SRAM will equip two of its three Tour de France teams with its new Red 22 Hydro R groupset for tomorrow’s final stage in Paris.
British champion, Mark Cavendish, has used the new SRAM Hydraulic Road Rim (HRR) brakes on some stages (the Manx Missile has had five bikes at his disposal, two HRR-equipped) since the opening day of the hundredth Tour, and his Omega Pharma-QuickStep team-mate, Tony Martin, has used the full 11-speed groupset since stage 16.
Now their OPQS team-mates and Alberto Contador’s Saxo-Tinkoff squad will have machines with the new equipment placed at their disposal for Sunday’s final stage into Paris. There has been no announcement on the equipment Cannondale Pro Cycling will use tomorrow.
Each team will have Specialized Tarmac and Venge bikes with the full Red 22 HydroR groupset, including the HRR brakes, on stand-by. A SRAM spokesmen said the riders would make the final call on whether to use the new brakes.
Both teams use wheels and finishing kit from SRAM subsidiary, Zipp. The shallow, Zipp 202 tubular has been used by Alberto Contador on mountainous stages, while Cavendish has used a selection of Firecrest 404 wheels. Martin used the 808 up front en route to victory in the stage 11 time trial.
We brought you exclusive first pictures of the Manx Missile testing HRR on his signature Specialized S-Works Venge before the opening stage in Corsica.
SRAM have revealed that Cavendish tested a 10-speed “black box” version of the HRR brakes on a test ride in Glasgow before winning the national road race championships last month. The version brought to market is 11-speed (the shifting and braking are linked by the housing of the hydraulic fluid master cylinder in the dual control lever).
Martin, the world time trial champion and winner of stage 11, is another convert. A Specialized Tarmac equipped with the SRAM Red 22 Hydro R groupset was placed at the German’s disposal on the second rest day and he has ridden it since, as shown in our exclusive pictures from photographer, Roz Jones.
SRAM received the all-clear for its hydraulic rim brakes from the sport’s world governing body, the UCI, in June, but only met with OPQS and Saxo-Tinkoff mechanics during the second week of the Tour for a two-day building and training session.
