The reigning Olympic champion preferred the elegant gold-flecked frame that Cannondale built for him to commemorate his gold medal, accenting it with yellow bar tape from Prologo and a yellow Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt, for his debut in the yellow jersey. Richie likes to speak loudest with his legs.

For that, Cannondale’s engineers have built him the ultimate race bike. Its featherweight construction was made to soar up Alps and dive nimbly into corners at 100 km/hr down switchbacked descents. Windtunnel testing proves that its aerodynamics are competitive with the most aero bikes on the market. Silky smooth on the road, it is incredibly stiff, so Richie can whip it into a sprint and burst out of corners and towards finish lines ahead of the pack.

Vision Metron 45 SL wheels provide the perfect balance of light weight and aerodynamic performance for the varied terrain of the Tour de France. Richie runs them with Vittoria Corsa Pro tubeless tires for their unmatched lack of rolling resistance and for their grip in the corners.

A Prologo Scratch M5 saddle keeps him comfortable on lengthy stages and ensures that he doesn’t waste any energy when he pedals. He clips in to Wahoo SPEEDPLAY AERO pedals, which, along with their aero gains, let him dial in his cleats with incredible accuracy and provide best-in-class cornering clearance.

For the mountains, Richie will run an 11-32 cassette with 54t-40t FSA rings mounted to his FSA K-Force cranks, so he has a full range of gears to spin up the climbs and attack downhill, turning his power into speed.

When the time comes, and attacks start to fly, he will grip the drops of his MOMOdesign carbon bars and go all out to defend his yellow jersey during the 2024 Tour de France’s first stage in the Alps. Watch out for a very special bike on the Col du Galibier.

Below are the full specs of Richard Carapaz’s Cannondale LAB71 SuperSix EVO.