Is this 'Special Operations' bike the new Specialissima?
(Image credit: Cyclingnews)
A brand new, as-yet-unreleased Bianchi has been spotted at La Vuelta at the Arkéa-Samsic bus and beneath the young French climber Kévin Vauquelin.
As the peloton powered toward the first rest day of La Vuelta a España on the race's third summit finish, a source close to Cyclingnews was able to spot an all-new, seemingly lightweight Bianchi road bike at the Arkéa-Samsic camp.
Hidden somewhat in plain sight among the brand's aero Oltre RC bikes, the new bike follows a similar design philosophy, with its upward-kinked top tube and aero detailing at the fork and down tube, but on close inspection, it's evident that the new model is a lighter-weight bike. Despite featuring the same sculpted finishes, the tubes are clearly thinner and shallower, especially toward the rear of the bike.
Cyclingnews can also confirm the bike was used, but went unnoticed, by Vauquelin during the stage 6 summit finish to Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre.
The bike is clearly aero up front, with its highly sculpted head tube, and lightweight at the back with minimalistic stays (Image credit: Cyclingnews)
New Bianchi bike: the details
There are no giveaways as to the bike's name on the bike itself, and we've looked at the UCI's list of approved frames and forks for clues, but there's nothing new in the Bianchi list there either. With that said, given Bianchi's current lightweight bike is known as the Specialissima, and given the time since that bike was last updated, we're pretty confident we're looking at the 2024 Specialissima.
The only wordmarks on the frame are on the down tube, top tube and chainstay. The top tube has the term 'Special Operations' written, which suggests this is something of a working prototype, similar to Specialized's Project Black. The words 'Reparto Corse' are written on the drive-side chainstay, as well as the non-drive-side face of the down tube. This translates to 'racing department' and is a term commonly used by Bianchi. A large Bianchi logo sits on the drive-side face of the down tube, and an add-on sticker for Vauquelin's name is placed on the seat tube cluster.
We've no confirmation of the exact weight of this model, so besides knowing that it must sit above the UCI limit of 6.8kg, we have to guess the rest. The tube shapes, lack of paint, and the fact that it's being piloted by a climber all point to this being a lightweight bike, but the front of the bike has clearly kept an eye on aerodynamics, so we'd presume this is more of an all-rounder than a pure weight weenie machine.
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The aero profiling of the head tube is very notable. We believe the bike is fitted with a new stem from FSA, too. The rubber sleeve on the fork leg is there to hold a race transponder. (Image credit: Cyclingnews)
Speaking of aerodynamics, many will be pleased to learn that the wild integrated cockpit from the Oltre RC doesn't feature. Instead, Vauquelin's bike is fitted with a more standard two-piece bar and stem. The handlebar is the K-Force from FSA, and we believe this is paired with a new stem from the same brand. Together they allow brake hoses to be routed through the stem and into the frame, keeping them out of the wind – and out of sight – entirely.
Beneath the cockpit, the aero profiling of the head tube is also notable. The lower part of the head tube protrudes forward further than the fork crown, the upper half blends smoothly rearward into the top tube, and the fork legs blend just as smoothly with the contours of the down tube. There's a cut-out at the top of the head tube for the headset top cover, but it appears there are no mounts for those divisive add-on air deflectors, as seen on the Oltre.
Dropped stays, a D-shaped seat tube and an upward-kinked top tube are all new features to the Specialissima platform (Image credit: Cyclingnews)
As you head toward the rear of the bike, the theme begins to transition from aero to weight-saving. There's a slight upward kink at the rear of the top tube, and the seat tube is deeper than the outgoing Specialissima, with an aero D-shape as shown in the image below. It's not totally clear, but this photo suggests that the seatpost uses a wedge clamp, accessed from in front, on the upper face of the top tube.
The seatstays have been dropped too, following the trend seen throughout most new bikes in the past few years; a feature which is said to increase both aerodynamic performance and comfort. Further down, the chainstays are notably thinner than before.
The current Specialissima sits to the left of the frame in this photo, and the difference in chainstay size is clear (Image credit: Cyclingnews)
As has become ubiquitous lately, this is a disc brake bike, and while we don't know for sure, we'd be surprised to see this bike offered in rim brake guise.
Naturally, we can't deduce exactly when the bike will launch. Given it's being raced at the highest level, it is clearly more than just a prototype so we can only assume we'll see it before the end of the season, which is fast approaching. We will be sure to bring you the news as soon as we know more.
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.
