The custom-painted Colnago Y1Rs aero bike is still as divisive as the day it launched
(Image credit: Dario Belingheri / Stringer)
Tadej Pogačar sprinted to a commanding victory on stage 3 of the UAE Tour on Wednesday. The World Champion, resplendent in his white rainbow skinsuit, beat Oscar Onley and Felix Gall to the line.
We already spotted Pogačar using what looks to be a new Enve wheel in yesterday's individual time trial, and have spotted a few more curious details on the Slovenian's striking new Colnago Y1Rs aero bike today.
First up are the Enve SES 6.7 wheels, they have silver hubs and spokes that are visibly different to the ones used by his teammates and look to be the same as the front wheel setup he used in yesterday's time trial. This could be a new wheelset being developed by Enve, or at least a test for a new wheel hub and spoke configuration.
UAE Emirates-XRG has an exclusive partnership with Shimano, but riders were still seen using Carbon-Ti carbon fibre chainrings, like last year. Pogačar was using some customised ones that can be seen below.
Finally, we spotted some insulated bottles from team partner Elite, which we assume to help keep drinks colder for longer under the hot UAE sun and help manage Pogačar's core temperature.
The silver spokes can be seen clearly here, along with custom Enve rainbow rim decal (Image credit: Dario Belingheri / Stringer)
Pogačar's silver spokes and hubshells can be seen clearly here in stark contrast to his teammates' black ones (Image credit: Dario Belingheri / Stringer)
Pogačar's Enve spokes and hubs at this race are silver, clearly standing out from his teammates'. Enve SES wheels are generally specced with Sapim CX Ray spokes, which are stainless steel, the wheels also feature internal spoke nipples which provide a small aero saving.
We don't know whether these new spokes are different in some way or are simply slightly lighter than the regular black ones. This was the case with the silver hubs of the Roval Rapide CLX II Team wheels that launched last year.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Perhaps they have a more aero profile or the team is even experimenting with different spoke tensions for the world champion. It seems odd to count the grams on an aero bike like the Colnago Y1Rs, but at the top level, every small detail matters. We suspect by the end of the season, we will have our answers.
A simple name sticker and rainbow top tube detailing on the Colnago Y1Rs, note the extra details in the rainbow bands. The race number also appears to be neatly mounted at the seatpost clamp and looks very clean (Image credit: Dario Belingheri / Stringer)
It's a cutting-edge bike, with a narrow, bayonet-style headtube but the famous Colnago headtube logo remains. Spot that super clean integrated down tube bottle cage as well. (Image credit: Dario Belingheri / Stringer)
This very neat integrated Wahoo computer mount, produced by Hinloopen Design, is being used by the World Champion this year. The Hulk sticker is also still in place. (Image credit: Dario Belingheri / Stringer)
That is one slippery head tube! (Image credit: Dario Belingheri / Stringer)
Carbon Ti chainrings remain, note the custom Pogačar logo for this year (Image credit: Dario Belingheri / Stringer)
This is an interesting one, we learned over winter that UAE Emirates-XRG and Shimano had announced a partnership for the next four years whereby the Japanese manufacturer would supply the team with groupsets and pedals. We assumed this would mean fewer aftermarket parts for the team. Pogačar himself has used Carbon-Ti chainrings and AbsoluteBlack brake pads regularly.
Team riders are still using Carbon-Ti chainrings though and Pogačar's Dura-Ace chainset was even fitted with chainrings that feature his custom TP logo and 'UAE Emirates' wordmark, so perhaps an understanding or agreement has been reached with Shimano to allow some flexibility here.
That rear end is going to take some geting used to, like most controversial bikes in cycling, we expect it will cause a stir, then we will all settle down and get used to it. (Image credit: Dario Belingheri / Stringer)
Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
