Highlighted by the rainbow stripes earned for the world championship title he won last year, Team Columbia's Bert Grabsch and his Scott Plasma TT bike are a potent duo.


The team time trial in Montpellier is where Cadel Evans probably lost the Tour de France. His Canyon TT bike stands apart from all the other Silence/Lotto team bikes (actually, all the bikes really) with one radical  innovation...


...check out how and where the stem mounts - thru the head tube. Apparently, Cadel is an authentic Aussie low rider who likes a really, really low position and no amount of a negative drop on a traditional mount stem could get him to his desired position. Crazy eh?  


It seems strange, even a tad primitive, that moments before their team trial effort the riders can chose between either standing or sittinng on a small metal curb in the sun. You'd think that since this is the biggest bike race in the world that the organizers might throw in an EZ-up tent or some folding chairs.


Yet moments the riders all assemble on the start block and look as professionaly nurtured and focused as possible.


Shimano's trick electronic Di-2 TT shifters were in abundance.


On the other end of the spectrum, besides a couple of Agritubel riders, there weren't many people running Sram Red road levers on their TT bikes. Strange indeed.


Here's the template that every bike raced in Montpellier first had to be be measured against to ensure that it's dimensions met the morphological standards set by the UCI.   


The backward thinking UCI technical committee continues to do all it can to thwart bicycle technology from advancing. Both the vague rules and oftentimes comical actions by UCI officials at the race were the source of many a shared, but painful laugh.



Now, take a look at the TT photo gallery brought to you by the need for speed and with fond memories of Walter Cronkite....