The Amount of Gear in a Tour de France Team Truck Is Staggering

The old cycling adage claims the correct number of bikes is N+1, always one more than you currently own. But that isn’t an equation Tour de France teams agree with. There is only so much room in a team mechanic’s truck, and every square inch is accounted for.

When you are dashing around France making sure the fleet is running smoothly, you need strict precision. Just managing the staggering number of bikes already stacked on team cars and packed in the truck is enough to turn an overworked mechanic into a Torx-wrench-wielding maniac.

It’s not just the bikes, either. The sheer amount of kit a team packs for the Tour is massive. With the help of Lotto Dstny, I delved into the back of the truck to find out exactly what the team packs for three weeks of racing. We are talking bikes, wheels, and oh so many bottles.

I didn’t just harass the mechanics to find out what technical gear is stashed inside, though. Fancy kit is great, but riders need fuel to power those bikes over 21 stages. So, I also wandered over to what has become a staple for every squad: the mobile kitchen. I needed to know the amount of pasta packed, the volume of confiture for morning baguettes, and whether the chef uses just as much olive oil over three weeks as the mechanics use chain cleaner. Hit that play button to delve into the details and the numbers.