Tadej Pogačar often dominates races and is the favourite for the Giro d'Italia but he and his UAE Team Emirates squad leave little to chance, seeking out every possible marginal gain. This includes the team’s Colnago race bikes, component selection and optimised biomechanics.
Since turning professional in 2019, Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates have gradually evolved and perfected their equipment choices to find weight saving, better efficiencies and marginal gains.
UAE Team Emirates switched from rim brakes to disc brakes, with Pogačar occasionally switching between the two to have a lighter bike for the climbs. The team then invested a significant sum on independent wind tunnel testing to create the best wheel and frame combination.
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Colnago developed the V4Rs based on Pogačar’s feedback and in 2023 the whole team switched from Campagnolo to Shimano groupsets and partnered with Enve for their wheels and Continental for tubeless tyres. Pogačar and other riders often prefer the 28mm Continental GP 5000 TT tyre instead of the Grand Prix 5000 S TR depending on the race conditions.
The bikes are also fitted with an aerodynamic carbon fibre one-piece cockpit. These were initially from Colnago but Pogačar appears to be using the Enve SES AR model this year.
According to Italian magazine Bicisport, in recent years, Pogačar swapped from a 50cm to a 48.5cm frame and has narrowed his cockpit width from 42cm to 37cm with a two-centimetre flare, as the trend for narrow bars became more and more popular.
He now always races with a Met Manta aero helmet and large face-covering Scicon sunglasses. Tuscany brand Pissei provides race clothing and skinsuits.
This year Pogačar also switched from 170mm to 165mm cranks for Strade Bianche, which he won with a 80km solo attack, to apparently help improve his cadence, the load on his leg muscles and aerodynamics.
Bicisport suggest that Pogačar had already swapped from 172.5mm to 170mm cranks in 2023 and opted for a further reduction in crank length after changing to 165mm cranks on his time trial bike.
Pogačar’s latest marginal gain is an unusual 55 x 40 chainring selection, with small Italian brand Carbon-Ti creating special chainrings specifically for Pogačar.
According to the BiciPro website, Pogačar used the 55-tooth carbon chainring for the first time at Milan-San Remo and used it to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège. UAE Team Emirates also use steel-carbon disc brake rotors to help save a few grammes.
Pogačar used a 54 Carbon-Ti CarboRing chainring in 2023 when he won the Tour of Flanders and then requested a 55x40 set-up for 2024.
“Tadej asked for it, he knows what he wants and everyone naturally tries to help him,” Marco Monticone, the Product Manager of Carbon-Ti told BiciPro.
“We first spoke to the team during the Tour de France and they wanted a bigger chainring to have a bigger gear ratio, especially for the fast descents. I think it was a way to take on some of their rivals who have a ten-tooth sprocket.”
Carbon-Ti had to totally redesign their chainring set-up to create a 55x40 combination, using 3D design and new CNC machine settings.
The structure of the chainring is made from carbon fibre, with the teeth CNC machined from aluminium. Carbon-Ti says the width and shape of the outer chainring helps harpoon the chain between the chainrings for precise up-shifts and down-shifts. The chainrings are compatible with both Shimano and SRAM cranks and gears.
BiciPro revealed that UAE Team Emirates have now ordered the 55x40 CarboRing set-up for all its riders but they will soon be on sale to the public, with the 55 CarboRing costing €249.00. Inner chainrings cost €186.00.
Rival teams have apparently also shown interest, but with Carbon-Ti being a small company based near Brescia, there is a waiting list of four to five months.
“At the moment the 55x40 set-up is exclusively for UAE Team Emirates because we're an official supplier to the team but when it goes on sale to the public, anyone can buy them,” Monticone of Carbon-Ti said.
“Bahrain Victorious, Decathlon and Jayco-AlUla have asked to buy them and Decathlon made a significant order, so I’m sure people will soon see them on their bikes.”
