Race bikes head-to-head: Pogačar's Colnago Y1RS vs Vingegaard's Cervélo S5 - Which setup will prove fastest?
The Colnago Y1RS and Cervélo are set for a battle royale over the next few weeks.
The Tour de France is underway, and first blood has been drawn. Jonas Vingegaard wears the race leader's yellow jersey, with Tadej Pogačar sitting a mere six seconds off the lead after Stage 2's explosive showdown in central Barcelona.
We bought you a comparison of the two big GC favourites' time trial bikes ahead of the opening TTT, and are following that up with their race bikes now the first stage is behind us.
We bagged some time with each rider's number two race bike at their respective team hotels in the days before the race, and took a look at their setups and a few details that, at times, fly under the radar for such famous bikes.
There's a breakdown of components here: crank lengths, tyre sizes, and dimensions. The game is set, and we're going to see a lot more of these machines over the coming days.
- Time trial bikes head-to-head: Pogačar's Colnago TT2 vs Vingegaard's Cervélo P5, who has the best setup?
- New helmets from KASK and POC, loads of aero tape hacks, and two new prototype bikes: It's time for the 2026 Tour de France Grand Départ mega tech gallery
- Cooling hacks, prototype bikes and new TT groupset parts: Tour de France TTT tech gallery
The bikes themselves
First, the machines themselves.
Pogačar is riding a Colnago Y1RS, which was launched in late 2024. Pogačar has taken countless big wins on it since then and uses it pretty much exclusively now in an all-black version that only he uses. The world champion rarely rides the less aero V5Rs, though Isaac del Toro did choose to use that bike for Stage 2.
Vingegaard, meanwhile, is using the Cervélo S5 aero model; that bike got a refinement in the middle of last year, and the two models are amongst the most aerodynamic in the WorldTour based on our CN Labs aero testing.
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Handlebars
We were allowed a good look at both riders' number two race bikes, something that never fails to surprise and impress mere days out from the start of the world's biggest race. We did leave the mini shadow bike stands at home this time, and used a proper folding bike stand. The shadow stand is a great tool, but we wanted to minimise the risk of one of these bikes toppling over if we could; it wouldn't have been a good look.
Bar-wise, Vingegaard's S5 has the accompanying HB19 integrated bar and stem from Cervélo with a single 5mm spacer underneath. It's an aggressive and low front end, and after looking at so many bikes, where possible a low front end seems to be a priority for the team for an aero gain.
We didn't have time to get the tape measure out here for full measurements, but Vingegaard's bar looked reasonably narrow; Cervélo offers it in 36/40 and 38/42cm versions, and it will almost certainly be one of these two. As long as overall handlebar width is 40cm (measured outside to outside) and the inner distance between brake hoods is 28 cm, bars are deemed UCI legal.
Vingegaard has a photo of his family attached to the bars of his number one race bike, as we saw this at the TTT start.
Pogačar's bike features the Colnago CC.Y1 integrated bar and stem, with its distinctive forward sweep. Pogačar's bar had a 145mm 'stem' and was in the 377-400 size, which complies with the UCI rules. The bar has a reach of 79 and a drop of 130. Pogačar also had an aero Wahoo computer mount and the famous Hulk sticker on the top of the bars.
Drivetrain and gearing
Each rider and their teams use a different groupset, with Pogačar on Shimano Dura-Ace and Vingegaard on SRAM Red.
Vingegaard's bike was running SRAM Red 1x, and he's been on board with 1x drivetrains for quite some time now. His bike had 165mm cranks with a 52-tooth chainring with a 10-34 or 36 cassette, complete with a waxed chain.
Pogačar uses a 2x Dura-Ace setup with a range of aftermarket drivetrain parts. He runs 165mm cranks too, but this bike had 40-55 tooth Carbon-Ti chainrings, and thru axles, pulley wheel bolts, and a direct-mount rear mech hanger all from the same brand.
He had a Dura-Ace cassette with an 11-34 tooth sprocket sizing, and a chain that looked like it had a drip wax lube applied.
His bike was also fitted with a Beone bottom bracket - a Spanish manufacturer.
Pedal-wise, Vingegaard uses the Wahoo / Speedplay aero pedals that have dimples on one side. His team buys these pedals themselves as they have an existing sponsorship agreement with rival Garmin for computers.
Pogačar uses Dura-Ace SPD-SL pedals with yellow cleats for a few degrees of 'float'.
Wheels and tyres
When it comes to wheels and tyres, there are some interesting differences to be observed.
Vingegaard's bike was fitted with 30mm Vittoria Corsa Pro Speed time trial tyres set up tubeless. The team's Head of Performance Equipment, Jenco Drost, told me at a recent event that the team use a 29/30mm tyre combination for racing too, and said they had found it to be fastest, but no more.
Vingegaard had Reserve 42mm deep, semi- or mini-hooked wheels fitted with a 25.4mm internal width with external nipples and bladed spokes, and seems to often prefer a slightly shallower rim. The team will have tested all combinations, and though there's up to a 64mm option available, Vingegaard tends to run shallower wheels.
Interestingly, you can't seem to buy a pair of 42mm Reserve wheels on the brand's website; the stock configuration is a 42/49 pairing, so the team must have built up some 42mm rims.
Pogačar's bike was fitted with Enve SES Pro 4.5 wheels with a 49/55mm depth and 23.5mm internal width. These wheels also have a mini hook, but with internal spoke nipples and bladed spokes.
Pogačar also had time trial tyres fitted with Continental GP5000 TT tyres, also tubeless matching Vingegaard's all-out time trial tyre speed. He did, however, have 28mm tyres, so a slighly smaller size than Vingegaard.
Saddles, seatposts and extras
When it comes to saddles, Vingegaard had a 140mm Prologo Choice fitted, a sleek-looking saddle with a cutout that the brand says is aerodynamically optimised; check out those side 'vents' in the images.
It weighs a claimed 152 grams, and the rails can be separated from the carbon shell, allowing for replacement parts to be swapped in the event of a crash.
In terms of details, we were particularly impressed with the neatness with which the Visma mechanics had taped over various bolt holes to smooth airflow; everything looked tidy.
Pogačar uses a 3D printed Fizik Argo saddle without a cutout, and with carbon rails. The saddle is available in 140 and 150mm widths, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was a custom saddle for Pogačar himself. It's a little heavier than Vingegaard's, with a claimed weight of 196 grams, or 190 grams for the equivalent 140mm version.
Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
