The Bikes of the Tour + Bonus Movie

   Every year during the Tour de France we get edge of the seat racing, heartbreak and triumph. We also get some SWEET SWEET BIKE PORN. And I'm not talking about the Stradalli photoshoot. I'm talking about seeing the newest and most awesome bikes! This year is no exception.

Current leader Vincenzo Nibali's S-Works

   Here's a breakdown of the teams and their chosen rides:

1. Ag2r La Mondiale - Focus Bikes Izalco Max
2. Astana are backed - Specialized Tarmac (Nibali's bike above)
3. Belkin - Bianchi Oltre XR2
4. BMC - BMC TeamMachine SLR01
5. Bretagne-Séché Environnement - Kemo Bikes KE-R8 5KS
6. Cannondale - SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod
7. Cofidis - Look Bicycles 695 Aero
8. Europecar - Colnago C60 and V1-r
9. FDJ.fr - Lapierre Xelius EFI Ultimate
10. Garmin-Sharp - Cervelo S3
11. Giant Shimano - Giant Propel Advanced SL
12. IAM Cycling - Scott Addict
13. Katusha - Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 and Aeroad CF SLX
14. Lampre - Merida Reacto and Scultura SL
15. Lotto-Belisol - Ridley Noah FAST and Helium SL
16. Movistar - Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 and Aeroad CF 9.0 Team
17. NetApp-Endura - Fuji Transonic
18. Omega Pharma-Quick Step - Tarmac, Venge and Roubaix SL4
19. Orica – Greenedge - Scott Foil and Addict
20. Sky - Pinarello Dogma F8
21. Tinkoff-Saxo - Specialized Tarmac and Roubaix SL4
22. Trek Factory Racing - Trek Émonda

   So we got 22 teams, and 19 brands represented. Thanks to Road.cc for a very in depth article on each team and their bikes.

   Some bikes and teams of note:

• Bretagne-Séché Environnement is apparently a French waste treatment company, riding the not-so-well-known Kemo Bikes KE-R8 5KS. Love me a dark horse. 

Kemo Bikes KE-R8 5KS

• The team Cofidis Look 695 Aero is a bad ass looking bike, with some color styling harking back to their roots: 

Look KG 171

2014 Tour de France 695

• Team Lampre on the Meridas marks that bike manufacturers first foray into pro racing. Which is great since they're a huge company (for example, they own Specialized) About time they manned up and sponsored a team!
• Worth mentioning that Cannondale's bikes are pretty off the shelf THAT'S RIGHT THEIR BIKES ARE THAT AWESOME
• Nearly half the teams (10) are using Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic shifters. Neat to see this technology in the big races. 

   All very cool things from the top teams. Lastly, here's some awesome footage of what it's like to be in the pack at The Tour: