The three fastest bikes on day one of Opening Weekend
(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Wout van Aert, Sonny Colbrelli, Greg Van Avermaet. That was the order of the podium on the men's Omloop Het Niewusblad on Saturday.
Another way to put it is Jumbo Visma, Bahrain Victorious, AG2R Citroën. Or you could say Cervélo, Merida, BMC. Or there's tubular, tubeless, tubeless tyres which are branded as Vittoria, Continental and Pirelli, respectively, and wrapped around Shimano, Vision and Campagnolo wheels in the same respective order.
As much as the riders battle it out on the roads, without their equipment they'd be little more than walking, and sponsored brands truly care when one of their sponsored riders wins. We've been among brand representatives on many such occasions and they celebrate like it's their own son or daughter crossing the line first.
Saturday's podium was headed by the pre-race favourite, Wout van Aert, who somehow snuck away at the bottom of the Bosberg before soloing the final kilometres to victory. Second place came down to a sprint from the remnants of the breakaway, and it was Colbrelli who took the decision ahead of a perhaps surprising third, Greg Van Avermaet.
All three were aboard bikes that would be familiar to them. Colbrelli rode the Merida Reacto to victory at Paris Roubaix last year, proving that today's aero bikes can cobble just as well as anything else. Van Avermaet has ridden the BMC Teammachine SLR since the beginning of 2021, and Van Aert has been aboard Cervélo bikes for just as long, winning everything from Classics races to national titles and Tour stages to boot.
However, what's interesting and refreshing here is that there's no dominant brand on the podium. The closest we get is Shimano, which gets the upper hand in the battle of the groupsets, though that's perhaps an unfair fight given the brand sponsors 13 of the 18 teams in the men's WorldTour peloton. Aside from this, there are three different bike brands, using three different wheelsets, tyre brands and more.
While the top three riders were occupied with the formalities of doping control and TV interviews in the moments after the stage, we took advantage and spent some time up close with their bikes, which were still dressed in the dust picked up along the 204km between Ghent and Ninove.
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3rd: Greg van Avermaet
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The standout feature on Van Avermaet's BMC Teammachine SLR is the marble effect golden paint theme that adorns the top tube and the cockpit(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Not to mention this questionable quote on the top tube: "The will must be stronger than the skill"(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
All three of the bikes are 12 speed, but Van Avermaet's groupset comes courtesy of Campagnolo(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Campagnolo also supply the wheels, with these Bora Ultra WTO hoops(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
They are shod with Pirelli's P Zero Race TLR tubeless tyres(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
However, despite running tubeless, Van Avermaet played it safe by taping a bolt through hex key adaptor to his seatpost, to speed up wheel changes in the event of a puncture. It doesn't look as though he needed it.(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
At the back, he was running the 11-32T Super Record cassette(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Power measurement was courtesy of Power2Max's NG power meter(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Fizik's Vento Argo saddle provides a place for Van Avermaet to sit(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Van Avermaet's bike is the only bike on the podium that's not technically an aero bike. The BMC TeamMachine SLR is more akin to a climber's bike, though it was given some serious aero considerations at its latest update in 2020 and has proven here it's capable of mixing it among the best. His bike is shod with Campagnolo Bora Ultra WTO wheels, which in turn are wearing tubeless Pirello P Zero Race tyres.
We'd be remiss to talk about Van Avermaet's bike and not to mention the paint job, which really steals the limelight. Until the Tokyo Olympics last year, Van Avermaet spent five years reaping the rewards of his Gold medal in Rio 2016. Despite this, he's not finished with gold just yet, although the latest design is considerably more subtle, with a marble effect swirling through an off-white base colour across the top tube and integrated BMC cockpit. Atop this paint sits the GVA branding, accompanied by a quote that sounds like a potential recipe for disaster: "The will must be stronger than the skill".
