1 min readToday’s 185.2km mountain stage from Voiron to Orcières-Merlette included nearly 12,800 feet of climbing and a summit finish, giving the breakaway specialists one of their final opportunities to win before the Tour’s decisive stages on Alpe d’Huez. Bicycling’s expert staff brings useful nuance to one of cycling’s oldest equipment arguments: whether the lightest bike or the most aerodynamic bike is always the fastest choice.The bigger takeaway for everyday riders is that the fastest bike on paper is not automatically the best bike for every rider, route, or kind of riding.
Watch to see how Bicycling’s expert staff turns Isaac del Toro’s supposedly “wrong” Tour bike choice into a helpful advice for choosing your next bike. By comparing the lighter Colnago V5Rs he rode to victory on Stage 2 with the more aerodynamic Y1Rs ridden by teammate Tadej Pogačar, the conversation explains why complete-bike weight, rider role, handling, and confidence can matter as much as a wind-tunnel number. The value for everyday riders is a smarter way to define “best”: not simply the bike that wins one isolated calculation, but the one that best matches how, where, and why you ride.
Richard Carapaz attacked from the breakaway with four kilometers remaining on the final climb and rode alone to the stage victory.
Tim de Waele//Getty Images
Stage 18 Podium
🥇 Richard Carapaz
🥈 Mauro Schmid
🥉 Matteo Jorgenson
GC After Stage 18
Tadej Pogačar
Remco Evenepoel +4m 32s
Isaac Del Toro +6m 51s
Paul Seixas +7m 11s
Juan Ayuso +9m 22s