Tadej Pogačar has been spotted training on what appears to be a new lightweight time trial bike.
Based on images posted on X.com by Petr Bodlák / @lucasaganronald and @xywuz, the bike appears to use an aerodynamic design that has been lightened significantly compared to his existing Colnago TT1 time trial bike.
The fork and rear end, for example, use noticeably slimmer and less complex tube shapes, while the new bike also lacks the aero water bottle integration seen on the TT1.
With this year’s Tour de France featuring two hilly time trials, it appears the defending champion and Colnago could be cooking up something to tackle this year’s parcours.
Pared back
While the Colnago TT1 goes all in on aerodynamic efficiency, this new frameset looks to make significant concessions to weight – looking much more like an aero road bike, albeit with a flat base bar and aero extensions.
While the head tube and down tube use similar tube shapes to the TT1, the rest of the new bike looks to have been simplified and slimmed down significantly to cut weight.
There’s still a small compensation triangle connecting the top tube and seat tube, but the seat tube and seatstays are noticeably slimmer and less complex.
With the bike lacking the integrated aero bottle from the TT1, Pogačar is using a lightweight Elite carbon bottle cage and a standard, round cycling water bottle.
Of course, this could be only for training – perhaps an aero water bottle will be used on race day.
Either way, the new bike’s down tube also flares out at the bottle mounting bolts, likely in an effort to divert the airflow around a water bottle and improve the bike’s efficiency. It also appears that the down tube lacks bosses for a second bottle cage, indicating it’s designed for one cage on the down tube only.
Up front, the fork has slimmed-down legs and looks to feature a less prominent ‘nose’ compared to the TT1.
It appears to use a similar base bar and extensions arrangement to the TT1, though, with the base bar integrating into the frameset and each aero extension rising from the bar on high stack risers.
Although there’s no visible branding present, it looks as if Pogačar is using adjustable ENVE aero extensions and armrests, rather than the custom one-piece extensions we spotted on his TT bike at last year’s Tour.
In the leaked images we have, Pogačar looks to be using an ENVE SES 6.7 wheelset, alongside a 3D-printed Fizik saddle and a saddle bag.
Given the Tour’s two time trials (a team time trial on stage one in Barcelona, plus a hilly 26km individual effort on stage 16) feature a mixture of flats and climbs, we imagine the Slovenian will use a lightweight rear disc wheel on race days, for maximum aero gains.
