With three stages in the books Richard Carapaz remains one of the favourites to win the 2022 Giro d’Italia. And Ineos’ GC man will head into battle on the slopes of Mount Etna on Tuesday aboard a brand new Pinarello Dogma F.
However, on the first rest day of the corsa rosa with the riders heading from Hungary to Sicily, Carapaz collected a new bike from the Ineos mechanics, swapping out his rim-braked bling for a stealthy-looking black number fitted with discs.
(Image credit: Ineos Grenadiers)
The new Dogma F, reportedly in a 50cm frame size for the 1.70m tall rider, isn’t without a few stylistic flourishes however. It still features a nod to that memorable Olympic win courtesy of gold type on the frame’s tubes as well as on the bike’s proprietary aero seat post.
Elsewhere, the biggest change is that move from rim brake to disc. Carapaz had continued to ride using the ‘old’ tech despite Ineos switching, as a team, to disc brakes when the Dogma F was launched midway through the 2021 season. Like teammate Egan Bernal and reigning TdF champion Tadej Pogačar Carapaz appeared to prefer the lower weight of the rim brake models, especially during mountain stages where his ability as a climber extraordinaire would often see him putting time into his rivals.
With this year’s Giro featuring over 50,000 metres of elevation, more than both the TdF and the Vuelta, it will be interesting to see if the Ecuadoran jumps back on his rim-brake Olympic bike when it comes to the race’s serious climbs, which for this 105th edition include Blockhaus, the Mortirolo and the Passo Pordoi.
(Image credit: Ineos Grenadiers)
As for the bike’s other noteworthy specifications, it uses Shimano's Dura-Ace 9250 groupset (albeit with 9150 cranks) as well as its C50 wheels, shod in tubeless Continental GP5000s. The finishing kit comes courtesy of Pinarello’s own 'Most' components, notably its Talon Ultra integrated bar and stem, while Carapaz’s seat of choice is a Fizik Antares 00, complete with carbon-braided rails.
(Image credit: Ineos Grenadiers)
Carapaz currently sits in 15th place in the General Classification, some 35 seconds behind current maglia rosa wearer Mattieu van der Poel, and more pertinently, 24 seconds behind Simon Yates, one of biggest rivals for the top podium spot when the race concludes in Verona on May 29th.
Carapaz and Yates, along with the race’s other main GC protagonists, which include Joao Almedia, Wilco Kelderman, the Bahrain-Victorious Spanish duo of Pello Bilbao and Mikel Landa, and Romain Bardet, will look to tomorrow’s summit finish on Etna as the first opportunity to assess each other’s climbing legs.
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Luke Friend has worked as a writer, editor and copywriter for twenty five years. Across books, magazines and websites, he's covered a broad range of topics for a range of clients including Major League Baseball, the National Trust and the NHS. He has an MA in Professional Writing from Falmouth University and is a qualified bicycle mechanic. He has been a cycling enthusiast from an early age, partly due to watching the Tour de France on TV. He's a keen follower of bike racing to this day as well as a regular road and gravel rider.
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