Tadej Pogačar has a new Tour de France aero bike – which is just over the UCI weight limit

Love it or hate it, the Colnago Y1Rs has proved to be one of the most successful bikes at this year’s Tour de France.

Piloted to victory on four stages by Tadej Pogačar and on a fifth by Tim Wellens, the unique aero bike has been ridden across rolling hills, sharp climbs, mountain stages, and even stage 15’s individual time trial.

Because today’s stage 16 of the Tour de France finishes on Mont Ventoux, you might think Pogačar would have left the Y1Rs at the team bus and opted for his Colnago V5Rs climbing bike. But, instead, Colnago has gifted the Slovenian a special version of his aero bike, which is just over the UCI weight limit. 

Raw carbon finish and a weight-saving build

Colango says the Y1Rs Pogačar is using to race up Mont Ventoux has a raw carbon finish that reveals the carbon weave of the frame. This is covered in a ‘paper-thin’ clear coat for “no paint, no frills, only speed”.

Pogačar used this raw carbon frame for the stage 15 uphill time trial. Due to the short course, that bike had no luxuries, lacking bar tape and bottle cages. But the version he is racing on today’s stage 16 has bar tape and cages. It also has a 160mm front disc rotor, after Pogačar used a 140mm rotor on stage 15. 

Elsewhere, Pogačar’s bike for stage 16 has a revised Wahoo Bolt mount paired with 3D-printed GPS and race number mounts for aero efficiency.  

He’s also running his preferred shorter 165mm cranks, sprinter buttons in the drops and his 55/38-tooth Carbon-Ti chainrings.  

The bike also features the ENVE SES 4.5 Pro wheels, which are lighter than the standard SES 4.5 wheels, wrapped in 28mm Continental GP5000 time trial tyres. 

Why pick the Y1Rs over the V5Rs? 

When there are big climbs such as Mont Ventoux, it might seem unusual to pick the Y1Rs over the Colnago V5Rs. But the weight difference between the bikes is minimal, according to Colnago.

The typical Y1Rs build used in races weighs between 7.2 and 7.5kg, while Pogačar’s raw carbon version is just over 7kg. 

Colnago says aerodynamics outweigh small savings: “Wind-tunnel testing reveals that the Y1Rs utilizes new 8:1 tube-depth rules, saving approximately 20–25 W at 50 km/h, which exceeds the approximately 150–200 g weight difference between the Y1Rs and the V5Rs.”

“Pre-stage modeling shows that aero bikes retain decisive seconds even on gradients of up to 10 per cent,” the brand says. 

Today’s stage is practically flat before it hits Ventoux, which has an average gradient of just over 8 per cent, making the Y1Rs the smart choice for Pogačar, who will be aiming to win today’s stage. But it could also benefit his teammates who are just trying to make it through the day.

“If a rider is expected to work at the front for most of the stage and isn’t meant to stay with the leader on the final climb, then the obvious choice is the aero bike,” says Davide Fumagalli, Colnago’s head of product. 

“Even if the stage finishes atop Mont Ventoux, the extra ~500 grams of the Y1rs doesn’t make a meaningful difference if the rider’s primary goal is just to finish within the time cut.”

“Another consideration is how much energy can be saved with the aero bike versus the V5Rs in the lead-up to the climbs. Over longer stages, this can make a meaningful difference in overall freshness at the decisive moments,” he adds. 

That leaves the question of when Pogačar will use his V5Rs. Colango says UAE Team Emirates XRG riders will likely use it on “very long, steep, weight‑critical summit finishes, particularly at high altitude”. 

That means it will most likely make its appearance on Thursday’s stage 18, which features three haute categorie climbs, if it appears at all.