Adam Blythe unveils 24 carat gold Genesis bike

Adam Blythe, former professional with Lotto-Soudal turned pundit for GCN, is the proud owner of a new 24 carat gold leaf bike. 

As part of a collaboration between Genesis bikes, paint studio Fat Creations and Blythe himself, the trio have designed a beautiful 24 carat gold frame complete with a head tube, designed by Olympic medallist turned carbon supremo Rob Hayles, ready to thread the bike's cables through. 

The rest of the frame appears to be the Genesis Zero Disc carbon bike that the British brand no longer sells.

To some, a flashy gold bike may seem like bad taste, although not if you’re an Olympic gold medal winner or former Lotto-Soudal pro, apparently.

Bylthe unveiled his new wheels on Instagram with the message: “This bike… completely beyond what I could of [sic] imagined it to look like!!!!”

Blythe isn't the first rider to have a gold coloured bike, though it may well be the first to be done in gold leaf.

We look at three other fancy bikes being ridden by Olympic and world champions in the past few years. Featuring rainbow bands, gold flashes and inspiring mottos. 

 RICHARD CARAPAZ’S GOLD DOGMA 

After Richard Carapaz won the Tokyo Olympics road race, taking Ecuador’s first-ever cycling gold medal in the process, it wasn’t going to be long before Pinarello drummed up a fancy new bike for him to hit the road on. 

The gold-ish Dogma that the prestigious brand created was rather special indeed. 

It’s common practice in cycling that when a rider lands a big accolade, sponsors will look to cash in on the golden opportunity and present their rider with various other gold or rainbow inspired livery. 

At this year’s Vuelta a España in which the Ecuadorean won two stages, Carapaz was pictured with another Dogma with the Pinarello logo in gold as well as a Kask helmet complete with gold flashes. 

GREG VAN AVERMAET’S GOLD BMC TEAMMACHINE 

Belgian Greg Van Avermaet was lucky enough to ride the golden wave of Olympic success for several years. 

Since winning the road race at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, Van Avermaet has been seen sporting golden helmets and gold rimmed sunglasses aboard several shiny golden bikes. 

At the start of the 2021 season, the Belgian unveiled his new gold inspired bike after joining the Ag2r-Citröen team. 

His BMC Teammachine SLR01 was complete with a stylish strip of gold on the handlebars and top tube paying homage to his success on the streets of Brazil. 

During his stint with the now defunct CCC Team, Van Avermaet wore a gold helmet complete with his team 's orange kit… Stylish indeed. 

TOM PIDCOCK’S RAINBOW INSPIRED PINARELLO CROSSISTA F 

What does one need after obliterating all competition to take the cyclocross world title in 2022? A rainbow inspired bike of course! 

Pidcock made his first appearance in his cyclocross rainbow jersey at the weekend and as well as the jersey, his fancy new bike was caked in the mud of Belgium by the time he crossed the finish line in Overijse, Belgium on Sunday. 

The beautiful new frame is white with flashes of the rainbow bands on the fork and seat tube as well as inside the tyre rim. 

The top tube of his new machine also features a strip of rainbow colouring along with the motto ‘Play your cards right’. 

After a decent start, we think it won’t be long before Pidcock is taking handfuls of wins on this new weapon.