Team bikes of the 2021 Women’s WorldTour
Two weeks ago, we published our 2021 Team Bikes of the Men’s World Tour feature ahead of the UAE Tour. With Strade Bianche raising the curtain on the Women’s World Tour this weekend we are taking a look at the World Tour machines of the women’s bunch.
After a largely interrupted first-year post-restructuring, the Women’s World Tour has grown from eight teams last season to nine for 2021. This year’s calendar is also affected by COVID-enforced race postponements and cancellations, but riders and fans alike will be eager to see the racing underway on the white (sometimes brown) roads of Tuscany.
While only two of the nine teams have changed bike supplier this year, Team Bike Exchange to Bianchi and Team DSM to Scott, the bikes on show are pretty interesting. From aspirational Italian marques to the latest dedicated aero machines, and all with some of the classiest paint jobs we have ever seen in the peloton.
Allrounder come aero bikes are the most common setup with teams, while disc brakes have all but taken over, with just one team still running rim brakes.
In terms of equipment suppliers, SRAM is the most popular groupset option in the Women’s World Tour. We count one team running Campagnolo, five on SRAM, and three on Shimano.
ALE’ BTC Ljubljana
First up is one of the most desirable bikes in the peloton. With a Cipollini Nk1K frameset, Super Record EPS groupset, and Bora Ultra wheels, its no surprise that the ALE’ BTC Ljubljana team are sticking with the same setups as 2020. No doubt the news the team would be sticking with such classy setups was welcome news for Mavi Garcia, Marta Bastianelli and co.
As attractive as the ALE’ BTC Ljubljana team bikes are, they are also quite unique as the only bikes in the Women’s World Tour peloton to be running rim brakes.
The bikes are finished off with saddles and bar tape form Prologo, Speedplay pedals, Vittoria tyres and Wahoo head units.
Canyon-SRAM
When producing these bikes of the peloton articles we tend to opt for a photo of each of the bikes on offer to the team in the standard team edition colours. That was until we saw this year’s Canyon SRAM team bikes and some of the individual colourways. Don’t get me wrong, the standard team edition colour is already a real head-turner, but it seemed unfair not to share these pink and orange variations belonging to Alice Barnes and Ella Harris respectively.
Team Canyon-SRAM shared these photos with us earlier this week before the news that Canyon has issued a “stop riding notice” on the new Aeroad frames following Mathieu van der Poel’s broken handlebar incident at Le Samyn. As such, the team will turn to the Ultimate or the previous generation Aeroad while Canyon investigates the cause of the incident.
While we wait to see which Canyons the team will line out on this weekend, lets turn our attention back to those new Aeroads. Unsurprisingly, given that SRAM is a title sponsor of the team, a large proportion of the build kit comes from SRAM’s stable. The bikes feature a RED Etap AXS groupset, running on tubeless Zipp 454 NSW or 303 Firecrest wheels with Schwalbe Pro One TLE tyres.
Speedplay provides the pedals for now but it will be interesting to follow whether SRAM’s recent acquisition of TIME pedals has any impact on this. The bikes are completed with an appearance at the World Tour level for Ergon saddles.
FDJ-Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Futuroscope.com
FDJ-Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Futuroscope.com has one of the longest team names in the professional peloton and builds on the long term partnership between the FDJ-Groupama team and Lapierre bikes. Arguably the FDJ-Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Futuroscope.com team bikes bring an element of design to the Lapierre frames that the equivalent FDJ-Groupama team bikes are lacking with the matt black finishes.
The deep blue and fade colourway with a small but effective pattern on the fork almost changes the whole appearance of Xelius SL team bikes.
As a Shimano sponsored team, the Lapierre bikes are kitted out with Dura-Ace Di2 groupsets (disc brake only) Dura-Ace wheels, Dura-Ace pedals, and PRO bars, stems, seat posts and bar tape. Prologo provides the saddles for the team while Continental provide the highly sought after ProLTD version of its Competition tubular tyres. Lastly, Elite help keep the riders hydrated with bottles and Vico Carbon cages.
The team provided no photos or mention of Lapierre’s aero bike, the Aircode, and it appears this is not an option for the FDJ-Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Futuroscope.com team.
