Tadej Pogacar, caught the attention of the general public, as he was one of the last cyclists on the World Tour to adopt disc brakes. Now in an interview, former UAE Team Emirates teammate Ryan Gibbons has revealed details of the change.
“There was definitely pressure from the manufacturer to use the bike with disc brakes, since that was the model they were trying to sell to the public”, reveals Gibbons on the Bobby & Jens podcast, by former professionals Bobby Julich and Jens Voigt . However, it was only in 2022, with the introduction of the Colnago V4Rs model, that Pogacar finally made the change.
Pogacar preferred lightness to the new braking system
Why did Pogacar resist an apparently revolutionary idea that almost the entire peloton had already opted for? “The issue was 100% weight,” believes Gibbons.
“Tadej definitely felt that if he could have a bike that was 300 grams lighter, that would be necessary. Especially when you’re trying to win the biggest cycling race in the world, every gram can make a difference.”
“Of course it’s all about going as fast as possible. We want to be comfortable, but if we can be 3 watts faster, why not?”, concluded Gibbons.
