Eight. That is the number of bikes that Tadej Pogačar had at his disposal on any given stage of this year’s Tour de France. Certainly, that is more bikes than the average Tour de France rider. But then Pogačar is not your average bike racer. And as he focused on winning his fourth Tour, Pogačar (and his entire team) wanted to be sure they had every option available when it came to equipment.
Interestingly, Pogačar settled on his optimum set-up early into the race, and one that was a bit of a departure. For much of the 2025 season, Pogačar could be seen on his Colnago V5Rs. But early in the Tour, he shifted to the new Y1Rs. And a key ingredient to this choice was the new ENVE SES 4.5 Pro wheelset, which allowed the complete bike to weigh in right at the UCI limit.
According Boštjan Kavčnik, Pogačar’s longtime mechanic, the Slovenian superstar preferred the Y1Rs at the Tour. “It is just faster,” he said. “But it is also a little heavier, so it really helps to have the lighter SES 4.5 Pro wheelset.”
Kavčnik has been close with Pogačar for many years as the two grew up near each other in Slovenia. “I actually built his first bike when he was 10,” he said. “And I have worked with him ever since.”
“Tadej always wants the best equipment. He is always looking and trying to find things that are lighter, stiffer and more aero. I always ride the same bike as Tadej and mount it with the same equipment. I am always testing the bikes and equipment so that I understand exactly what he is talking about when we discuss equipment.”
Earlier this season, the focus was on the new ENVE SES 4.5 Pro wheelset. Testing started at the December 2024 training camp and continued through much of the year.
“Already at the start, he was really happy with them,” Kavčnik said about the new wheels, talking in Bollène before the start of the Tour’s stage 17. “But, even so, we agreed that it was important to ride them for at least 5,000 kilometers before coming to a real decision. That is the only way to know if the wheels are really going to hold up. That is 5,000 kilometers of riding at home, without mechanics going over your bike every night. It is a real test.”
While Kavčnik worked closely with Pogačar on the development of the new wheels, he said many of the UAE Team Emirates-XRG riders were also involved.
“We tried several prototypes with the riders. We worked with the ENVE engineers to make sure a wheel was even lighter and faster. But the first aspect to consider was simply how the riders felt with the wheel and then to make sure there were no issues. It was interesting though because ENVE really nailed it early on, and little actual improvement was needed. Tadej and the riders really liked it straight away.”
‘The focus on using good materials is a priority in our team,’ he said. ‘And I think the result on the road speaks for itself.’
Mauro Gianetti, the team’s general manager, added, “This is the third year we have worked with ENVE, and it has just been a great relationship. It is a company that is really focused on the product. The cooperation with our staff, with our mechanics or with the riders has been very close. They are often with the team at races or training, and they speak frequently with us for feedback. They understand that they need the feedback, and the tests we do together have been super positive. It has really helped improve the rigidity, lightness and aerodynamics of the wheels at every point.”
According to Tim Wellens, the team’s untiring road captain at the Tour, “The new ENVE SES 4.5 Pro give a real feeling of stability and are really fast.” Besides his stage-winning performance at the Tour, the Belgian is one of the team’s most versatile riders; he can often be found at Pogačar’s side, whether at the cobbled classics or the biggest stage races. “The optimizations and attention to detail with ENVE is really impressive,” Wellens said. “Whether it’s Paris–Roubaix or the Tour de France, we have a wheel-and-tire combination for every terrain, and these details really make a difference in modern cycling.”
Kavčnik is quick to point out that the team was already really satisfied with the ENVE SES 4.5 for its combination of stiffness, stability and sheer speed on a variety of terrains. And he underlines that the team still uses them. But the ability to offer many of the same advantages with an even lighter wheel made the ENVE SES 4.5 Pro a winning choice in this year’s Tour.
“This new model is amazing,” Kavčnik insists. “Firstly, it is 200 grams lighter than the previous model, which is really a lot. But also, with the previous wheel, 28mm tires were the minimum tire width. But with these, we can go down to 25mm tires if the riders prefer. All the riders here at the Tour are riding the new pro wheels with 28mm TT tires for nearly every stage. Okay, in the classics, most guys ride 30mm tires and in Roubaix 32mm tires, but here in the Tour, the guys are riding 28mm tires for every stage. But then, in the uphill time trial to Peyragudes, Tadej used 25mm tires—and the ENVE SES 4.5 Pro works in all of those situations.”
According to Wellens, working with ENVE reflects the team’s continued attention to every detail of their performance. “The focus on using good materials is a priority in our team,” he said. “And I think the result on the road speaks for itself.”
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