Tour de France 2025 Road Bikes: Photos, Reviews, Pros, Cons, Prices, Tech Specs, Secrets - Everything You Need to Know

Colnago Y1Rs: Tadej Pogačar's Secret Weapon Dominating the Tour de France 2025!

Discover why the Colnago Y1Rs is the aerodynamic road bike propelling Tadej Pogačar and the UAE Emirates Team to victory in the Tour de France 2025. Get a detailed analysis, technical specifications, and all the secrets of this revolutionary bike.

 Early skepticism surrounding the Colnago Y1Rs has been emphatically answered on the roads of France, in the world's most important bike race, the Tour de France. This aero road bike has propelled Tadej Pogačar and the UAE Emirates Team to a stunning five Tour stage wins (Stages 4, 7, 12, 13, and 15) and a commanding cushion atop the general classification.

Pogačar has selected the Y1Rs for nearly every road stage and even trusted a pared-down build for the pivotal Stage 13 mountain time trial. This demonstrates that its combination of wind-cheating aerodynamics, performance geometry, and reasonable weight is truly world-beating.

In the Tour's first 15 stages, Pogačar has used the Y1Rs in the full range of conditions: rolling hills with a sprint finish, classic-like conditions featuring sharp climbs, a high mountain stage with one of Europe's most challenging ascents, and an individual time trial. Pogačar’s winning ride in Stage 13’s uphill time trial puts an exclamation point on the Y1Rs’ incredible versatility.

Expert Insight: Why the Y1Rs Makes the Difference

"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. 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." - Davide Fumagalli, Head of Product Colnago.

"In stages where a key moment calls for better aero efficiency, like a flat section after an attack or a climb with an average gradient of less than 8%, the team will favor the Y1Rs, even if the rest of the stage suits the V5Rs better. The team has done their calculations, and the tipping point is around that 8% gradient. Not many climbs are significantly steeper than that on average. Take the uphill time trial: although it was a climbing stage, the average speed was relatively high. In that context, the aero bike, especially as it was set up relatively light, proved worth the extra weight." - Davide Fumagalli, Head of Product Colnago.

"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." - Davide Fumagalli, Head of Product Colnago.

2025 Tour de France – UAE Team Emirates Victories on the Y1Rs

Stage Date Route / Terrain Result Bike
4 Jul 8 Amiens Métropole to Rouen (Rolling Sprint) Win – Tadej Pogačar Y1Rs
7 Jul 11 Saint‑Malo to Mûr‑de‑Bretagne (Double‑punch Finish) Win – Tadej Pogačar Y1Rs
12 Jul 17 Auch to Hautacam (Pyrenean Summit Finish) Win – Tadej Pogačar Y1Rs
13 Jul 18 Loudenvielle to Peyragudes (Mountain ITT) Win – Tadej Pogačar Y1Rs (6.9 kg hill‑climb build)
15 Jul 20 Muret to Carcassonne (Hilly) Win – Tim Wellens Y1Rs

Why Riders Pick the Y1Rs Over the Lighter V5Rs

Real‑World Race Weights Are Close:

Typical UAE race build Y1Rs: 7.2–7.5 kg.

Stage 13 hill‑climb build: 6.9 kg.

Typical V5Rs race build: ≈6.8 kg (UCI minimum).

Aerodynamics Outweigh Small Weight Savings: Wind-tunnel testing reveals that the Y1Rs, utilizing new 8:1 tube-depth rules, saves approximately 20–25 W at 50 km/h. This significantly exceeds the approximately 150–200 g weight difference between the Y1Rs and the V5Rs.

Power and Position Consistency: Pogačar preferred to stay on his familiar road bike for Stage 13’s mountain TT, prioritizing stable handling and a consistent riding position over absolute weight savings.

Aero Even on Steep Ramps: Pre-stage modeling shows that aero bikes retain decisive seconds even on gradients of up to 10%. Pogačar attacked Stage 4’s 15% ramp on the Y1Rs.

