Fabian Cancellara poses with his custom Specialized ahead of stage two (pic: fotoreporter sirotti)

There’s a long tradition of bike manufacturers supplying custom bicycles for their sponsored riders when they’re wearing the yellow jersey in the Tour de France, and 2009 is no different, as these photos of race leader Fabian Cancellara’s yellow Specialized proves.

Following his convincing win in the Monaco Prologue on Saturday and subsequently taking the yellow jersey for the start of stage 2, the Swiss rider was handed a specially painted Specialized SL3 moments before the start of the stage.

The entire frame and fork has been painted yellow, but that’s not all. SRAM supplied yellow painted SRAM RED components, including yellow hoods, and Zipp willingly sorted some yellow decals for the 404 wheels. Shame Speedplay didn’t give the rider a pair of yellow pedals to finish the bike off nicely…

The yellowness didn’t just extend to the bike components. Nope, there was also a yellow Bell Volt helmet and of course a pair of yellow Oakley Radar glasses.

Thanks to www.theroaddiaries.com for the photos.

SRAM prepared a load of yellow RED components

Also getting jiggy with the yellow was wheel supplier Zipp