Australian decides not to race on Bahrain-Merida team issue Time Warp TT bike
Image 1 of 13
A mechanic carries Rohan Dennis' time trial bike ahead of the time trial(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Rohan Dennis's time trial bike is lifted onto the Australian team bus(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The time trial bikes for the men's elite time trial(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Rohan Dennis raced aboard a blacked-out BMC Timemachine instead of his Bahrain-Merida bike at Worlds(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Rohan Dennis' time trial bike for the World Championships(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Rohan Dennis chose to race the elite men's time trial on a BMC bike(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Luke Durbridge's and Rohan Dennis' time trial bikes(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Rohan Dennis' time trial bike (on the left) is a BMC(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The UCI put the Timemachine TT into the jig to check the position is within the rules(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The UCI sticker confirms the bike to be the BMC Timemachine TT(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Rohan Dennis prepares his aero position aboard the BMC(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
PRO wheels were shod with Vittoria tubular tyres(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Dennis' spare bike was a little less subtle with the branding(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Reigning individual time trial world champion, Rohan Dennis, chose to ride a BMC Timemachine TT as he rode to victory to defend his title, opting not to use his Bahrain-Merida team-issued Merida Time Warp TT. The decision to use non-team-issue equipment doesn't constitute a breach of any rules, however.
When it comes to representing national federations at the UCI Road World Championships, riders are free to choose their equipment, though the pressure from trade teams and sponsors is ever-present, as Linda Villumsen learned when she rode a blacked-out, non-team-issue bike to the world time trial title in 2015, and was nearly sacked on the spot by UnitedHealthcare bosses.
The underlying battle over equipment came to the fore following Dennis' sudden withdrawal from the Tour de France on stage 12 - one day before the individual time trial that the Australian was the hot favourite to win.
Dennis' aversion to Merida's time trial bike - the Time Warp TT - was one of the many reasons cited, and the 29-year-old hadn't raced since.
The Timemachine TT from BMC had been stripped down to the bare carbon fibre (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
In a bold move, it looks as though Dennis used the same BMC bike he rode to victory in Innsbruck in 2018, albeit with the BMC logos removed. The bike also features CeramicSpeed oversized pulley wheels and the €3,000 custom moulded Speedbar TT aerobars - purported to be another source of tension in the Bahrain-Merida camp.
When asked about his bike choice ahead of the race, Dennis said: “The national team deemed it was the best equipment for me and my body position, and the best equipment for me to get the result I need to get here. I’ve literally just done testing leading into this. It’s all been a mash-up over… probably since I’ve been in the national team, which I’ve been in every year since I was a junior in 2007. Since then we’ve started finding out information about what’s best for me.”
Asked if he’d encountered any such difficulties with Bahrain-Merida, Dennis went on to say: “Not at all” before insisting: “National team trumps trade team.” As for Bahrain-Merida's opinion on the saga: “That’s a question you’d have to ask them.”
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
While the move will have undoubtedly agitated his Bahrain-Merida team bosses, the move clearly paid off as Dennis stormed to victory, beating Remco Evenepoel into second place by well over a minute.
BMC has since publically congratulated Dennis via Instagram, and while Cyclingnews has reached out to Merida Bikes, no comment has been received at this stage.
Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling. Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell, the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English. The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999, and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling. Since then, major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features, news, results, photos and tech reporting. The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling.