Comfort & Compliance: The Y1Rs’ “Defy” seat cluster decouples the seatpost for additional vertical flex while still allowing 32mm tires.

Stiffness for Sprints and Surges: Independent testing reports a ≈3.5% increase in sprint‑torsional stiffness versus the previous V4Rs.

Colnago Y1Rs FAQs

Is the Y1Rs above the 6.8 kg UCI minimum?
Yes. Standard race builds sit in the low‑7 kg range, but targeted builds like that used for the Stage 13 time trial can dip just below 7 kg while remaining safely above the limit.

When will riders choose the lighter V5Rs?
On very long, steep, weight‑critical summit finishes, particularly at high altitude, the team will likely deploy the V5Rs.

What’s the aero gain over previous Colnago frames?
Approximately 19% reduction in frontal area versus the V4Rs, equating to roughly 20–25 W saved at race speeds.

Rider Comfort: The Y1Rs features a ‘Defy’ seat cluster that adds a measure of compliance.

Technical Snapshot – Colnago Y1Rs (Team Spec)

Feature Detail
Platform Full‑aero UCI‑legal road‑race frame exploiting 8:1 rules
Aero Gain ≈19% frontal‑area reduction; ≈20–25 W drag saving vs V4Rs at 50 km/h
Weight 7.2 kg race build; 6.9 kg hill‑climb build
Compliance “Defy” seat‑cluster; clearance for 32 mm tires
Stiffness ≈3.5% stiffer in sprint tests vs V4Rs

Technical Snapshot – Colnago V5Rs (Reference)

Feature Detail
Focus Ultra‑light all-around GC frame
Frame Mass ≈685 g (unpainted, medium)
Typical Race Weight ≈6.8 kg
Use Case Extended high‑altitude, >8%‑gradient mountain stages

The Black Y1Rs Pogačar Will Use for Mont Ventoux (Stage 16)

 Tadej Pogačar take on Stage 16 of the Tour de France 2025—featuring a summit finish on Mont Ventoux—aboard a freshly reimagined build of his Colnago Y1Rs.

This bike has already proven dominant: Pogačar has ridden the Y1Rs to four stage victories in this Tour, and teammate Tim Wellens added to the tally with a win just yesterday.

But this is no ordinary Y1Rs. Here’s what makes this version unique:

Minimal Finish, Maximum Intent

Raw carbon aesthetics: The frame reveals the carbon weave beneath a paper-thin clearcoat—no paint, no frills, only speed.

Purpose-driven setup: Unlike the stripped-down TT build used in Peyragudes, this version features a full road race configuration—bottle cages, bar tape, 28mm tires, and a standard 160mm front brake disc (Pogačar used a 140mm rotor during Stage 13’s time trial to shave grams).

Weight-Saving, Performance-Focused Build

Refined cockpit: A revised Wahoo BOLT mount integrates seamlessly into the CC.Y1 handlebar, paired with 3D-printed GPS and race number supports for full aero efficiency.

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 with 165mm cranks and additional sprinter buttons on the drops. Notably, Pogačar retains his trusted power meter unit, moving it frame to frame for consistent data.

Gearing: The signature 55/38T Carbon-Ti chainrings—an innovation born from UAE Team Emirates—remain his go-to for any terrain, time trials included.

Rolling Efficiency and Contact Points

Wheels: Enve 4.5 PRO rims matched to Continental GP5000 TT 28mm tires—ideal for reducing rolling resistance while maintaining stability in the winds of Ventoux.

Hydration hardware: Elite Leggero Carbon bottle cages, chosen for their ultralight construction.

Saddle: Fizik Argo R1 Adaptive with 3D-printed variable density—custom fit to Tadej’s aggressive forward-biased position.

Finishing Touches of Performance

Bottom bracket: Supplied by Bikone, with external cups anodized with Pogačar’s iconic “Hulk” motif.

Hardware: Titanium bolts replace steel wherever possible. More anodized components from Carbon-Ti (bolts, axles, chainrings) and Framesandgear (direct mount hanger) complete the weight-saving and performance-focused approach.

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