The Criterium du Dauphiné is a great place to discover new technology ahead of the Tour. We've already seen the radical new Trek Madone (honestly not to be missed) and the more subtle updates to the Canyon Ultimate.

Not to be outdone by the World Tour teams, BnB Hotels p/b KTM was spotted riding a frameset from Austrian brand Revelator Alto. The brand's only road bike, the Alto was previously thought of as a "climbing bike." Sleek and waspish, but with few concessions to aerodynamics. The new frameset, however, seems to have been transformed into a more all-around package to accommodate modern trends. Interestingly, however, this frameset is not currently on the approved list.

Design cues from the old frameset can still be seen, but it now features a nearly horizontal top tube, integrated cabling, one-piece bar and stem, new seat stays, and an integrated seat clamp.

The top tube used to be heavily sloped, reminiscent of the Giant TCR, but is now nearly horizontal, with a smooth transition to the integrated one-piece bar and stem combination. All cables and hoses are hidden inside, and there is no longer an entry port for the front brake at the top of the NDS fork leg. The main tube-to-main tube connection is also boxed in with a triangular section.

At the rear, the seat tube no longer protrudes above the top tube and is completely flush with the top tube, with an integrated seat clamp. It is currently unclear where the adjustment ports are located, but since they do not appear to be on the front or rear of the seat tube or on the drive side, the inference is that they are on the NDS. For those critical of the proprietary technology, a Ritchie seatpost is available, but not specifically for KTM.

Sticking with the seat tube junction, the old style seat stays with kinks in the upper for horizontal joints are gone. Now they are perfectly straight, except for a slight fanning out of the stay at the junction. The seat tube is also formed larger, elongated along the bike's long axis near the front derailleur and more spherical in the upper.

The fork appears to be virtually unchanged from the previous model, except for a change in internal routing and a rounding around the through-axle.