Here’s the bike on which Alexandr Vinokourov (Astana) rode his final race.
The recently crowned Olympic road race champion retired after Tuesday’s Clasica San Sebastian.
The 38-year-old finished 35th in Spain’s only one-day WorldTour race and afterwards announced that he had competed in his last race.
Vinokourov’s career included success and controversy, the high point his overall victory in the 2005 Vuelta a Espana, and the low point his ban from the sport for blood doping during the 2007 Tour de France.
The gold Specialized Tarmac S-Works SL4 was Vino’s steed for his final race; a solution to the problem of not having a jersey for the Olympic road race champion.
This machine sports many of the unique touches of the bicycle ridden in the Tour de France.
The highly personalized, monocoque FSA Plasma handlebar, decorated in the centre with the motto ‘Forever Vino’, now sports gold handlebar tape.
Vino’s Corima MCC S wheels have a golden hue at the rim, and a mix of gold, blue and black spokes.
A white Selle Italia Flite Team Edition saddle has replaced the Astana blue and yellow model that served as Vino’s perch during the Tour de France.
A standard ‘red’ edition of the latest iteration of SRAM Red componentry is fitted, and the chainrings driven with a Specialized FACT crankset.
Vinokourov’s Astana squad recently announced the signings of Jakob Fuglsang from RadioShack-Nissan-Trek and the sprinter Andrea Guardini from Farnese Vini Sella.
