More pictures emerge of new Van Rysel aero bike with mysterious new front tyre

* Update, 03/07/24: Well, that didn't last long! We can now reveal the curious new front tyre is the Continental Aero 111, that Continental, DT Swiss and Swiss Side are claiming is the 'world’s first aerodynamic tyre'. Read all about it here

Last week, we spotted Decathlon AG2R sprinters riding a new Van Rysel aero bike at the Tour de France, and now we have some better pictures... including what appears to be a new front tyre with an unusual tread pattern. Let's have a closer look.

Van Rysel has been one of the most talked about cycling brands in 2024, as it's jumped in at the deep end with the RCR Pro and taken multiple World Tour victories under the AG2R Decathlon team riders. Available exclusively through French sporting retail giant Decathlon, you can buy an exact replica of the RCR Pro all-round race bike for the princely sum of £9,000. 

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This new bike spotted is not the RCR Pro, and looks more like a pure aero road bike from the Flemish brand. It's likely a replacement for the FCR - standing for 'Fast Racer' - Van Rysel's current aero bike (pictured below). 

While other brands are adopting a one-bike-to-do-it-all approach, this new bike appears to be a fully-fledged aero bike. Currently, many of the best road bikes combine aero and lightweight, such as Trek's 8th generation Madone, which was released last week marking the end of the road for the carbon-framed version of the lightweight Émonda. 

> Can the Van Rysel RCR Pro become one of the most successful bikes on cycling's WorldTour? 

People on social media are comparing the new Van Rysel bike to the discontinued Specialized Venge, and the tubes are considerably larger and more rectangular than the RCR Pro and current FCR. There is a notably deeper headtube and bulkier bottom bracket area, following other new bikes such as the Pinarello Dogma F and Canyon Aeroad. 

It has dropped seatstays like the RCR, and there's also no surprise to find an integrated cockpit from Deda. 

On closer inspection, it's not just the frame that appears to be new, as riders using the new bike also appear to be using different tyres.

In the picture further up the article, you can see that the front and rear tyres differ, and the front tyre is one we haven't seen before. We would guess it's from Continental, because AG2R are sponsored by them, however the tread pattern and branding is clearly different to the tyre affixed to the rear wheel. 

Why might this be? Is it for improved aerodynamic gains and/or improved traction, and could it be paired with a new wheel too? We'll be keeping our eyes peeled for more information...