What's made in Italy, currently in Suffolk, and covered in dragons? Geraint Thomas’s special edition bike for the Tour of Britain, of course

Geraint Thomas started this year’s Lloyds Tour of Britain Men on Tuesday for what will be his last ever professional race with Ineos Grenadiers. Fittingly for a Welshman’s swan song, the race will finish where Thomas’ cycling started, in Cardiff, Wales.

The bike every person from Wales alive must be hoping he can ride home to one final victory after a decorated 17-year career, is a custom-painted version of his trusty Pinarello Dogma.

Running his usual Shimano Dura Ace Di2 groupset, with matching C60 deep section carbon wheels, shod in ultra-light Continental GP5000 TT rubber, he’s hoping Suffolk County Council have fixed the potholes around Woodbridge where the race departs from.

His gearing is pretty conventional, with no need for a compact chainset for the stages around Suffolk in the coming days, which are pan-flat and fast.

His familiar Moist cockpit is enhanced with white bar tape, set off by metallic gold paint, which presumably he’s not worried about getting too dirty before he arrives in Cardiff, aboard this very special Welsh Dragon-adorned Dogma. The saddle is a Prologo Nago R4, with carbon rails.

Whether you hail from Wales or not, the paint is pretty spectacular, featuring a matte dark green base with red and gold gloss details, set against a stunning white backdrop. The paint scheme appears production-ready, featuring gold details such as the ‘4nm’ and ‘5nm’ instructional decals on both the saddle clamp and rail hardware, which are likely unnecessary for professional mechanics who have been working on this bike all season. Perhaps there will be a limited release for the public, depending on how the race concludes.

The top tube features highlights of Thomas’ career, including, of course, his 2018 Tour de France victory. It matches well with his special edition Ineos kit for this week, which has been specially designed to pay tribute to the 39-year-old.

For a man who has had some of his biggest successes on Pinarellos through his 15 years with Team Sky then Ineos, the final race bike is a fitting present.

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