Tour de France: Stefan Bissegger spins massive 64-tooth chainring in stage 1 time trial
The flat, short course made for high speeds, dampened slightly by rainy conditions.
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It’s a veritable dinner plate with crank arms attached.
Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) rode a massive 64-tooth chainring at the stage 1 time trial of the Tour de France in Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Riders often run larger chainrings for time trials as they pursue the fastest possible time, but the expansion is usually limited to a 56- or 58-tooth ring, over the 53- or 54-tooth ones usually used on road stages. There was good reason for the oversized chainring today, however.
Famously flat Denmark delivered a brief, non-technical 13.2-kilometer exclamation point of an opening time trial course so riders could think about pushing for a massive top speed, and that means adding enough teeth to rival a shark’s smile.
Going fast wouldn’t be Bissegger’s problem, however. Rainy conditions, another quintessential aspect of Denmark, defined the day, no doubt playing a role in the the Swiss rider crashing twice in the brief course, and out of contention to take the first maillot jaune leader’s jersey.
The chainring is a new product from EF Education team component sponsor FSA, called the Full Carbon 64T chainring. It’s a 12-speed compatible chainring that the brand says it developed using Formula 1 composites technology, resulting in a lighter and stiffer final product. It weighs a claimed 219 grams. The chainring was attached to K-Force Light crank arm from the same brand.
