The secret ingredient used to treat bicycle tires at the Tour de France? Vinegar

Daniel McMahon / Business Insider

There's no shortage of high-tech gear and bikes at the Tour de France, but one thing that caught our eye when we recently visited the world's biggest bike race was the liberal use of a common kitchen staple: vinegar.

We saw the Cannondale-Drapac team treating its tires with it whenever stages called for rain. Here's how and why vinegar is used as a tire treatment at the Tour:

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