One other spectacular Olympic Video games has come and gone. And we’ll be revisiting the record-breaking performances, emotional triumphs and unforgettable moments that Paris delivered for a while.
Among the many many athletes who left their mark on the worldwide stage, the Olympic cyclists stand out –fairly actually– not just for their extraordinary achievements, however for the distinctive items they acquired post-victory. Inside days of claiming their gold medals, the Olympic highway biking champions had been introduced with custom-painted bikes from their sponsors — unique tributes that shine as brightly because the golden medals themselves.
Whereas Remco Evenepoel (Belgium/Soudal Fast-Step) took a while away to arrange for the World Championships forward, Kristen Faulkner (USA / EF Oatly Cannondale) and Grace Brown (Australia / FDJ Suez) had been thrown proper again into motion on the eight-stage Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
Right here, we bought to see their golden bikes in particular person, whereas it’s but to be seen if Evenpoel’s golden-leafed Tarmac is a celebratory bike or if it would see motion quickly as effectively.
Let’s check out these trophies on wheels.
Kristen Faulkner’s Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB71
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
What a season it’s been for Kristen Faulkner. The 31-year-old Alaskan netted an early season win at Omloop van het Hageland, a Grand Tour stage win at Vuelta España Femenina, turned the U.S. nationwide highway racing champion and represented the USA on the Olympics, the place she received two gold medals.
Whereas she could have been the shock champion of the Olympic highway race, she rode with the energy and experience of somebody with thrice her expertise and backed up her efficiency with a second medal within the Crew Pursuit simply two days later.
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Cannondale honoured her achievement with a LAB 71 highway bike that pays tribute to each her nationwide and Olympic titles with a distinguished red-white-and-blue colourway and golden stars and stripes. Even her Wahoo laptop sports activities some golden flare.
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(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
Faulkner’s race machines options an ultra-light Sequence 0 carbon building body, a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset paired with an FSA energy meter, FSA ending package together with a SystemBar R-One one-piece carbon cockpit, and Imaginative and prescient Metron 45 SL wheels warped in Vittoria Corsa Professional tyres.
Her favorite half in regards to the {custom} paint? “The gold stars, for positive,” she advised Biking Weekly.
Faulkner put her model new bike into motion straightaway on the Tour de France Femmes, the place she rode aggressively, attacking regularly and netting two prime fives stage finishes within the course of. She even sat second in GC for a day after sturdy performances within the center a part of the race week.
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Body:
Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB71
Row 0 – Cell 2
Groupset:
12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9250 with an FSA Power3Max powermeter
Row 1 – Cell 2
Wheels:
Imaginative and prescient Metron 45 SL
Row 2 – Cell 2
Tyres:
Vittoria Corsa Professional, 28mm
Row 3 – Cell 2
Laptop
Wahoo
Row 4 – Cell 2
Grace Brown’s Lapierre Aerostorm
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
Australia’s Grace Brown received the primary biking gold medal on the 2024 Paris Olympics. Brown stormed to victory in treacherous circumstances, which noticed many riders hit the deck on the rains-soaked and tough roads of Paris. However Brown saved it upright and regular so as to add an Olympic gold medal to her already profitable yr.
The 2024 season has been maybe her greatest one but, as we have seen her win Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes, two levels and the general at Bretagne Women Tour, and the Australian nationwide time trial title. It’s additionally her final yr as Brown intends to retire after the World Championships.
“I believe having the ability to exit on prime is basically cool; not many individuals get to try this. You hope that your last yr will likely be good however for it really to be good is a little bit of a dream. It additionally signifies that after I end, I am nonetheless going to like biking,” Brown shared.
The quickest girl within the race towards the clock already had a inexperienced, yellow and white bike to commemorate her nationwide title, however the evening earlier than the Tour de France Femmes began, Lapierre stunned her with a brand new, all-gold time trial bike as effectively.
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(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
This golden Aerostorm is constructed with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset with a monster 60t entrance aero chainring and an 11-30 cassette. The wheelset consists of a Revolver Wheels 70mm deep Troika Disc Brake tri-spoke entrance wheel and a Shimano branded disc rear wheel. Brown was sporting Continental’s new Aero111 front-specific tyre paired with a Continental GP 5000 within the rear.
Sadly, luck wasn’t on her facet within the bike’s first outing. Brown suffered a flat tyre in the course of the time trial stage of the Tour de France Femmes and needed to end the race on her spare bike. She misplaced important time in the course of the bike swap and completed 24 seconds down from stage interior Demi Vollering.
“I felt like I used to be on for a superb one, however dangerous luck struck once more and sliced my rear tire. The misplaced time altering bikes put me out of rivalry. Tremendous disillusioned to lose this “golden” alternative,” Brown commented afterward.
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Body:
Lapierre Aerostorm
Row 0 – Cell 2
Groupset:
12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 with a 60t entrance aero chainring and an 11-30 cassette
26mm Continental front-specific Aero 111 tyre paired with Continental Grandprix 5000 within the rear
Row 3 – Cell 2
Laptop
Wahoo
Row 4 – Cell 2
Remco Evenepoel’s Specialised Tarmac Sl8
(Picture credit score: Billy Ceusters)
In Paris, Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel made historical past as the primary male bicycle owner to attain the Olympic double, profitable each the highway race and the time trial on the similar Video games. Earlier than Evenepoel, solely Dutch bicycle owner Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel had achieved this feat, securing each titles on the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The 24-year-old had already claimed World titles in each disciplines and knew this historic double is also inside attain. Evenepoel began of his Olympic marketing campaign by profitable the rain-soaked time trial by simply 15 seconds over Italy’s Filippo Ganna. One week later, he gave one other dominating efficiency to win his second gold medal after ending solo in entrance of the long-lasting Eiffel Tower.
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(Picture credit score: Billy Ceusters )
(Picture credit score: Billy Ceusters )
(Picture credit score: Billy Ceusters )
(Picture credit score: Billy Ceusters )
To pay tribute to his golden efficiency, Specialised honoured the younger famous person with the blingiest paint job of the bunch: a gold-leafed Tarmac SL8. Painted by Coloration Monkey in Belgium, the SL8 is just the primary of the commemorative bikes Evenepoel will obtain. Specialised tells Biking Weekly that it “positively has some enjoyable stuff forward” for Evenepoel’s TT bike and gear, however we could not see that till we close to the World Championships, the place the Belgian goals to defend his time trial title.
Just like the crew bike Evenepoel and his Soudal-Quickstep teammates normally experience, the golden Tarmac SL8 comes with a 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, full with a Shimano Dura-ace FC-9200P energy meter, a one-piece Roval Rapide cockpit and Roval Alpinist CLX II Crew wheels wrapped in Specialised S-Works Turbo Cotton tyres.
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Body:
Specialised S-Works Tarmac SL8
Row 0 – Cell 2
Groupset:
12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9250 with a Shimano Dura-ace FC-9200P powermeter