He is using a 12-speed groupset, which comes courtesy of Campagnolo's Super Record EPS groupset. This is fitted with a Power2Max power meter at the chainset, and at the end of the cranks are a pair of Look Keo Blade Carbon Ceramic pedals. A Fizik saddle sits atop the seatpost, which is also home to a quick release adaptor for the Belgian's bolt through wheels.
2nd: Sonny Colbrelli
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Colbrelli's 2nd place bike is arguably the best looking of the trio with his European champion's paint theme(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Colbrelli's initials, the Italian flag, and a cobra adorn the seat tube(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
His name is etched in gold onto the top tube(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Gold is also used here on the non-drive-side chainstay, where the paint theme marks his National and European titles(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
His bike is fitted with Vision Metron wheels, which are wrapped in Continental GP5000S TR tubeless tyres(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Up front, the paint theme continues to the Vision Metron cockpit(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
At the back, the Prologo saddle adds a touch of Italy to the design(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Shimano's 12-speed Dura-Ace R9200 shifters are fitted up front(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
As are R9200-series disc brakes(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The derailleurs are the latest series, too, but the groupset is from the previous generation of Dura-Ace(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The groupset is also fitted with Shimano's Satellite shifters for sprinting(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Colbrelli's bike is the Merida Reacto aero bike. Like at Colbrelli's win at Paris-Roubaix, his achievements here are yet another example of the impressive capability of aero bikes of today. The closest thing to a concession toward a smoother ride is slightly wider tyres. No number is quoted on the Continental GP5000S TR rubber, but we believe he's using 28s, which are far from unusual in a classics race nowadays. Those tyres are wrapped around Vision Metron wheels, set up tubeless.
Colbrelli too is using a 12-speed groupset, and in an appropriate metaphor for the mixed availability of the new Dura-Ace groupset, Colbrelli's bike is fitted with shifters, derailleurs and cassette from the new 12-speed groupset, but with a chainset from the former 9100-series edition.
Rounding off the spec is a Prologo Nago saddle, Prologo bar tape, sprint shifters, a one-piece Vision Metron cockpit, and Leggero bottle cages from Elite. However, once again, it's the paint theme that grabs the attention. This multicolour paint job fades in stripes from black to blue across the front quarter, gold stars adorn the shoulders of the headtube, Colbrelli's name is etched in gold along the top tube, while his National and European road race victories adorn the non-drive-side chainstay.
1st: Wout van Aert
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Van Aert's bike is the Cervelo S5 aero bike, the same bike he rode to victory on the Champs-Élysées in July last year(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Rather than his Belgian National champion's edition, Van Aert finished aboard a bike painted in standard team colours(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
His bike gets the full serving of new Dura-Ace...(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
...including the power meter chainset(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Despite the increased usage of tubeless, Van Aert started and finished on tubular tyres(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The Antares saddle from Fizik is Van Aert's preference(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Up front, a CloseTheGap mount holds Van Aert's computer(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Before it was cleared by motor doping control, we managed to snag the bike for photos: a full gallery is to come(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The winning bike is Cervélo's aero road bike, the S5, complete with its wild-idea cockpit that effectively doubles the bike's stem count. Unlike Colbrelli, Van Aert's bike is fitted with Shimano's latest and greatest Dura-Ace groupset in its entirety, including the R9200-P power meter chainset. The wheels are also courtesy of Shimano's latest launch, with the Shimano C50 tubular hoops being shod with Vittoria's Corsa tubular tyres.
Fizik's Antares is Van Aert's saddle of choice, Tacx Deva carbon cages keep the Belgian's bottles on board, and a #closethegap computer mount holds the Garmin computer in place.
Ironically, given the custom paint has been the major talking point on both other bikes, it's the lack of custom paint that is the standout feature here. Van Aert started the day on a Cervélo S5 painted in the colours of the Belgium flag in respect of his current holder of the Belgian national road race title. However, at some point during the race, he swapped and he finished the race on a bike painted in standard Jumbo Visma black and yellow.
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
