Bikes and Team Innovations of the Tour, with Specialized

Their focus on aerodynamics, lightweight materials, and customized setups often means the difference between winning and losing a stage or even the entire Tour. Let’s take a detailed look into the innovation, research, and design behind these elite machines, exploring how Soudal-Quickstep, SD Worx, and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leverage cutting-edge technology to gain an edge in the world's most prestigious cycling race.

Specialized’s World Tour Presence in 2025

For 2025, Specialized sponsors three prominent World Tour teams: SD Worx, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, and Soudal-Quickstep. This lineup provides Specialized a strong presence across various race strategies, focusing on both sprint-oriented setups and all-around climbing machines. Each team brings a unique approach to utilizing Specialized’s advanced Tarmac SL8 and high-performance equipment, cementing their role as a major innovator in the sport.

The Specialized Tarmac SL8

The 2025 season sees three teams riding Specialized bikes, with all of them mainly riding the latest in the Tarmac series of pro road bikes, the SL8. This all-rounder aero and climbing bike is employed by Soudal-Quickstep, SD Worx and the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teams. The bike is the perfect blend of lightweight climbing ability and aerodynamic efficiency, designed to perform on every terrain the Tour throws at them. With a FACT 12r carbon frame, integrated cables, and the iconic Aerofly II handlebars, the Tarmac SL8 cuts through the wind, allowing riders to maintain optimal speed with minimal drag.

Aggressive, race-proven geometry helps each rider keep in an optimal aero position throughout the race, with a seamless integrated cockpit keeping the bike as clean and aerodynamic as possible.

A Customizable and Optimized Bike

There’s no point having an optimal and aerodynamic rider position if the rider isn’t able to keep in the position for the duration of the race. The true art is in balancing aero optimization with rider preference, to make sure each rider can perform at their very best at every moment of the race.

Riders like Fabio Jakobsen, known for his sprinting prowess, prefer a stiffer setup, while climbers like Mikel Landa opt for a more compliant ride. Specialized’s Body Geometry fit system allows each rider to have a frame and component setup tailored to their flexibility and power output.

Powerful Component Combinations

Both Soudal-Quickstep and SD Worx combine Roval wheels with Specialized Turbo Cotton tires. The specific set-up is always tuned to specific stages, with different demands and forces on the wheels depending on the terrain and route profiles. For Soudal-Quickstep, Roval’s CLX 64 wheels for are favored flat stages, offering a deep rim profile for maximum aerodynamic benefit, while the CLX 32 are swapped in for climbing days to shave off precious grams.

One standout component on Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s bikes is the use of the S-Works Power Mirror saddle, a marvel of 3D-printed technology. The Mirror technology provides unparalleled pressure relief and support, allowing riders to maintain a stable position and conserve energy on long rides.

Electronic Shifting has long become a standard with World Tour teams, with both Soudal-Quickstep and SD Worx riders using Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2 groupets, ensuring the most efficient, fast and effective shifts, even under the thousands of watts a top sprinter will be putting out in the closing section of a race.

The Bigger Picture: What Do These Innovations Mean?

The key to the extremely high performance of all World Tour teams is the fine balance between weight, aerodynamics, and comfort—each component is chosen based on rider preference, stage profiles, and weather conditions. When all added up, the material effects can make a real difference.

Aerodynamic Gains: Reduced drag can save up to 20 watts of power at high speeds.

Weight Optimization: Every 100 grams saved translates to significant gains on uphill stages.

Electronics Integration: Precision shifting, and real-time data tracking help riders make split-second decisions.

While Soudal-Quickstep focuses on outright speed and sprinting power, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe emphasizes versatility and rider-specific adaptations. This contrast in approach reflects the diversity of the Tour de France itself—an event where every stage demands a unique strategy, and every second counts.

As the Tour heads into another thrilling season, the bikes of Soudal-Quickstep, SD Works, and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe will undoubtedly be in the spotlight. With ever-evolving technology, we can’t wait to see how these innovations play out on the road. After all, the Tour de France is not just a race of legs and lungs, but of precision machines designed for victory.