Photo gallery: the bikes of the 2016 Tour de France - Road Cycling UK

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Photo gallery: the bikes of the 2016 Tour de France

From Fabian Cancellara's retirement present to Marcel Kittel's one-off Specialized Venge ViAS

The Tour de France is not only cycling’s biggest race, but also the sport’s biggest shop window, with the eyes of millions of fans on the riders – and their bikes – through July.

It’s little surprise, then, that bike manufacturers use the race to show off their latest and greatest wares, and that also means custom paintjobs for some of the top riders in the race.

The Tour de France puts both riders and their equipment in the spotlight (Pic: Sirotti)

This year’s edition is no different, with Fabian Cancellara riding a custom Trek Madone to celebrate his final appearance in the Tour de France, Chris Froome getting a unique Pinarello Dogma F8 and Marcel Kittel on board a one-off Specialized Venge ViAS to name just three machine which caught our eye.

You can see all three in the bumper photo gallery below, along with plenty more bikes snapped on stage four.

Fabian Cancellara is riding the final Tour de France of his 16-year professional career and the Swiss legend gets to do it on this custom Trek Madone. The latest version of the Madone was introduced ahead of the 2015 Tour and is Trek's aero road machine. As a result, it's dripping in aerodynamic features, from the one-piece handlebar/stem to the proprietary integrated brakes. However, it's not all the latest tech - Cancellara is one of a handful of riders in the pro peloton to prefer a mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace groupset to Di2.
Cancellara has earned the nickname Spartacus and that's plastered across the downtube, while the pearl white paintjob includes flashes of colour which represent the teams the 35-year-old has raced for (Mapei-Quick Step, Fasso Bortolo, Team CSC, Leopard Trek and Trek-Segafredo). Cancellara's biggest wins are also listed on the bike, including his three Paris-Roubaix wins, three Tour of Flanders triumphs and 2008 Milan-San Remo title.
Trek–Segafredo riders have three bikes at their disposal. Besides the aero Madone, there's also the recently updated Domane SLR endurance bike, though with no cobbles in this year's race that's likely to stay in the mechanics' truck, and, pictured here, the super-light Emonda SLR. Being a climber, that's the bike of choice for Bauke Mollema, who has finished in the top ten of the last three Tours.
Team Sky leader and defending champion Chris Froome is another rider to get a custom paintjob for the Tour de France. Froome's Pinarello Dogma F8 sports a rhino on the headtube, in reference to the two-time winner's African roots and his support of the Unite for Wildlife charity, while there's also a 'Froomey' graphic on the toptube.
Froome may be among the riders vying for the yellow jersey but French team Direct Energie have a fleet of yellow BH bikes for the race. You'll see Thomas Voeckler gurning on one of these throughout the race.
Fortuneo-Vital Concept is another of the French wildcard entries into the race and the squad of British sprinter Dan McLay, pictured here, rides LOOK 795 Aerolight bikes. They have a special paintjob to celebrate 30 years since Greg LeMond claimed the first Tour victory on a carbon fibre bike, the LOOK KG86. McLay has had an impressive start to his Tour debut, finishing in the top ten on three of the opening four stages.
Another top rider, another custom paintjob - this time for green jersey elect Peter Sagan. At the moment, Sagan is keeping the yellow jersey warm, but the Slovak is surely destined for a fifth consecutive points jersey - he's finished no lower than fourth in the opening four stages of the 2016 race. Sagan's Specialized Venge ViAS pays tribute to Sagan's status as world champion.
Marcel Kittel's Etixx-QuickStep team is also sponsored by Specialized and the German sprinter, winner of stage four, is another to ride the Venge ViAS aero bike, this time in a silver finish with detailing which draws inspiration from Kittel’s Harley Davidson motorbike.
Not to be outdone, Alberto Contador also gets a custom-painted Specialized. However, the two-time winner rides the Tarmac, which places more emphasis on low weight than aerodynamics. The yellow, pink and red detailing on Contador's bike references his victories in cycling's three Grand Tours - the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana.
Canyon sponsor the Katusha and Movistar teams, with Katusha's sprinter, Alexander Kristoff, getting a custom Aeroad in the colours of the Norwegian national flag. Kristoff won two stages of the 2014 race but has finished no higher than fifth in the opening three sprint stages of the 2016 contest.
Two-time Tour de France runner-up Nairo Quintana must feel left out - there's no custom paintjob for the Movistar rider. He's on Canyon's super-light frame, the Ultimate CF SLX.
Cofidis switched to Orbea bikes in 2015 and the Orbea Orca of Geoffrey Soupe stands out from the crowd. Why? It's a prototype of the latest version of the Spanish firm's race bike.
Adam Yates in one of eight British riders in the 2016 Tour and the 23-year-old is astride a Scott Addict for the race. Yates is one of British cycling's hottest prospects and will be targeting a stage win in the mountains.
While Yates favours the featherweight Addict, his Orica-BikeExchange team-mate, Michael Albasini prefers the Foil, which is Scott's aero bike. That's a choice most riders have to make - between their sponsor's climbing bike or aero bike.
Battle-scarred Giant-Alpecin rider Laurens Ten Dam will be chasing another top ten finish in the Tour, having finished ninth in 2014. The Dutchman rides the Giant TCR Advanced Pro, as opposed to the aero Propel.
Lampre-Merida is another team with both aero and lightweight bikes in the mechanics' truck. Unsurprisingly, Italian lead-out man Davide Cimolai uses the aerodynamic Reacto Evo, rather than the Scultura, which is one of the lightest frames in the peloton at a claimed 740g.
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