Giacomo Nizzolo's custom BMC Timemachine Road - Gallery

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Over recent years, when a rider wins a National, European, or World Championship title, it has become customary for the team and sponsors to celebrate by providing the rider with an array of custom kit. Beyond the relevant jersey that each titleholder is permitted to wear for the following season, sponsors will capitalise on the added exposure the rider will bring, providing limited, usually-colour-matching editions of components, clothing and accessories. 

One rider with a strong case for wearing customised kit in 2021 is Giacomo Nizzolo, who currently holds both the Italian national and the European road race titles. 

Following his storming week in August in which he won both in the space of four days, his receipt of custom componentry was almost immediate. He began the Tour de France three days later aboard an amended Timemachine Road, which was supplied by his team's bike sponsor BMC. The bike's design was subtle, but it met the brief. The black frame was given a classy Italian flag on the underside of the top tube, and a small selection of blue touches with yellow stars on the down tube and fork. 

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Fast forward to 2021, and as the season got underway, the Italian's bike was notably void of any colour at all. In fact, for Étoile de Bessèges and Paris-Nice, Nizzolo was aboard the same black frame as his teammates, with no Italian flags or European stars in sight. 

However, on the eve of Milan San Remo, that all changed as Nizzolo and his Qhubeka Assos team lifted the veil on his new bike, complete with a paint scheme completely tailored to his current dual-title status. 

With its white base coat, his European title is celebrated by the three shades of blue, dotted with yellow stars, which travels horizontally across the frame; a theme which also extends to his Selle Italia saddle. Meanwhile, his Italian title is celebrated with il Tricolore extending the full length of the top tube. 

Judging by these images, Nizzolo is clearly one for maximising his setup to be as efficient as possible. The bike itself is the brand's aero road bike, complete with its deep-section tubes, integrated cabling and aerodynamically optimised bottle cages. New for 2021, the team is rolling on Hunt wheels, for which Nizzolo's bike is shod with the brand's 80mm deep Team Issue rims, which in turn, are wrapped in Vittoria's super-quick Corsa Speed tubular tyres. Team sponsor CeramicSpeed has supplied its OSPW oversized jockey wheel, and he's also using the same brand's UFO chain - a waxed chain that has been treated with PTFE powder. 

Paired with these on-bike watt savings, Nizzolo took to the start line of Milan San Remo wearing a pair of as-yet-unreleased aero socks from clothing sponsor, Assos, and a 'San Remo' edition aero helmet from Ekoi.