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At the start of the 10th stage of the Tour de France 2025 in Ennezat, something stands out when you look at the bikes of the Alpecin - Deceuninck team. Wheels without a manufacturer's sticker - and that for the whole team. A team mechanic tells us more.
The wheelset was a previously unreleased model from Shimano, which the Belgian team Alpecin - Deceuninck has already been in action this season. A team mechanic revealed this to the TOUR reporters on site. The difference to the C50 wheel from the Japanese component giant's Dura-Ace collection, which is usually in the frameset of Mathieu van der Poel & Co, is a slightly wider carbon rim.
There wasn't really much to recognise about the completely black wheels. The only indication that the set was a prototype was on the rear wheel hub.
Julian Schultz
Editor
