How have the team managed this? Let’s dig into it.<\/p>\n
You may like<\/p>\n
![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5TUCgwMWpCmAR9BLFVCQbJ.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
(Image credit: Colnago)1. No paint<\/p>\n
The most obvious change is the removal of the paint. Poga\u010dar usually runs a white bike, and white paint is often the heaviest colour due to the use of titanium-based pigments. Stripping that all back and replacing it with a simple, matte clearcoat over raw carbon will have removed a significant chunk of weight.<\/p>\n
![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSJjX3gQPsx8TCDQ5v9MdJ.png\")
<\/p>\n
(Image credit: Colnago)2. Smaller parts<\/p>\n
Given the predominantly uphill nature of the time trial Poga\u010dar has opted for smaller chainrings \u2013 still carbon fibre options from CarbonTi \u2013 but the physically smaller nature of the chainrings will mean they weigh less, dropping the overall weight.<\/p>\n
Likewise, he is running 25mm Continental GP5000 TT TR tyres rather than his usual 28mm set. This will have some aero benefit due to the reduced frontal area, but it will also save 30g for the pair.<\/p>\n
The tyres were also filled with half the amount of sealant that would normally be used.<\/p>\n
Finally, in the shrunken parts department, the bike is setup with a pair of 140mm brake rotors, as opposed to the usual 140\/160mm pair. Given the uphill nature, it’s unlikely he will be on the brakes very often, and certainly doesn’t need the extra power from a larger front rotor.<\/p>\n
3. No chainring bolt covers<\/p>\n
While we’re looking at his chainset, he’s also had the chainring bolt covers at the ends of the spider arms of his Shimano Dura-Ace cranks removed. These don’t do anything besides make the crankset more aesthetically pleasing, to the tune of around 25 grams, so into the spare parts bin they went for the day.<\/p>\n
![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/P73ifnonJcif8ysduKutcJ.png\")
<\/p>\n
(Image credit: Colnago)4. No water<\/p>\n
Even a small bottle adds 500g in water, plus 54g for the bottle, and a little more for the cage and bolts (assuming the team has removed these and taped over the holes. Given Poga\u010dar will aim to complete the course in something in the region of 23 minutes, he’s banking on just being a little bit thirsty.<\/p>\n
![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ymbVHcnBhFVVdLCdJHDaeJ.png\")
<\/p>\n
(Image credit: Colnago)5. No bar tape<\/p>\n
As we have seen on the climbs thus far, when he is using the Y1Rs Poga\u010dar almost always keeps his hands on the hoods. He’ll save maybe 30g or so here, though if he never uses the drops on the course it does beg the question why not go the whole hog and chop off the bottom of the drops. This may be illegal, but it’s a fun thought experiment nonetheless.<\/p>\n
![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BdWz2rpFJhRnjpE6gtZ6cJ.png\")
<\/p>\n
(Image credit: Colnago)6. Trimmed down computer mount<\/p>\n
Poga\u010dar usually uses a 3D printed mount for his Wahoo Elemnt Bolt, but in this instance, I think he’s trimmed excess material from the front and sides. Every gram counts, but the rear of the mount maintains a more aero connection between the computer and the cockpit.<\/p>\n
![\"Pogacar](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/KKGXqmjqXVK5PfCeAodkXh.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
(Image credit: Colnago)7. Lighter saddle<\/p>\n
Usually the Slovenian uses a 3D printed Fizik saddle, but in this case he’s opted for a lighter, time trial specific Fizik Transiro Aeris Long Distance R1 Light saddle, which is around 10g lighter than his usual option.<\/p>\n
![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/nFvJKeWocrmUjonciksYfJ.png\")
<\/p>\n
(Image credit: Colnago)8. Pro-only wheels<\/p>\n
Finally, he’s using Enve SES 4.5 Pro mid depth, pro only wheels, which are not only lighter than the standard (and already light) SES 4.5 wheels, but also slightly narrower, which should mesh better with the 25mm tyres.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The stage 13 mountain time trial is absolute heaven for tech nerds, with riders throughout the billing showing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":272462,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4104],"tags":[4230,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-272461","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114875153015175155","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}