Trophies on wheels: a look at the uniquely painted bikes gifted to the 2024 Olympic champions

Another spectacular Olympic Games has come and gone. And we’ll be revisiting the record-breaking performances, emotional triumphs and unforgettable moments that Paris delivered for some time.

Among the many athletes who left their mark on the global stage, the Olympic cyclists stand out –quite literally– not only for their extraordinary achievements, but for the unique gifts they received post-victory. Within days of claiming their gold medals, the Olympic road cycling champions were presented with custom-painted bikes from their sponsors — exclusive tributes that shine as brightly as the golden medals themselves.

While Remco Evenepoel (Belgium/Soudal Quick-Step) took some time away to prepare for the World Championships ahead, Kristen Faulkner (USA / EF Oatly Cannondale) and Grace Brown (Australia / FDJ Suez) were thrown right back into action at the eight-stage Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Here, we got to see their golden bikes in person, while it’s yet to be seen if Evenpoel’s golden-leafed Tarmac is a celebratory bike or if it will see action soon as well.

Let’s take a look at these trophies on wheels.

Kristen Faulkner's Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB71

What a season it’s been for Kristen Faulkner. The 31-year-old Alaskan netted an early season win at Omloop van het Hageland, a Grand Tour stage win at Vuelta España Femenina, became the U.S. national road racing champion and represented the USA at the Olympics, where she won two gold medals.

While she may have been the surprise champion of the Olympic road race, she rode with the strength and expertise of someone with three times her experience and backed up her performance with a second medal in the Team Pursuit just two days later.

Cannondale honoured her achievement with a LAB 71 road bike that pays tribute to both her national and Olympic titles with a prominent red-white-and-blue colourway and golden stars and stripes. Even her Wahoo computer sports some golden flare.

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Faulkner’s race machines features an ultra-light Series 0 carbon construction frame, a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset paired with an FSA power meter, FSA finishing kit including a SystemBar R-One one-piece carbon cockpit, and Vision Metron 45 SL wheels warped in Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres.

Her favourite part about the custom paint? “The gold stars, for sure,” she told Cycling Weekly.

Faulkner put her brand new bike into action straightaway at the Tour de France Femmes, where she rode aggressively, attacking frequently and netting two top fives stage finishes in the process. She even sat second in GC for a day after strong performances in the middle part of the race week.

Grace Brown's Lapierre Aerostorm

Australia’s Grace Brown won the first cycling gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Brown stormed to victory in treacherous conditions, which saw many riders hit the deck on the rains-soaked and rough roads of Paris. But Brown kept it upright and steady to add an Olympic gold medal to her already successful year.

The 2024 season has been perhaps her best one yet, as we've seen her win Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes, two stages and the overall at Bretagne Ladies Tour, and the Australian national time trial title. It’s also her last year as Brown intends to retire after the World Championships.

“I think being able to go out on top is really cool; not many people get to do that. You hope that your final year will be good but for it actually to be good is a bit of a dream. It also means that when I finish, I'm still going to love cycling,” Brown shared.

The fastest woman in the race against the clock already had a green, yellow and white bike to commemorate her national title, but the night before the Tour de France Femmes started, Lapierre surprised her with a new, all-gold time trial bike as well.

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This golden Aerostorm is built with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset with a monster 60t front aero chainring and an 11-30 cassette. The wheelset consists of a Revolver Wheels 70mm deep Troika Disc Brake tri-spoke front wheel and a Shimano branded disc rear wheel. Brown was sporting Continental’s new Aero111 front-specific tyre paired with a Continental GP 5000 in the rear.

Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on her side in the bike’s first outing. Brown suffered a flat tyre during the time trial stage of the Tour de France Femmes and had to finish the race on her spare bike. She lost significant time during the bike swap and finished 24 seconds down from stage inner Demi Vollering.

“I felt like I was on for a good one, but bad luck struck again and sliced my rear tire. The lost time changing bikes put me out of contention. Super disappointed to lose this "golden" opportunity,” Brown commented afterward.

Remco Evenepoel's Specialized Tarmac Sl8

In Paris, Belgium's Remco Evenepoel made history as the first male cyclist to achieve the Olympic double, winning both the road race and the time trial at the same Games. Before Evenepoel, only Dutch cyclist Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel had accomplished this feat, securing both titles at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The 24-year-old had already claimed World titles in both disciplines and knew this historic double could also be within reach. Evenepoel started of his Olympic campaign by winning the rain-soaked time trial by just 15 seconds over Italy’s Filippo Ganna. One week later, he gave another dominating performance to win his second gold medal after finishing solo in front of the iconic Eiffel Tower.

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To pay tribute to his golden performance, Specialized honoured the young superstar with the blingiest paint job of the bunch: a gold-leafed Tarmac SL8. Painted by Color Monkey in Belgium, the SL8 is only the first of the commemorative bikes Evenepoel will receive. Specialized tells Cycling Weekly that it “definitely has some fun stuff ahead” for Evenepoel’s TT bike and equipment, but we may not see that until we near the World Championships, where the Belgian aims to defend his time trial title.

Like the team bike Evenepoel and his Soudal-Quickstep teammates usually ride, the golden Tarmac SL8 comes with a 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, complete with a Shimano Dura-ace FC-9200P power meter, a one-piece Roval Rapide cockpit and Roval Alpinist CLX II Team wheels wrapped in Specialized S-Works Turbo Cotton tyres.