Ever wondered what bikes the pros ride? Or indeed, fancied owning an elite-level racing machine yourself? We took a look at our current range of road bikes and picked out the ones that have been helping to carry the winners of some of the late-season races to victory. Warning, these bikes are extremely awesome and may result in a serious case of “I need a new bikeâ€-itis.
The German team Giant-Alpecin have had a topsy-turvy year following a terrible training crash, with their talismanic sprinter, John Degenkolb, coming away with one of the most lasting injuries having almost completely severed a finger. Not only has Degenkolb returned to his winning ways upon a Giant Propel at the Sparkassen Müsterland Giro, but also young German sprinter Max Walscheid, who has put the literally bone-shattering crash behind him, winning three stages at the Tour of Hainan, back to back.
The Giant Propel Advanced is equipped with a full Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset and Giant deep section wheels for great aerodynamics and that truly pro look.
Italian national champion, Giacomo Niccolo, of Trek-Segafredo has had a pretty good finish to a pretty great season. He rode his Trek Madone to victory at the Giro del Piemonte and snatched the first stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour from Degenkolb and Mark Cavendish after a great leadout from his team.
The Trek Madone 9.2 H2 sets the benchmark for aerodynamic race performance, providing the ultimate integration between compliance and speed. This model comes with tubeless ready Bontrager wheels and full Shimano Ultegra mechanical compact groupset.
Earning his first pro win and a much-needed scalp for his American team, Cannondale-Drapac, young Italian Davide Villella won the Japan Cup Cycle Road Race after a strong 5th place finish at Il Lombardia. His was a stylish win, riding away from the threatening clutches of Chris Juul-Jensen of Orica-BikeExchange to come over the line solo, punching the air.
Cannondale is a brand not talked about enough, but it offers great value for money, not least in its simple and smart aesthetic. The Super Six Evo is a super-light racing machine with a Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset, Cannondale cranks and Mavic Aksium wheels.
The multiple grand tour winning S-Works Tarmac from the most successful bike brand in the world was always going to be on this list, it was just a matter of beneath who. On this occasion it is Astana’s Estonian climbing sensation Tanel Kangert who rode away from Team Sky’s Nico Roche on the queen stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour to win the stage and take overall honours.
This model is draped with Shimano Dura Ace mechanical gearing and the blisteringly-fast Roval Rapide CLX40 carbon wheelset that will make you look and feel like the pro that you wish you were!
Road cycling’s new world champion just happens to be cycling’s old world champion, Mr charismatic himself, Peter Sagan of Slovakia. This marks his 89th pro win which is pretty sensational considering he’s just 26. His speed-machine of choice is the S-Works Venge Vias on which he has taken 24 of his career victories, a number which is sure to pale into significance by the time he calls time on his already stellar career.
For well under half the price, but still keeping much of its performance capability, you can get your hands on a Specialized Venge Expert, the top-dog before the leap to the S-Works label. It comes equipped with Shimano Ultegra mechanical gearing and Fulcrum Racing S3 wheels for maximum aero performance at an affordable price.
