We just got up close with the Tour de France leader's bike, Julian Alaphilippe's Specialized S-Works Tarmac Disc

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Tour de France Alaphilippe bike Specialized Tarmac leader yellow

  • The leader of the Tour de France wears a yellow jersey, and it’s something of a modern tradition for his bike to have bits of yellow highlight as well.
  • The current race leader is the fast Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe of the Belgian Deceuninck-QuickStep team, which rides US-based Specialized bikes, including the S-Works Tarmac, pictured.
  • We got a few minutes with Alaphilippe’s bike on Bastille Day. Check out the photos below.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

SAINT-ÉTIENNE, France — France’s Julian Alaphilippe is the current leader of the Tour de France, and this is his main race bike, which we shot Sunday morning, Bastille Day, in the stage-nine start town of Saint-Étienne. 

The fast Frenchman rides a Specialized S-Works Tarmac, a lightweight all-round carbon-fiber race bike with Shimano Dura-Ace components including disc brakes and electronic shifting, or Di2.

Specialized is an American company based in California; Alaphilippe’s Deceuninck-QuickStep team is a Belgian powerhouse of cycling.

Check out Alaphilippe’s Tarmac with yellow touches below.

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It’s a tradition that the leader of the Tour sport some yellow on his bike. Alaphilippe’s Tarmac has yellow bar tape and computer mount.

Each rider has a number plate attached to his seat post. Alaphilippe is rider No. 21. The No. 3 represents the number of stage wins he has in the Tour in his career.

Some Tour leaders’ bikes go overboard with yellow. We like that the Frenchman’s has not too much.

Each Tour rider’s bike has a transponder attached to the chain stay. It relays the rider’s location and start/finish time.

Alaphilippe’s Shimano gears run from an 11-tooth cog for the sprints up to a 30-tooth cog for the climbs.

The yellow bottle cages by Tacx complement the tape.

Alaphilippe opts for 50-centimeter-profile carbon aero wheels by Roval, a Specialized brand. The tires are also by Specialized: These are the S-Works Turbos, 26mm tubular tires, which are glued onto the rim.

The fast Frenchman rides a Specialized EVO saddle, which features a cut-out for added comfort.

The Specialized S-Works Tarmac retails for $11,000, but Alaphilippe’s bike in this build would costs a bit more.

How long can Alaphilippe stay in yellow? Stay tuned.



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