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Jonas Vingegaard's Cervélo S5 has now clocked up a few kilometres at the Tour of France 2025 and on the first 15 stages of the Tour of Spain. The Dane rode the aero racer, which was not yet officially on sale. Until 9 July! Before the fourth stage of the Tour de France, the supplier of the Visma | Lease a Bike team lifted the curtain and officially unveiled the new generation of the bike. Now the Dane is in the lead at the Tour of Spain and, perhaps also thanks to his new racing bike, can take his next victory at a Tour. We not only took a closer look at Vingegaard's racing machine, but also tested a comparable production model in the wind tunnel.
Minimal changes compared to the predecessor
Visually, there are only a few changes. The new design retains the wing profile with the eye-catching head tube and the fork in front of its predecessor. However, the fork has become slightly longer. According to the manufacturer, the weight has nevertheless been reduced. This is mainly due to the new handlebar/stem set, which is available in nine sizes and is 100 grams lighter. The split stem remains to minimise air turbulence, which according to Cervélo makes the S5 one of the fastest bikes.
Jonas Vingegaard's bike in numbers: The Cervélo S5
In figures: An almost identical production model required 204 watts in our wind tunnel test. In contrast to Vingegaard's workhorse, which we took a closer look at before the Grand Départ in Lille, the test version was built with Shimano Ultegra and a conventional double crank, and "our" Cervélo was two frame sizes larger than the model of the Vuelta top favourite (size 51). Although the new model does not quite match the aerodynamic fabulous value of its predecessor (202 watts), the new model is still one of the fastest in the peloton. The equally new Colnago Y1Rs from Vingegaard's long-term rival Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) also requires 204 watts to overcome its own aerodynamic drag at race speed. The Canyon Aeroad CFR (204 watts), which is used by Alpecin - Deceuninck and Movistar, also achieves this value.
The low weight of the Danish S5 is remarkable. When set up with SRAM Red AXS and a mono chainring, the professional version of the Tour co-favourite weighed just 6.95 kilograms on the TOUR scales - measured in ready-to-ride condition with a pedal set from Wahoo, bottle cages from Tacx and a computer mount from CloseTheGap. Comparable aero specialists, such as the Canyon Aeroad CFR by Jasper Philipsen, are usually well over the seven-kilo mark.
In addition to the frameset, the wheels from Partner Reserve are also new. Vingegaard uses aerodynamically optimised carbon rims, with a height of 57 millimetres at the front and 64 millimetres at the rear. The rear rim is adapted to the asymmetrical shape of the seat tube. Previously, Visma | Lease a Bike had a maximum wheel height of 52/63 millimetres. They are fitted with 29 millimetre tubeless tyres from Vittoria, which in our experience should be slightly wider over the bulbous rims.
Red wheel? Not a chance!
It is becoming increasingly common to see the overall leaders' bikes in the colour of the leader's jersey at the grand tours. For the Vuelta, however, Vingegaard's team decided to change only a few details of the bike. The handlebar tape, the brake levers and the lettering on the crank of the Danish cycling star are clearly contrasting with the red colour of the frame. The manufacturer, Cervélo, is also likely to have a say when it comes to the paintwork. Another reason why Vingegaard's bike is not completely painted in the colour of the leader is probably the Bike theft which affected the team after the second stage.
Also the Cervélo R5 from Vingegaard with revision
For the mountain stages, Vingegaard and his team-mates have another innovation at their disposal: The lightweight R5 is also getting an update. Manufacturer information is still scarce, as the new generation of the climbing specialist has not yet been officially unveiled. However, we will also inspect the racer in the coming days and present it in detail here.
- Drive/gear shift: SRAM Red AXS (1x12; 52, 10-36 Z.)
- Brakes: SRAM Red
- Brake discs: SRAM Red HRD
- Impellers: Reserve 57/64
- Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro* (29 mm)
- Handlebars: Cervelo
- Computer: Garmin Edge 840
- Saddle: Prologo Scratch M5
- Pedals: Wahoo Speedplay Aero
Jens Klötzer
Editor
