TOUR has two editors on site at the Tour de France. In the live blog, they provide exclusive insights, technical details and other exciting stories about the 2025 cycling spectacle.
The Team Bahrain-Victorious will have a previously unreleased Merida model at its disposal for the 2025 Tour de France. The majority of the team was for the 4th stage on the aerodynamically optimised racer, which looks like a successor to the Reacto Team. Chief mechanic Filip Tisma did not want to divulge any information when asked by TOUR. Nor why sprinter Phil Bauhaus has not (yet) opted for the new model, but is instead travelling on its presumed predecessor.
The prototype in detail
The most striking change to the new bike, which has a prototype label from the cycling world federation on the seat tube, is to be found on the head tube. In accordance with the current UCI regulations, this is longer and has a more aggressive design. Thanks to a cut-out in the top tube, the Vision handlebar/stem unit can be mounted low down. The carbon fork is also flatter compared to the fork on the previous Reacto. However, in comparison to true aero specialists such as the new Cervélo S5, Merida has not fully utilised what is technically possible.
The junction between the seat tube and seat stays retains its distinctive wing shape, but the transition on the prototype is more delicate. The bottom bracket area is also significantly more massive than on the current Reacto Team, which achieved 208 watts in the TOUR wind tunnel test. The updates to the unnamed successor should make the competition racer a few watts faster.
Julian Schultz
Editor
