Is this the bike that'll help Mark Cavendish make Tour de France history?

Mark Cavendish will be riding a custom-painted Willier Triestina Filante SLR for his last ever Tour de France. He'll be swapping Astana Qazaqstan's usual blue marble colourway for a special edition black and marble white paint job, with flashes of gold, along with signature CVNDSH touches. 

During the Giro d'Italia earlier this year, the Astana rider announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2023 season but confirmed plans to ride the Tour.

Cavendish will be looking to pilot this bike to a record-breaking 35th stage win at this year's Tour, which would make him the most prolific stage winner of the biggest race in cycling ahead, of the legendary Eddy Merckx with whom he currently shares the honour.

Wilier Triestina has gone all out to celebrate Cavendish's illustrious 17-year career with this new livery.

The bike itself is, we think, a thing of beauty. A matt black rear triangle and downtube are contrasted by a glossy white/silver marble effect at the front end of the bike. Separating the light and dark colours, are satin gold flashes, alongside satin gold Wilier branding. 

The Italian bike manufacturer commented on the creation of the custom bike, saying "We strive to honor the remarkable achievements of Mark Cavendish, who dedicated himself to becoming the top sprinter in cycling and is now regarded as a legend in the field".

The custom paint extends across the aero one-piece carbon cockpit too, a particularly nice touch we think. More customization can also be found on the front of the bike, where Cavendish's signature CVNDSH  logo can be found vertically down the fork blade.

Componentry remains the same on this bike, with the full complement of Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Di2 being found throughout. Team Astana will also be riding Corima's newly released MCC EVO wheelset, which were launched atat Eurobike last week.

There is a pretty good chance this new livery from Willier Triestina could find its way into the history books - Cavendish equalled Eddy Merckx's record tally of 34 Tour de France stage wins in 2021 while riding for Deceuninck - Quick Step. He  was denied the record that year when he finished third behind  Wout Van Aert on the final stage of the Tour de France.

After missing the 2022 Tour, Cavendish has shown real signs of form, after storming to a dominant victory on stage 21 of the 2023 Giro d'Italia.

Cavendish won't be the only rider on a trick bike at this year's race - the rider's of Groupama-FDJ will be on Xelius SLRs with a paint job designed by AI, while Lidl-Trek will be showing off some absolutely stunning Project One Madones and Emondas.

If you like the special edition bike, you can get it added to your own Wilier. Wilier Triestina dealers will be selling the bike (minus the Astana and Mark Cavendish logo) for an extra €800.