Tadej Pogačar raced in the prologue time trial at the Tour de Romandie today on a prototype Colnago time trial bike.
He rode the new machine to fifth place in the 3.2km test, finishing seven seconds behind stage winner Dorian Godon (Ineos Grenadiers).
According to Colnago, the world champion's new machine is a prototype TT2 model, which appears to be the successor to the current TT1 model, a bike that has been in the Colnago range for several years now.
Pogačar was spotted riding a mystery time trial bike in early February, and we speculated on what that bike could be at the time. It would appear it was an early, unbranded version of the TT2 bike which he has used today.
In February, we speculated that this new bike looked less aggressive overall than the TT1, with some less deep frame shapes, and with more regular dropped seatstays, compared to the very low stays on the TT1 that lined up with the integrated bottle cage.
The primary goal of the TT2 appears to have been to save weight, whilst maintaining or improving aerodynamic performance. Colnago says the TT1 was one of the most aero time trial bikes in the WorldTour, but wanted to save some weight. The brand also mentions the bike being made more user-friendly for amateur cyclists.
The TT2 frameset is claimed to be 550 grams lighter, and is said to achieve a two-watt saving at 50kph compared to the TT1. The brand says this was measured as a weighted average across yaw angles. In short, this bike is over half a kilo lighter, whilst being slightly more aerodynamic than the TT1. Surely music to the ears of pro riders and a certain Tour de France champion.
Colnago explained that this is currently a prototype of the TT2 and that the bike will be made available to the brand's dealer network this September.
Pogačar's time trials this year
Pogačar will ride a size small bike, and his own model in the images above is built up with a Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, Enve wheelset and Carbon-Ti aftermarket parts such as the large 1X aero chainring. One difference of note compared to his road bikes is the Fizik Aeris split nose triathlon saddle fitted to the bike.
The Slovenian superstar currently has at least four time trials to ride this year, not including any championships he might choose to ride. Today at the Tour of Romandie, one at the upcoming Tour de Suisse and two crucial ones at the Tour de France.
The Romandie prologue is very short, and the Tour de Suisse time trial is flat and fast; both are seemingly different beasts from the tests at the Tour de France, which include more climbing, with the Tour prologue including a new format which should create fireworks.
The goal to save weight on the TT2 is telling that weight at the top level is critical. If a rider of Pogačar's stature can find a half-kilogram weight saving on the right course, it could provide an advantage that will help him gain time on his rivals come July and in the future.
Pogačar famously chose to use a stripped-down road bike for last year's mountain time trial at the Tour de France, preferring a lighter drop bar bike to his time trial bike for the stage. Stage 16's ITT at this year's Tour includes the Côte de Larringes climb, a roughly 9km ascent at around a 4.3% average gradient. Perhaps this is where Pogačar's new weight saving will help him this July.
