Before he became the world-beater we know and love today, this is the bike that Tadej Pogačar rode to victory at the Tour de l’Avenir in 2018 – the result which kickstarted his career.
Riding for team Ljubljana Gusto Xaurum, this Gusto bears all the hallmarks of a U23 racer on a budget, looking to make a name for themselves despite equipment limitations, Continental team budgets, and replacing worn-out or crash-damaged parts with whatever you have in the parts bin.
It might sound like exaggeration, but this is genuinely the coolest bike I've seen in some time. You can buy a Y1Rs off the shelf, but this has the charm of a well-raced bike that shows Pogačar's not just a phenomenal talent – he's put in the hard yards to get where he is.
- Read more: Colnago Y1Rs review: Tadej Pogačar’s aero bike might look space-age, but it’s remarkably 'normal'
Pogačar took the lead of the 2018 Tour de l’Avenir on the summit finish to Meribel on stage 7 of the race, finishing third in a group of three sprinting for the win – just behind his now UAE Team Emirates XRG teammate, Brandon McNulty.
The Tour de l’Avenir translates to ‘The Race of the Future’, and is the Tour de France for up-and-coming under-23 riders. Success here, more often than not, equates to a bountiful pro cycling career at the top level of the sport. Past winners include the likes of Egan Bernal, Isaac del Toro, and Isabella Holmgren.
Following his l’Avenir victory, Pogačar joined UAE Team Emirates the following season, where he won the Tour of California and finished on the podium at the Vuelta a España.
For the first few years of his WorldTour career, he would often favour tubular tyres and rim brakes on mountainous stages to keep his Colnago team bike as light as possible – a throwback to the bikes like this, which he cut his teeth on.
Charmingly hodgepodge
Displayed proudly on the brand's 2025 Sea Otter Europe stand, the bike’s groupset is pleasingly mismatched in a style that will be familiar to most amateur racers.
SRAM Force 11-speed shifters and a matching rear derailleur are paired with a Red 22 front mech and Shimano Ultegra cassette.
If you’ve raced as an amateur with a limited budget and support, you know the struggle of eeking as much life as possible out of your posh, lightweight cassette – knowing that, when it wears out, you can only afford to replace it with a much heavier, cheaper model.
It makes me so happy to know that Pogačar has endured the same struggles.
A KMC chain wraps around Praxis Levatime chainrings on a Rotor 3D crankset. SRAM Force rim brakes provide the stopping power, and meet a set of unidentified Miche carbon wheels shod with unbadged 23mm wide Vittoria tubular tyres.
The SRM power meter is, of course, a premium touch. The SRM computer mount is in keeping with the brand’s popularity among racers in 2018 – a time that feels like another era, despite only being 7 years ago.
SRM was the first brand to bring a genuinely usable power meter to market, and its name is synonymous with high-quality, reliable data. So despite his laidback demeanour and playful character, it’s clear Pogi has always been focused on training data.
A Syncros cockpit and seatpost make up the finishing kit, and a discreetly branded Berk saddle is an homage to Pogi’s Slovenian roots.
Comparing this Gusto to his Colnago Y1Rs of 2025, it’s staggering just how far bike tech has come in just seven years.
Out with the rim brakes, in with the disc brakes, mechanical gears making way for wireless electronic shifting, and narrow tubular tyres replaced with plush tubeless ones.
Not to mention the stark contrast between the pretty plain lines of this Gusto and the outrageous, hyper-modern aesthetic of the Y1Rs.
