(In a first for the world's largest annual sporting event, Marcel Kittel of Germany won stage two of the Tour de France on Sunday in Liege, Belgium, while riding a road bike equipped with disc brakes.Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
LIEGE, BELGIUM — History was made at the Tour de France on Sunday when Germany's Marcel Kittel sprinted to victory on stage two riding a bike with disc brakes.
It was the first time that a rider had ever done that in the world's most prestigious bicycle race.
Kittel is one of pro cycling's best field sprinters. He rides for the Belgian-based Quick-Step-Floors cycling team.
(Kittel's bike at the Tour of California in May had disc brakes.Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Here's a picture of Kittel kissing his bike after the stage on Sunday:
VeloNews tech editor Dan Cavallari tweeted this prerace photo of Kittel's Specialized Venge:
Disc brakes are appearing more and more on road bikes, but not without some controversy.
Some say they're just another technology being pushed by brands that want you to buy a new bike. Others point to the fact that discs make bikes heavier (adding discs to a road bike does add about a pound) and some say the rotors are dangerous. But proponents — brands and early adopters — say discs provide way better braking and are actually safer all around, especially when riding in wet conditions.
Speaking for the US bike brand Cannondale, Murray Washburn told Business Insider in no uncertain terms, "Disc brakes are the future — period."
And Specialized founder and CEO Mike Sinyard has said went a step further: "In the future we won't look at road bikes that don't have disc brakes. They all will."
Meanwhile, the governing body of world cycling, the UCI, has allowed some riders to ride discs as part of a testing phase at the sport's highest level, and there are several bikes with discs in action at this year's Tour.