Merhawi Kudus has earned the right to wear his all year. No sooner had Merhawi won the Eritrean title out of a long breakaway around the capital of Asmara this summer, than Cannondale’s designers took to their drawing boards to create a bike for the champ. Merhawi’s new Cannondale SuperSix EVO is done up in the green, red, white, yellow, and blue of the Eritrean flag.

“It means a lot to me to race with the Eritrean flag, especially at the world championships,” Merhawi says. “This bike really makes me happy and makes me proud and gives me confidence. It’s going to be really cool to race with the Eritrean jersey and bike. Cannondale has made me something special. I'm very motivated.”

Merhawi’s SuperSix EVO doesn’t just look striking. It’s a pure road racing machine. With Vision Metron 55 wheels, a Vision Metron 5D carbon cockpit, FSA Powerbox cranks, and Wahoo SPEEDPLAY AERO pedals, it’s astonishingly light and responsive. Merhawi is excited to race it on the world championship course in Wollongong. His Cannondale SuperSix EVO is the ideal bike for the tight, technical city circuit where the race for the rainbow jersey will be decided. After a long jaunt past Pacific beaches and lap over and around Mount Keira, the race will climb Mount Pleasant’s 15% slopes 12 times. Merhawi won’t carry an extra gram. He’ll dive into corners and dodge through gaps in the peloton with confidence, thanks to his Cannondale SuperSix EVO’s precise handling and grip from his Vittoria Corsa tubulars.

At the world championships and beyond, Merhawi will fly the Eritrean colours with pride.

There is only one bike he would trade his for: a SuperSix EVO with rainbow stripes.

Here are the full specifications for Merhawi Kudus’s championship bike.