LIV Racing
Soraya Paladin (ITA/Liv Racing) on the Muur van Geraardsbergen ©Rhode.Photo 
Liv Racing has already chalked up its first win courtesy of Lotte Kopecky.
Liv Racing is the team formerly known as CCC-Liv and, as the name suggests, will race on Liv bikes for the 2021 season. The riders will have a choice of the allrounder Liv Langma and the Enviliv, a dedicated aero machine.
Liv Racing runs SRAM Red Etap AXS groupsets with Quarq power meters. The team uses Cadex wheels and Vittoria tyres. The team uses the 42mm tubeless rim for training in combination with Cadex tubeless tyres, however, the team reverts to Vittoria tubulars on 42 and 65mm rims for race day. All bar one of the riders uses the Liv Alacra saddle, with Cadex Boost saddle being the exception.
Team Movistar Women
Movistar is another team riding Canyon bikes and as such is another team currently putting its fleet of Aeroads into hibernation pending the results of Canyons internal investigation into the MVDP’s broken handlebars.
The team rides identical bikes to that of the Movistar men’s team, and as such, the team provides one image of the new Aeroad for both team bikes. Given the riders are due to switch bikes this week, we decided to grab some other photos to show off the teams fleet of Canyon Ultimates.
The build kit on all bikes is very similar with SRAM Red Etap AXS, Quarq power meters, Zipp wheels and Fizik saddles. Elite are also on hand to support yet another team with bottles and cages, and Continental make yet another appearance with the same ProLTD Competition tubulars mentioned earlier.
The team uses Look Keo pedals, while upfront Lizard Skins and Garmin provide bar tape and head units.
Team BikeExchange
Team BikeExchange are one of the few teams changing bike supplier this year, making the shift from Scott to Bianchi. The new fleet of bikes are finished in a design created in a partnership between Bianchi and the team. The famous Bianchi celeste is paired with a turquoise and contrasted with a deep black. Bianchi says this new colourway is “emblematic of the company’s approach to innovation and marginal gains. The end result is a dynamic, forward-thinking colour scheme which creates the effect of colours flashing diagonally through the frame.”… we just think it looks fantastic.
Team BikeExchange will ride solely disc brake-equipped road bikes and rim brake-equipped TT bikes. It’s Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 all round with Dura-Ace R9100P power meters, Dura-Ace wheels and, of course, Dura-Ace pedals to match. The team rolls on Pirelli tyres and sits upon Fizik saddles.
As pointed out in our bikes of the men’s World Tour article, the team switches from Shimano to Vision wheels for the time trial bikes.
Team DSM
Team DSM is the other team with a change of bike supplier for 2021, with Scott coming in to replace Cervelo. The team also uses bikes identical to those of their male colleagues, and why not with paint jobs as nice as those on the Scott Addict RC and Foil frames the team has the choice of using.
While riders will be familiar with the Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupsets, Dura-Ace wheels, Dura-Ace pedals, and PRO saddles, the Vittoria tyres will be new to them having previously raced on Continentals.
Team SD Worx
While the team name may have changed, its as you were in terms of equipment for the most successful team in the women’s peloton.
The team runs the new Specialized Tarmac SL7 frameset, SRAM Red Etap AXS, Quarq power meters, with Zipp providing wheelsets, bars and stems.
Given the presence of so many brands from under the SRAM umbrella, the team’s continued use of TIME Xpro 10 Carbon pedals will please the bosses at SRAM HQ in Chicago.
Tacx provides the team’s bottles and cages.
Again, we don’t normally include custom bikes in the bikes of the World Tour articles, but it just seemed wrong not to share Anna van der Breggen’s World Champion bike.
Team Trek-Segafredo
Trek-Segafredo will be doubling down on security at this weekend’s Strade Bianche after the misfortune of having six race bikes stolen the night before the race last year. The team will be using team bikes almost identical to last season. Riders have the choice of the updated Madone or the all-new Emonda.
The team uses Bontrager wheels, handlebars, stems, saddles and bottle cages. The wheels are wrapped with Pirelli P-Zero tyres, while shifting and braking is performed by SRAM Red Etap AXS groupsets.
The riders will have Wahoo head units for the first time in 2021, no doubt these will be loaded with maps and route details to help riders keep track of the eight sectors of gravel.
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