Vincenzo Nibali’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac
Vincenzo Nibali’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac
Specialized sponsor three WorldTour teams (Omega Pharma-QuickStep, Astana and Tinkoff-Saxo) and while OPQS sprinter Mark Cavendish crashed out of the Tour de France on stage one aboard the Venge, Astana’s Vincenzo Nibali piloted the new Tarmac to overall victory.
Nibali’s glitter-finish machine had already caught the eye pre-race thanks to this stunning ‘Shark’ custom paint job – depicting a set of razor-sharp teeth biting into the fork.
And by the time the peloton raced into Paris, Nibali was riding a new bike – a yellow steed to match his yellow jersey.
But there is far more to the Italian’s machine than just good work by the graphics department. The latest version of the Tarmac (lighter, stiffer and more aero than the previous iteration) was unveiled ahead of the Giro d’Italia and Nibali’s machine for the Tour was dressed in a Campagnolo Super Record RS mechanical groupset, super-light Corima Viva S wheels and finished with an FSA SL-K handlebar and FSA OS-99 stem.
LOOK Keo Blade 2 pedals and a blacked-out Fizik Antares perch (Fizik are not an official supplier of Astana, but Nibali remains a fan of the Italian firm’s saddles) complete the setup.
And Nibali was not the only rider to win a Grand Tour on the S-Works Tarmac, either – fast forward two months and Alberto Contador was crowned champion of the Vuelta a Espana.
A bike befitting of a champion? You bet – and just to prove the point, Michal Kwiatkowski also won the World Championship on the same machine. You can see Kwiatkowski’s rainbow-themed bike for 2015 here.