Gold and bold: Tom Pidcock’s Pinarello Dogma F from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Tom Pidcock kicked off his Spring Classics campaign at Opening Weekend’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in Gent, Belgium – a 207.2km loop that takes in many of the familiar cobbles and bergs of the Flemish Ardennes. He came into the race in fine form, having won the fifth and final stage of the Vuelta a Andalucía, but with Mathieu van der Poel, Kasper Asgreen, and Florian Vermeersch also on the start line, and with notably cold and damp conditions, a good result would always prove tough.

The Briton would eventually finish in a disappointing 48th position after battling the cold and crashes, ultimately losing contact with the peloton with 60km to go.

In terms of equipment, Pidcock opted for a fairly standard setup, save for the addition of a 1x drivetrain – a setup that proved immensely popular across all the teams. His size 465 Pinarello Dogma F frame might be one of the smaller sizes in the Italian bike maker’s range, but with a stack and reach of 525.2- and 372.2mm (a stack-to-reach ratio of 1.41), it allows for a very aggressive, aerodynamic position.

Put to the tape measure, the Yorkshireman’s Most Talon UltraFast integrated handlebar measured 360mm wide and was paired to a 120mm stem. The frame is painted in a stunning matte treatment with gold wordmark logos providing a vivid contrast to the satin-navy hue. It’s one classy-looking machine.

While the frame can accommodate tyre widths of up to 32mm, Pidcock – like much of the peloton – opted for 30mm rubber. In this case, a pair of Vittoria Corsa Pro wrapped around Zipp 303 SW wheels, complete with integrated AXS wheel sensor. Here, the gold Zipp decals and tan walls add an extra layer of visual drama and help create a cohesive package.

Component-wise, the Dogma F is outfitted with SRAM Red AXS, featuring a single 54T chainring that drives a 10-36T cassette via 165mm cranks. Despite the X-Sync narrow/wide tooth profile of the ring, a Wolf Tooth chainkeeper was fitted to ensure the chain stayed put over the choppy terrain and cobbled sections. The finishing kit comes compliments of the Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling’s sponsors – so there’s the proven Tacx Deva bottle cages, a Prologo Nago R4 PAS 137mm saddle, and Shimano Dura-Ace PD-R9100 pedals.

Even in Classics trim, where weight is not a priority, the Dogma F was the lightest bike we weighed at Opening Weekend at 7.18kg with pedals.