In the recent victory of Tadej pogacar At the Tour de France, much emphasis was placed on his Colnago V3Rs all yellow. We at bici.PRO have taken a step back and looked into the technical choices of the young Slovenian champion with the mechanic Vasile Morari, who followed him on the ride that brought him in yellow to the Champs-Elysées.
Even Pogacar with the records
To begin with, let's say that throughout the Tour, Pogacar rode the same bike. The size is a Colnago 50 which corresponds approximately to a 54One factor that changed during the French race is choosing the type of brakes, as Vasile Morari confirmed to us.
«In some flatter stages – he told us – Pogacar opted for the version with disc brakes, while for the uphill stages he used the V3Rs with calipers».
Different setups
A very interesting aspect that emerged while speaking with the mechanic of the UAE Team Emirates is that Pogacar has no special requests, but uses the lightest material on the uphill stages and the most aerodynamic on the flat ones.
«During the Tour de France – Vasile explained – he chose to use Bora Ultra wheels with tubulars in the stages with climbs, while he used the Bora WTO with tubeless tires in the fastest stages. Usually – he added –uses the Bora Ultra with two different profiles: the 35mm wheel at the front and the 50mm at the rear. This choice gives it more rigidity at the rear and there is not a big difference in weight compared to having the 35 mm pair».
While the choice to mount the lower profile also at the rear «was made only when very long climbs had to be tackled».
Even with regards to relationships there were two options.
«In the flat stages – the Uae mechanic explained to us – Pogacar mounted a 39-53 at the front with an 11-29 sprocket set, while in the mountainous sections he preferred to have a 36-53 with an 11-32 sprocket set».
These latter ratios were the same ones he also used on the climb to the Planche des Belles Filles. He tackled the flat part of the time trial with a 58 up front with an 11-29 cassette.
Handlebars and saddle always the same
As for the handlebars and saddle, the Slovenian champion has always used the same materials.
«As a handlebar he uses the AlaNera Deda Elementi which he likes very much because it is rigid and light at the same time – continues Morari – while the saddle is the Scratch M5 by Prologue».
Ultimately, Morari confirmed that Pogacar has no particular requirements. But he does adjust the bike's setup based on the route and the day's weather conditions.
