The stage 13 mountain time trial is absolute heaven for tech nerds, with riders throughout the billing showing off a real variety of setups. We've seen road bikes with time trial wheels, time trial bikes with road wheels, aero helmets, pure lightweight setups, and the growing trend of 'road mullet' wheel setups with a deep front and shallow rear.
Much of the buzz around the stage has focussed on what the GC contenders are doing. We've seen Remco Evenepoel riding a modified time trial bike with deep road wheels, and the race leader and now overwhelming favourite to take the overall victory in Paris is riding a stripped-down hill-climb modified Colnago Y1Rs that I have been told tips the scales at a mere 6.9kg, just 100g over the UCI's minimum weight limit. His normal, white team bike normally weighs just shy of 7.5kg, meaning the team has managed to remove 600g.
How have the team managed this? Let's dig into it.
1. No paint
The most obvious change is the removal of the paint. Pogačar usually runs a white bike, and white paint is often the heaviest colour due to the use of titanium-based pigments. Stripping that all back and replacing it with a simple, matte clearcoat over raw carbon will have removed a significant chunk of weight.
2. Smaller parts
Given the predominantly uphill nature of the time trial Pogačar has opted for smaller chainrings – still carbon fibre options from CarbonTi – but the physically smaller nature of the chainrings will mean they weigh less, dropping the overall weight.
Likewise, he is running 25mm Continental GP5000 TT TR tyres rather than his usual 28mm set. This will have some aero benefit due to the reduced frontal area, but it will also save 30g for the pair.
The tyres were also filled with half the amount of sealant that would normally be used.
Finally, in the shrunken parts department, the bike is setup with a pair of 140mm brake rotors, as opposed to the usual 140/160mm pair. Given the uphill nature, it's unlikely he will be on the brakes very often, and certainly doesn't need the extra power from a larger front rotor.
3. No chainring bolt covers
While we're looking at his chainset, he's also had the chainring bolt covers at the ends of the spider arms of his Shimano Dura-Ace cranks removed. These don't do anything besides make the crankset more aesthetically pleasing, to the tune of around 25 grams, so into the spare parts bin they went for the day.
4. No water
Even a small bottle adds 500g in water, plus 54g for the bottle, and a little more for the cage and bolts (assuming the team has removed these and taped over the holes. Given Pogačar will aim to complete the course in something in the region of 23 minutes, he's banking on just being a little bit thirsty.
5. No bar tape
As we have seen on the climbs thus far, when he is using the Y1Rs Pogačar almost always keeps his hands on the hoods. He'll save maybe 30g or so here, though if he never uses the drops on the course it does beg the question why not go the whole hog and chop off the bottom of the drops. This may be illegal, but it's a fun thought experiment nonetheless.
6. Trimmed down computer mount
Pogačar usually uses a 3D printed mount for his Wahoo Elemnt Bolt, but in this instance, I think he's trimmed excess material from the front and sides. Every gram counts, but the rear of the mount maintains a more aero connection between the computer and the cockpit.
7. Lighter saddle
Usually the Slovenian uses a 3D printed Fizik saddle, but in this case he's opted for a lighter, time trial specific Fizik Transiro Aeris Long Distance R1 Light saddle, which is around 10g lighter than his usual option.
8. Pro-only wheels
Finally, he's using Enve SES 4.5 Pro mid depth, pro only wheels, which are not only lighter than the standard (and already light) SES 4.5 wheels, but also slightly narrower, which should mesh better with the 25mm tyres.
