...for their tyres. Continental, the German manufacturer, has developed a chemical solution to lower road rolling resistance. The company claims that riders Tyler Hamilton and Jan Ullrich will save 30 seconds on the mountain time trial at Alpe D’Huez on stage 16. But what's the goo like in the wet? The Tour de France continues to be plagued by rain...

Tour riders opt for chemical assistance…

The uphill time trial – from Bourg d´Oisans to Alpe D’Huez – features 21 bends, climbing to 1130 metres.

Jan Ullrich from T-Mobile and Tyler Hamilton from Team Phonak Hearing Systems will ride the TT with light-weight hand-made tyres treated for hours with Conti’s special tuning liquid.

"The interplay of fluid with the tread pattern concept leads to a clear improvement in rolling resistance," claims Continental.

"A field study with the T-Mobile team demonstrated that the tyre’s rolling resistance dropped by 15 percent thanks to the chemical after-treatment."

http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk

In other news...

Carbitex announces two strategic new hires

Carbitex, the flexible carbon composites provider focused on footwear, travel, and accessories, has announced the …