Stem spacers and shorter cranks: Felix Engelhardt's Bundesflagge-themed Giant Propel Advanced SL

Felix Engelhardt's Giant Propel Advanced SL.

Felix Engelhardt bagged his first national championship less than a week before the Tour de France Grand Depart commenced in Barcelona, Spain, and while this signaled the German would be coming into the race in fine fettle, it also meant his Jayco-AlUla mechanics needed to work around the clock to build him a very special bike. We spotted Felix's bike in the team paddocks while compiling our mega gallery of all the TT and road bike tech from the Tour de France Grand Depart.

A tricolour national championship-winning livery carried out by Unlimited Colors from the Netherlands (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)

It’s become increasingly fashionable for national, continental, and world champions to have a custom paint job – not only does it add a bonus layer of pageantry to the quotidian themes comprising the WorldTour peloton, but it also honours their achievements. For Felix Engelhardt, his Bundesflagge-themed Giant Propel Advanced SL nearly didn't make it to Barcelona.

The design mimics fire, complete with a Propel flame glyph on the top tube (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)

Following his victory in Bad Liebenstein, where he beat Lennart Jasch and Nico Denz to the line, a quick turnaround was needed to ensure the German had something special for the Tour de France. Jayco-AlUla sent a raw Giant Propel Advanced SL to Unlimited Colors, based in Venhorst, the Netherlands, and let the creatives loose to create a truly unique yet sophisticated livery to celebrate Engelhardt’s win while still retaining the team-specific logo placements. The result? A tricolour German flag design applied to mimic fire, complete with a Propel flame glyph on the top tube.

Cadex Ultra 50 hookless wheels are wrapped in 30mm Aero Cotton tyres (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)

At 5 feet 11 inches, Engelhardt rides the all-new Giant Propel Advanced SL in size medium, which made headlines in March for its subtly tweaked tube profiles and exceptionally low total system weight of 6.8kg. Giant’s in-house component brand Cadex supplies the rolling sock – pictured here are Ultra 50 hookless wheels wrapped in 30mm Aero Cotton tyres. The wheels are not only an impressively aero option but are also very light and come tricked out with a R3-C40 Aero hub and carbon spoke configuration.

The 55/40T, 11-34T gives Felix the flexibility of running a more aero chain line on the flats, pushing power on the descents and enough wiggle room to get up the climbs (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)

Unsurprisingly, the Giant is built around a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, complete with a 55/40T, 11-34T chainset, and power meter, and 165mm crankarms. The bike also benefits from a 3D-printed Cadex saddle and integrated Giant Contact SLR Aero handlebar configuration.

An interesting observation is the stack of 2.5cm spacers under the stem, a move that prioritises comfort over a three-week Grand Tour – and something I listed in my 2026 Tour de France tech trend predictions.

The German was running a stack of 2.5cm spacers under the stem, a common theme no seen carried out in the WorldTour (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)

165mm crankarms allow the German to get more aero, opening his hip angle for better efficiency and power production (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)

Other notable bits and bobs include a 3D-printed race number holder, Fouriers chain catcher, Elite Leggero Carbon bottle cages, Shimano Dura-Ace pedals, and a fabric transponder strip on the fork.

A Fouriers chain catcher brings peace of mind, preventing the chain from dropping on the inside of the frame (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)

Giant Propel Advanced SL specs

• Frame: Propel Advanced SL
• Cockpit: Giant Contact SLR Aero
• Seatpost: Giant Vector integrated
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, 54/40T, 11-34T
• Wheelset: Cadex Ultra 50, 50mm
• Tyres: Cadex Aero Cotton, 30mm
• Saddle: Cadex Amp 3D