When most teams lose their star performer, in almost every sport it tends to ‘sink the ship’ and for the rest of the competition they lack any drive or direction.

But most teams aren’t Tinkoff Saxo…

With The GC favourite Alberto Contador out of the race (not before riding 20km on a broken tibia!) instead of riding with their tails between their legs Tinkoff Saxo have seen all the opportunities available to them and grabbed them with both hand.

For Sportful it has been especially exciting to see some of our latest R&D products helping the athletes breakaway faster, climb higher and make history.

 

RAFAL MAJKA – ULTRALIGHT

The R&D Ultralight Jersey was designed to be as lightweight and breathable as possible for those super hot days climbing in the mountains where your body temperature could be the difference between winning and ending up in the broom wagon with a sore head and a big thirst.

It’s a semi open DiabloMesh that allows the skin to breathe without exposing it to the sun, in fact it filters 90% of UV rays, making it more protective than a cotton t-shirt! It’s best worn without a baselayer to help with the breathability and the lightweight full zip means that should you really need to, you can let it all hang out in the fresh air (yes you Rafal).

Using the BodyFit race sleeves it’s still super comfortable and very aerodynamic, since the jersey is so light (under 100g) we’ve also added a bit of support to the pocket area to make sure all your supplies stay in place.

For Rafal, on the hot and humid stage 14 it helped keep him cool and collected, ready for his final attack on the 12.6km climb to Risoul where he became the second Polish rider ever to win a tour stage and took enough points to help him lead the KOM competition on the next stage.

All this from a guy that was a last minute addition to the Tour team… BIG things to come from him in the future!

 

 

MICHAEL ROGERS – SPEEDSKIN

With Michael Rogers the name of the game is ‘the breakaway’ – whether it’s 229km from the finish (stage 11, Giro d’Italia 2014) or in the last 4.5km of the stage to Bagneres de Luchon, Rogers knows that the faster he can put space between him and his rivals, the more likely it is that the break will stick.

The R&D Speedskin has been developed with Tinkoff Saxo to give their athletes an aerodynamic advantage against the rest of the peloton. Using 3 different fabrics to control the way air flows over the riders body makes the jersey cut through the air like nothing else, the smooth CruiseSpeed material allows airflow to pass cleanly over the frontal area, detaching from the rider when it hits the 3D structured back panel. Combined with a totally dialled fit gives it a 20w saving over the next fastest jersey we tested at 50km/h in the wind tunnel… and we tested everything we could find!

That means Michael is saving energy throughout the stage and he’s able to get a faster jump on his rivals when it matters.

At the bottom of the Porte de Bales when Rogers looked around, he knew he was going to be the fastest.

Here’s Michael’s quote before the stage –

‘I’m not a big fan of riding 230km into a headwind with a couple of guys. It doesn’t make any sense to me’

After riding 205 tour stages, this is his first win…

Dear Michael… Stop Making Sense!