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TECH NEWS
Tour Tech 2016: Thomas De Gendt’s polka dot Ridley Helium SL
Amid all the drama of yesterday’s stage of the Tour de France that saw the yellow jersey, Chris Froome, running up Mont Ventoux, it’s worth remembering that Belgian Thomas de Gendt not only won the stage but also claimed the iconic polka dot jersey.
- Chris Froome runs up Mont Ventoux
To mark the achievement, Ridley, Belgian bicycle company that sponsors De Gendt’s Lotto-Soudal team, has pulled this custom painted Helium SL frame out of the hat. The stock paint job has been replaced by the red dots of alternating size over a white background.
The team mechanics have also added red and white bar tape and red Campagnolo hoods to match the paint job. Luckily, the red Selle Italia and Campagnolo Bora Ultra rim decals now match the jersey as well.
How long will De Gendt keep the polka dot jersey? Your guess is as good as ours. Aside from the paint job, the bike is the same Helium SL frameset, the lightest frame Ridley offers and equipped with a Campagnolo Super Record EPS groupset, Bora Ultra wheels with Continental tyres, Deda stem and handlebar and a Selle Italia saddle.
De Gendt also won the price of the most aggressive rider as well, so he’ll ride today’s time trial with red numbers on his new polka dot jersey.
Is the paint job too much? What do you think?
David has worked on the road.cc tech team since July 2012. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds.
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Hi All, Another update - I've decided to leave the wheel upgrade. Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment.