3.7 watts when riding at 45kph. It’s technology typically seen in triathlon racing, although it’s not the first time we’ve seen riders using aero bottles at this tour, with Mark Cavendish also using them when he rode to his record-breaking 35th stage win.
Elsewhere, the aero frame is further complemented by Bontrager’s Aeolus 62mm rims front and rear. These are shod with Pirelli’s P Zero Race TLR RS tyres set up tubeless.
Stuyven is using Trek’s RSL Aero one-piece handlebar and stem with its distinctive negative degree curve. When equipped with SRAM’s new Red AXS hoods it provides quite the lengthy reach.
There’s significant flare on the levers of the SRAM Red groupset, which will make braking easier from the drops.
Also visible is the new ‘Bonus Button’ which Stuyven could use to control his cycling computer or as a sprint shifter when riding in the drops.
Stuyven is pushing a 54/41 chainring on the flat stages, although he is likely to reduce those ratios in the mountains.
The frame is made up in the eye-catching colours of Lidl-Trek, making it an easy spot in the professional peloton.
