With the launch of the Specialized Turbo Creo SL this week, what better way to promote their luxurious new e-road bike than to get Peter Sagan and Julian Alaphilippe on board during the Tour de France! Not in the actual race of course, but the Specialized-sponsored teams got the chance to take advantage of the assist during an easy ride on their first rest day on Tuesday.
Specialized launches new Turbo Creo SL e-road bike
I can't race with the new Turbo Creo SL e-bike but I definitely had fun yesterday during our rest-day ride.@iamspecialized #turbocreosl pic.twitter.com/tKPrsAcD3i
— Peter Sagan (@petosagan) July 17, 2019
In Albi on Tuesday both of Specialized’s World Tour squads, Deceuninck–Quick-Step and Bora-Hansgrohe, headed out for rest day rides on the Turbo Creo SL. Described as a bike that sets a new standard for the e-road category, the top-of-the-range version costs a whopping £13,499 with a luxurious spec including ceramic bearings (read all about it here). Busting the myth that e-bikes are only for those who struggle on a standard pedal bike, Specialized say the Turbo Creo SL allows their pros at the Tour de France to head out for an easy ride on their rest day to turn the legs without taxing their cardiovascular system, while the quality ride feel of the bike is reminiscent of the Tarmac and Venge models they're used to riding in the race.
Julian Alaphilippe, the current overall race leader, had his Turbo Creo SL upgraded further still with yellow bar tape and bottle cage just in case you didn't realise he was the yellow jersey-wearer. he says of the bike: "It's really nice. I think for everyone who wants to ride and also on the climbs, it’s a big difference. Especially for us, on the rest day at the Tour, it’s nice to have free pedalling.”
The next rest day is on Monday the 22nd, we'll be having a look for some e-bike action in Nîmes where the riders are scheduled to stop before stage 16 begins the following day...
