Continental has released a tan-wall (cream) version of its premier road bike tire, the GP5000, in a special edition to celebrate the 2020 Tour de France, with a revised start date of August 29.

The GP5000 TdF LTD 2020 tire is Continental's first classic road tire with cream sidewalls, and hopefully not its last. The sidewalls feature a special edition Tour de France stamp and black graphics. [The GP5000 TdF LTD shares not only the classic styling, but also the technology that has made the GP5000 the Cycling News team's favorite tire and the centerpiece of our Best Road Bike Tires guide. It features Continental's proven Black Chili compound, combined with a VectranTM breaker layer for smooth, grippy performance and puncture protection. According to Continental, GP5000 offers a 12% improvement in rolling resistance and a 20% improvement in puncture protection.

Unfortunately, Continental only offers this limited edition in a 25C standard clincher version. Also, the cream-wall version weighs 30 g more than the standard version, which may partly explain why Continental has been reluctant to produce cream-wall road tires in the past.

For those looking for beautiful tanwall aesthetics and the best road performance in a bike finish, they will accept the weight penalty in the name of fashion. Continental has not provided details on whether this limited edition will continue in a different guise after its release, but we hope the company will consider offering more sizes and tubeless options in the future.

The GP5000 TdF LTD 2020 tire retails for £59.95/€69.90.