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During this year’s Tour de France riders racing with Shimano components claimed all major jerseys – yellow, green, polka-dot and white – and all 21 stage wins.
From the opening individual team time trial, won by Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas to the final sprint stage in Paris, won by LottoNL-Jumbo’s Dylan Groenewegen, each rider’s bike was decked out in Shimano Dura-Ace components.
Team Sky’s Chris Froome claimed the yellow jersey on Dura-Ace shifting components, brakes, wheels and pedals, plus PRO Stealth integrated handlebar-stem combination and PRO bar tape.
Quickstep’s Marcel Kittel achieved five victories including the first on Shimano’s Dura-Ace R9170 hydraulic disc brakes. He said: “Disc brakes are a great step forward in the technology developments that we have ahead of us. Especially in the wet, it helps riders brake better.”
The final stage of this year’s Tour was won by Dutchman Groenewegen who not only uses Shimano Dura-Ace on his Bianchi, but also races with Shimano’s S-PHYRE RC9 footwear, S-PHYRE custom race clothing and Shimano R-series eyewear.
Shimano Europe’s sports marketing manager Rudy Bouwmeester said: “To form close working partnerships with such a high calibre of teams and riders is a major part of our product development strategy."
