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TECH NEWS
Thomas De Gendt bike main.pngTour Tech 2016: Thomas De Gendt’s polka dot Ridley Helium SL
Amid all the drama of yesterday’s stage of the Tour de France that saw the yellow jersey, Chris Froome, running up Mont Ventoux, it’s worth remembering that Belgian Thomas de Gendt not only won the stage but also claimed the iconic polka dot jersey.
- Chris Froome runs up Mont Ventoux
To mark the achievement, Ridley, Belgian bicycle company that sponsors De Gendt’s Lotto-Soudal team, has pulled this custom painted Helium SL frame out of the hat. The stock paint job has been replaced by the red dots of alternating size over a white background.
The team mechanics have also added red and white bar tape and red Campagnolo hoods to match the paint job. Luckily, the red Selle Italia and Campagnolo Bora Ultra rim decals now match the jersey as well.
How long will De Gendt keep the polka dot jersey? Your guess is as good as ours. Aside from the paint job, the bike is the same Helium SL frameset, the lightest frame Ridley offers and equipped with a Campagnolo Super Record EPS groupset, Bora Ultra wheels with Continental tyres, Deda stem and handlebar and a Selle Italia saddle.
De Gendt also won the price of the most aggressive rider as well, so he’ll ride today’s time trial with red numbers on his new polka dot jersey.
Is the paint job too much? What do you think?
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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2 comments
The polka-dots on the jersey should really be one-of-a-kind, therefore the frame, helmet, shorts or other clothing should be off-limits. In this case the extra red accents help complement de Gendt's uniform and the jersey, but the extra red accents wouldn't work with all teams.
I really like the paintjob. A beautiful road bike paintjob must either single colored with mimal logos, either with daring striking color differences that don't shout "My rider is a pro" just like this. Generally not a fan of huge logos.