With the Tour de France a week away, I rode the new Cannondale SuperSix EVO, billed as the 'fastest lightweight road bike,' to see what it was all about. Here's the verdict.

Just like that it's Tour time, and, as with every Tour de France, new bikes are rolling out in the buildup to the Grand Départ.

That includes the Connecticut-based Cannondale, which on Friday unveiled the new SuperSix EVO, billed as the world's "fastest lightweight road bike." The riders on the US-registered EF Education First team are expected to race fresh EVOs at the Tour, which starts July 6 in Brussels. (They've actually been riding them in stealth mode for some time, in pro cycling's open tech secret.)

Cannondale says the new bike is significantly faster and more comfortable than the previous iteration, which Business Insider reviewed in 2017. An all-rounder, the EVO slots in between Cannondale's two other race bikes: the hyper-aero SystemSix, which debuted last summer and is the company's fastest bike, used in flatter road races, and the compliant Synapse, its most forgiving ride, preferred in punishing events like the cobbled Paris-Roubaix.

"We've hit a weight that's the same or lighter than the previous bike, but we've added so many features," Nathan Barry, a Cannondale design engineer, told Business Insider. "The drag at 30-mph race speed is 30 watts less drag than the old bike. It's the same stiffness numbers and handling, but there's bigger tire clearance, more integration, thru axles front and rear, internal cable routing, and more. It's a perfectly rounded race bike."

In addition to the more-aero tubes, the standout design feature with this EVO is the rear triangle and its dropped seat stays, which, according to the company, make for better aerodynamics - "because there's just less stuff in the way of the wind" - and a more comfortable ride. It follows numerous brands that have incorporated dropped stays into their frame designs, notably Specialized with the Tarmac and BMC with the Teammachine.

"By having the seat stays into the seat tube, below the top tube, if you develop your layup correctly, it can allow the seat tube to flex, and that gives you some comfort in the saddle, which is restricted when you have the seat stays forming a perfect truss with the front triangle," Barry said.

"The reason we're seeing dropped rear stays across multiple brands is that it's an engineering solution to a problem that multiple people are trying to solve. If your goal is more comfort and to reduce drag, that is a good way to further that to the back half of the bike."

Another difference is the wider tire clearance. With the previous frame set, the EVO could run tires up to 28 mm wide, which was already generous, but the new bike can accept tires as wide as 30 mm and still have 6 mm of clearance around the tire, according to Cannondale. That's welcome news, because generally a wider tire is not only more comfortable but also faster, as we learned at last year's Tour.

Unlike with the disc-only SystemSix, riders interested in the new EVO can opt for discs or rim brakes. Cannondale says there's no difference in stiffness or geometry between the two versions.

Also different from the older bike is that the new EVO is integrated, À la the SystemSix. Combined, the aero frame tubes, fork, wheels, seat post, handlebar, and stem make up Cannondale's system-integrated design, which, the company says, saves a rider those 30 watts at 30 mph (48 km/h). Also impressive, the company says the new bike increases compliance by up to 18%.

Cannondale has also launched a mobile app that pairs with an integrated wheel sensor to deliver speed, route, and distance, as well as other information about your bike, including the serial number and service reminders.

The new line begins with the SuperSix EVO Carbon 105, at $2,200, and runs all the way up to the SuperSix Hi-Mod Disc Dura-Ace Di2, at $11,500. Certain models come with a built-in power meter. Cannondale said the new EVOs would start shipping immediately.

Last week, Cannondale sent Business Insider a SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod Disc Ultegra Di2, a $7,500 bike (it has the same frame set the pros are expected to race at the Tour). And while we had enough time for just a few rides, here are some initial impressions of the most talked-about new bike heading into the Tour.