The 'most aerodynamic' bike in the WorldTour just made its winning debut – A close look at Elisa Longo Borghini's Colnago Y1Rs

The radical silhouette of the Colnago Y1Rs stuck out in the peloton at the UAE Tour Women 2025. Its looping handlebars were a vast contrast against the array of classic flat aero bars, and of course, Tiffany Cromwell's flared gravel bar. The bike was unmissable. 

The race saw the fastest stage ever in women's WorldTour racing recorded on stage 2, and it was UAE Team ADQ riders on their Y1Rs' who were instrumental in setting the record, an apt baptism for the bike's first WorldTour outing.

On stage 2, teammates Elisa Longo Borghini, Lara Gillespie, and Karlijn Swinkels led the breakaway and stepped on the gas from the very first kilometre, hitting an average of 48.407 km/h. 

But the Y1R's success went further. Elisa Longo Borghini won the General Classification, while teammate Silvio Persico was also on the GC podium. The flat roads of the UAE were the perfect first outing for the radical-looking bike. 

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Launched in December last year, the Colnago Y1Rs sent ripples through the industry as the bike ditched the classic main triangle shape, in favour of an irregular pentagon. 

Colnago said it completely refined its CFD modelling to create what it calls 'the most aerodynamic UCI-compliant road bike in the World Tour'. 

This is the aggressive speed machine of the UAE Tour Women 2025 winner Elisa Longo Borghini.

Longo Borghini's integrated cockpit with the CC.Y1 V-shaped handlebar doesn't look as radical from above, but its V shape slopes up and forward from the fork crown like a bird's wing shape. Colnago calls this the Wynd shape.  

The downtube features an integrated bottle cage, which matches the shape of the frame and is also said to reduce the drag caused by the bottles. 

UAE Team ADQ is a Shimano-sponsored team, hence the Dura-Ace R9100 12-speed crankset, with 54/40 tooth chainset, a common WorldTour racing setup. 

Peeking out from under the bar tape are Shimano's sprint shifters that allow Longo Borghini to shift in the drops. 

The Enve SES 4.5 wheels offer a lightweight and tubeless setup with deep section rims and are made for speed and the smooth asphalt of the UAE.

They have a 25mm internal rim width and a 32mm external width optimised for use with wider tyres. Longo Borghini was running the Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT, the brand's fastest road bike tyre. 

The pronounced kink is quite dramatic amidst the seatpost which is set back from the staggered seat tube. Colnago claims that adds vertical compliance for a more comfortable ride, despite the aero tube shapes.

The seat tube is also very short which helps shield the rear wheel from the wind, essential when taking on the crosswinds of the UAE. 

Longo Borghini rides the Fi'zi:k Vento Antares 00 saddle, which has a full carbon shell and rails and injected EVA-padding. Fi'zi:k is a new sponsor for the team this year.