Greg van Avermaet back on Olympic gold-themed BMC Teammachine SLR01

josh.croxton@futurenet.com
·3 min read
Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine
Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine

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Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine
Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine

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Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine
Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine

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Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine
Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine

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Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine
Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine

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Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine
Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine

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Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine
Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine

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Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine
Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine

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Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine
Greg Van Avermaet gold BMC Teammachine

Of the many events postponed or cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics will certainly be remembered as one of the highest-profile.

With the Games delayed by a year, Greg Van Avermaet enters an unexpected fifth season as reigning Olympic road race champion and is continuing with the custom gold theme for a few more - perhaps final - months.

With the CCC Team's demise being another casualty of the pandemic, Van Avermaet recently joined French outfit AG2R Citroën Team. A likely-coincidental sponsorship change led the team to swap their Eddy Merckx bikes in favour of BMC and as a result, Van Avermaet returns full-circle to the brand he rode to his 2016 success.

Custom bikes for reigning champions is a common sight in today's WorldTour. The Champs-Élysées on the final day of the Tour de France will be resplendent in yellow, green and polka dots as sponsors look to celebrate their jersey wearers' wins, and both Julian Alaphilippe and Anna van der Breggen are both riding on rainbows thanks to their World Championship successes.

Since 2016, Greg Van Avermaet has taken the Olympic gold theme in his stride, and is regularly seen wearing gold Oakleys, helmets and shoes whilst aboard entirely gold bikes. With his return to BMC, the Swiss brand has been able to provide the Belgian with a fitting tribute to his 2016 success, a custom-painted gold Teammachine SLR01.

Unlike the entirely gold BMC he was given in late 2016 and his similarly-bling 2020 Giant TCR, Van Avermaet's latest bike is a touch more understated. Predominantly white, the accent colour of the handlebars and top tube is given the gold treatment, resulting in a bike with a golden touch that's enough, but not too much. The GVA stylised logo features near the front of the top tube, and the bike's 'SLR01' model name is finished in the same golden accent.

Aside from the paint, the rest of the bike remains standard team issue, with Campagnolo providing its Super Record EPS groupset and Shamal wheels. Tyres are tubeless and come from Pirelli, while pedals come from Look.

The majority of the finishing kit is proprietary to the BMC Teammachine, including the one-piece bar-stem combo and the D-shaped seatpost, and the saddle comes is from Italian outfit, Fizik.

  • Frameset: BMC Teammachine SLR01

  • Front brake: Campagnolo Super Record

  • Rear brake: Campagnolo Super Record

  • Brake/shift levers: Campagnolo Super Record EPS

  • Front derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record EPS

  • Rear derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record EPS

  • Cassette: Campagnolo Super Record 12

  • Chain: Campagnolo Super Record 12

  • Crankset: Campagnolo Super Record

  • Wheelset: Campagnolo Shamal

  • Tyres: Pirelli Cinturato Velo

  • Handlebars: BMC ICS Carbon

  • Stem: BMC ICS Carbon

  • Computer mount: BMC integrated

  • Pedals: Look KEO Blade Carbon

  • Saddle: Fizik

  • Seatpost: BMC

  • Bottle cages: BMC

  • Cycling computer: Wahoo Elemnt Roam

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