RIDE Media

TDF Team Bikes / Retrospective: XDS-Astana Team (2004-2026)

This is an interesting mix of brands and stories all from a gallery of team bikes that begins with BH (from the Liberty Seguros days) and then … one door opened, Operacìon Puerto began and everything started to change. And it changed quite a lot since that historic doping raid in Madrid back in May 2006. Of all the teams affected, this one was arguably hit hardest: evicted from the TDF before the start and later not welcome back in the race after Vinokourov’s positive test for a blood transfusion in 2007 (thus skipping the Tour in 2008).
A glance at the bikes from the early years of what became Astana (and had effectively begun as a team managed by Manolo Saiz, of ONCE / Liberty Seguros / Operacìon Puerto fame / infamy) coughs up a lot of memories.
But… back to the bikes. BH’s bike sponsorship ended with the scandal(s) of 2006, BMC took over (with new management, and a new name – born out of eviction from the TDF to become ‘Astana’).
Since 2007 there has also been: Trek (and a TDF win by Contador in 2009, Specialized (and a Tour title won, then lost in 2010… followed by Nibali’s victory in 2014).
Then came Argon 18 (2017-2020) and Wilier (2021-2024)… and ultimately the bike suppy has come from a company confident enough in its heritage to call itself a Chinese brand, XDS.
Only in the last couple of years, has the name changed – and that’s thanks to the investment / bike supply from Chinese brand, XDS.
Look at the slideshow and let the memories flood back…

Movistar Team’s Bikes // 2004 to 2026

The series featuring team bikes raced in the Tour de France over the years continues… today we feature the Spanish team known as Movistar in 2026, now racing with Canyon bikes built with SRAM and Zipp components.
This slideshow shows the bikes from 2004 through to 2026 (although the bikes from 2008 and 2020 are missing from the sequence). It begins when the team was called Illes Balears-Banesto (2004) then Illes Balears-Caisse d’Epargne (2005), Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears (2006 – the year Oscar Pereiro claimed the TDF title retrospectively), then Caisse d’Epargne (2007-2010)… and, since 2011, Movistar Team.
The Opera brand was part of the Italian Pinarello company and the team managed by Eusebio Unzue since 1980 would ride Pinarello bikes after the brief stint on Opera. It was during the Pinarello years that the team enjoyed the most success at the Tour winning the title seven times: 1988 (Pedro Delgado), 1990-1995 (Miguel Indurain), and 2006 (Pereiro).
The switch to Canyon began in 2014 and has continued ever since.
Unzue’s teams had been loyal to Campagnolo over the years but eventually the time came to make a change and by 2021 the Canyon bikes raced by Movistar were built with SRAM groupsets.

Teams for Le Tour... appearing in reverse order of the start list: all 23 teams for the 113th TDF, starting in Barcelona Saturday 4 July 2026!

In this we feature the bikes raced by the French Cofidis teams from 2004 through to 2026 (alas, without 2020). It is a showcase the longstanding relationship this stalwart of the peloton has with Look Cycles, which teams up with Campagnolo in 2026 to be one of only two team bikes in this year’s Tour de France to use the groupset by the Italian brand with a long heritage in cycling.

The slideshow begins and ends with Look but a fairly broad mix of other brands were also raced by Cofidis during its long tenure in pro cycling.



See more from this on-going series: www.ridemedia.com.au/articles/cofidis-tour-de-france-bikes/

Ride Media // Team Bike Series

Bikes of the team known as Visma | Lease A Bike in 2026.
Here we see the evolution of partnerships with a Dutch team that has become one of the most formidable forces in the pro peloton.

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And see more on: www.ridemedia.com.au

Team bikes / Tour de France / Part 1: Pinarello
Teams Sky, Ineos Grenadiers, Netcompany Ineos

Let’s kick of what is going to be a long series about bikes raced by teams at the Tour de France over the past 20 years.
Part 1 features Pinarello, the only bike brand raced by the team now known as Netcompany Ineos, formerly Ineos Grenadiers, and Team Sky before that. The Italian brand is synonymous with success and boasts more Tour victories than any other bike company – seven of those with this British team.
During July, we’ll be publishing galleries of team bikes through the years.
– Rob

Stay tuned. Visit ridemedia.com.au and find out more.



NOTE: 2020 is missing from this series. (The search for that file continues.)