Some of the CSC bikes featured a new prototype Full Speed Ahead asymmetrical chainring, with high point adjustability and an aero carbon fiber laminate over the alloy rings.


Oakley debuted a new version of the Racing Jacket, with today's stage two winner Thor Hushovd (here), and George Hincapie at the Grand Depart in Brest. Oakley's Steve Blick told me that the Racing Jacket has a quick-release lens replacement system: a pivoting nosepiece system doubles as a quick-release system for fast, easy lens swaps.


Being Italian means being on the cutting edge of fashion. Damiano Cunego's Wilier shows white (on the stem) is the new black, and that red spokes on his Fulcrum wheels add a bit more bling.


Gerolsteiner rider Heinrich Haussler's cockpit was notable for two reasons: more riders are going sans bar tape with aero top section drop bars, and that three weeks of racing means knowing where the key points are without a map in hand. The SRM serves as a place for stage markers (climbs, sprints), not target power numbers, which for these guys will vary wildly on a day-to-day basis in a stage race versus a one-day classic.


Andy Schleck of SaxoBank-CSC wears the new Bell Volt helmet and a custom paint-splattered Oakley Radar design he and his brother Frank are wearing through the Tour.


Cadel Evans commissioned a set of special purple Oakley Radars to support his Free Tibet cause. He showed his cause undershirt and glasses to his race compatriots on the start line in Brest.