It's just the third stage of the Tour de France today and Tadej Pogačar is already leading the race and wearing the yellow jersey. Finishing 4th on the race's first stage and 14th on stage 2 has put Pogačar into yellow, and somehow it doesn't feel like too much of a surprise.
Only a few short weeks ago we saw him crush the Giro d'Italia as he raced to the largest overall winning margin since 1965, and in doing so, he raced many stages on a special pink-accented Colnago V4Rs race bike. Now the pink livery has gone and the Slovenian star, seemingly never one to shy away from a splash of colour, is riding a new, yellow-accented bike for the Tour de France's third stage.
This new bike has been given the yellow treatment in ample measure and features yellow decals all over. There are yellow Colnago logos on the frame, yellow Enve logos on the wheels, as well as handlebar tape and a custom yellow-splashed saddle. As Pogačar himself said in a post-stage interview, "You don't say no to yellow".
A rider in yellow is a very big deal for any brand or team, companies want to maximise exposure by using the colour and rightly so in what is by far the biggest race of the year.
Aside from a look at the yellow stickers, there are some interesting tech details to look at in this collection of images. We heard Pogačar's team had made some extra weight-saving changes to his race bike ahead of the Tour and some can be seen here, we think, from some brands we aren't so familiar with.
Back in yellow: Pogačar's V4Rs has already received the full treatment. (Image credit: Alen Milavec - Colnago )A yellow Colnago 'Club' symbol, surely one of the most iconic logo's in all of cycling. Spot the number of stages Pog has already won marked on his race number. (Image credit: Alen Milavec - Colnago )The Colnago logo on the downtube has been changed. Often this is a newly-painted frame, but sometimes teams will simply overlay a yellow logo on top of the existing one. We don't know if this is painted or a decal. (Image credit: Alen Milavec - Colnago )Deep wheels and plenty of seatpost showing always looks fast. (Image credit: Alen Milavec - Colnago )Yellow tape and Enve handlebar logos at the front end. Those handlebars are at least $1,200 if you want a pair, but they wouldn't be easy to get hold of. (Image credit: Alen Milavec - Colnago )'Hulk smash' must be an in-joke, but riders must fear angering Pogačar and feeling his wrath on the bike. (Image credit: Alen Milavec - Colnago )The V4Rs is Colnago's top race bike, another yellow Enve logo here on the stem, alongside the 'Richard Mille' stem sticker, not a bad partner to have. Riders are given a RM 67-02 watch to wear, worth around $200,00. (Image credit: Alen Milavec - Colnago )This logo has featured on bikes ridden to countless victories over many decades, an iconic sight on a head tube. (Image credit: Alen Milavec - Colnago )A custom Prologo saddle for Pogačar too, featuring yellow accents and a list of (some of) his victories. (Image credit: Alen Milavec - Colnago )This is another interesting shot, we've covered the Absolute Black disc pads in our tech gallery, but spot the removal of the rubber bleed port cover, upgraded caliper mount bolts and the oil slick brake hose nut in the background are all non-stock parts. (Image credit: Alen Milavec - Colnago )Another interesting detail is this threaded T47 ceramic bottom bracket from Spanish brand Bikone, costing €399. (Image credit: Alen Milavec - Colnago )And finally, Danish brand Frames and Gear has provided the direct mount derailleur hanger, this one weighs a claimed 12 grams. (Image credit: Alen Milavec - Colnago )
