Thibaut Pinot’s Custom, Stage-Winning Lapierre Xelius SL
Thibaut Pinot will soon need to scribble on his top tube. The Groupama—FDJ rider won Stage 14 of the 2019 Tour de France on Saturday, dropping the hammer as he summited the Col du Tourmalet, a Pyrenean climb with an average gradient of 7.4 percent over 19K. His bike is a brand new, yet-to-be-released Lapierre Xelius SL, with a custom paint job that features a list of Pinot’s victories on the top tube.
Nearest to the stem are the words Alpe d’Huez, another legendary climb that Pinot won during the 2015 Tour—perhaps he’ll add “Col du Tourmalet” after today’s stage win.
The 2019 Pinot bike looks similar to his 2018 Xelius SL pro model. But comparing shots of the two bikes shows that the new bike has aero tubing pulled from the company’s aero bike and a new seat post clamp. Currently, the top 2019 model is the Ultegra Di2 version, the Xelius SL 700, so we’ll have to wait for Pinot’s bike to go on sale later this year.
We might not have a commercially available comparison available, but Pinot’s race bike is full-Shimano (a team sponsor), including a Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain, Dura-Ace C50 carbon clinchers, and a PRO handlebar, seatpost, and stem. Notably, the Xelius SL is another pro bike without disc brakes.
With just over three minutes separating him and current GC leader Julian Alaphilippe, Pinot’s stock is rising as more mountain stages approach. Get on the Groupama—FDJ bandwagon with the rest of the French rider’s stage-winning gear.
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