A new bike for the surprise winner: Colnago has painted a World Champion Y1R for Brandon McNulty

Colnago has unveiled a special World Champion’s edition of the Y1R for Brandon McNulty. The paintwork is based on a glossy black carbon frame with a subtle glitter effect. The light reflections are intended to evoke the stars on the US flag. Over this, clearly defined blue, red, yellow and green colour panels run across the frame and the rear stays.

The Colnago logo on the down tube has also been specially adapted. It features an iridescent, holographic finish whose colour changes depending on the angle of the light. On the head tube, a historic Colnago emblem links the brand’s heritage with the world champion’s rainbow stripes.

The details are reminiscent of the World Championship triumph in Montréal

Further personalised details are hidden on the headset cover: when the handlebars are turned, the date of his World Championship victory, a cross-ace and a Canadian maple leaf are revealed. The latter refers to the city of Montréal, where McNulty celebrated the greatest success of his career to date on 27 September 2026.

The American secured victory after a solo breakaway of around 32 kilometres, finishing 13 seconds ahead of Michael Matthews and Mathieu van der Poel. McNulty thus secured the USA’s first World Championship title in the elite men’s road race since 1993.

A one-off bike makes its debut at the Giro dell’Emilia

The new world champion’s bike is set to make its racing debut today, Saturday 3 October 2026, at the Giro dell’Emilia. However, Colnago fans will not be able to buy this special edition: according to the manufacturer, the paintwork was created exclusively for McNulty and is not intended for retail sale.

Colnago Y1Rs in the TOUR test: excellent aerodynamics, but with some weaknesses

In the detailed TOUR magazine’s review of the Colnago Y1R The model performed particularly well in the wind tunnel. TOUR calculated that 204 watts of power were required to overcome air resistance at 45 km/h and awarded it the top mark of 1.0 in the aerodynamics category. This put the Y1Rs on a par with the Canyon Aeroad CFR, Scott Foil RC Ultimate and Cervélo S5.

In the overall assessment, the bike tested – weighing 7.4 kilograms – was awarded a score of 2.1. Criticisms included, amongst other things, the comparatively low stiffness of the frame and bottom bracket, as well as the limited suspension comfort. The conclusion is therefore a mixed one: the Y1Rs is one of the most aerodynamically efficient road bikes in the TOUR test, but in other areas it does not match the standard of the best all-round competition bikes. The world champion’s black Colnago would likely be at least a few hundred grams lighter without the white paintwork and higher-quality wheels.

The full review: