The build-up to the Tour de France typically sees a number of high-profile bike launches from some of the biggest brands in cycling. This year saw new bikes released from Specialized, Trek, Merida, LOOK, Orbea, Colnago, Lapierre and BMC. However, one bike to break cover at the Tour de France – but yet to be officially unveiled – is this Giant Propel Disc belonging to the green jersey holder, Michael Matthews.
Matthews arrived at the 2017 Tour de France as one of three sprinters with a disc-equipped bike at their disposal, along with Marcel Kittel (Specialized Venge ViAS Disc) and Alexander Kristoff (Canyon Aeroad CF SLX Disc). However, while all of Kittel’s five stage wins came aboard that Venge ViAS Disc, Matthews’ two wins to date have been on Giant’s all-round race bike, the TCR Advanced SL.
That may be because both of Matthews’ victories have come on medium mountain stages and he prefers the lighter TCR for that terrain. However, Matthews did use the Propel Disc on stage seven, a flat stage, when the Sunweb sprinter finish third behind Kittel and Edvald Boasson Hagen (pictured above).
Still, as a disc-equipped aero bike, Matthews’ Giant Propel Disc is one of the most interesting bikes at the Tour de France, so let’s take a closer look.
