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At this point (January 17) not many teams or riders can say they have a victory to their name for the 2025 season. And, you may be quick to point out, that’s quite simply because the only racing to have taken place in 2025 has been the Australian National Championships.
Even with those qualifiers, Australian sprinter Sam Welsford is one of the few riders to have already lifted his hands aloft in 2025. The 28-year-old claimed his first victory of 2025 in the National Criterium Championships held in his hometown of Perth.
Welsford has been with the team since the start of 2024 and even in that short time the team has undergone some significant sponsorship changes. Back at the start of last season, the team operated under the name of Bora-Hansgrohe however, just ahead of the Tour de France, a new title sponsor in the shape of Red Bull joined.
With this addition to the team title sponsorship, a new livery was required not only for the kit but also for the bikes. Given that this change only came into effect midway through the season it is no surprise to see that the team’s bikes remain largely unchanged for 2025.
The blend of white and blue with the Red Bull crest sitting on either side of the head tube is a classy design that is understated in its branding.
Welsford, a three-time stage winner at last year’s Tour Down Under, will be hoping to open his WorldTour win account in the opening stages of this year’s event, which starts Tuesday the 21st. Given the size of the chainrings he has fitted, he is certainly confident that he can bring the power when the time comes.
Tech editor Dave Rome is on the ground, camera in hand at the Tour Down Under. Stay tuned for more like this in the coming days.
The Tarmac SL8 is Specialized’s do-it-all road bike combining aero design and low overall weight. In this configuration, Welsford’s S-Works bike hits the scales at around 7.1 kg.Up front Welsford is using Roval’s separate Rapide bar and stem rather than the one-piece Rapide cockpit. This could be for a number of reasons, the most likely of which is that he hasn’t settled on his ideal bar width/stem length configuration just yet.On either side of the head tube the blue gives way to Red Bull’s iconic logo. The branding on this bike is largely understated, with this logo placement and another on the seat tube the only real nods to the team this bike belongs to.A rider who is clearly making the most of having no gear restrictions is Welsford. A massive 56/43 chainset signifies how confident he is that he can drop the hammer in the final sprint. Given that SRAM cassettes have a 10-tooth smallest sprocket this equates to a 5.6:1 top gear ratio. For a Shimano groupset to achieve the same ratio with its smallest 11-tooth sprocket, a 62-tooth chainring would be required.The 10-33 cassette Welford is running gives a good spread of gears for the fast racing expected to take place around Adelaide. Welsford is another rider who hasn’t dropped his crank length over the off-season. The Australian has stuck with 172.5 mm arms, which clearly didn’t hold him back through the corners at the Australian National Criterium Championships.The silver hubs seen on Welsford’s bike represent Roval’s top-spec Team Edition version of its CLX II wheels. These save 130 grams over the standard CLX II wheelset, whilst Specialized claim they are also 0.5 watts faster.The wheelset uses a 51 mm-deep front wheel and a 60 mm-deep rear. The 35 mm external width of the front wheel is particularly noteworthy given the team’s tyre choice.Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe now uses some of the narrowest tyres in the WorldTour. Even though the CLX II front rim has an external width of 35 mm and the rear 30.7 mm the team is using 26 mm Turbo Cotton tyres.The paint uses what is called a ‘sticker slap’ design that reveals lots of subtle branding in certain lights. The design of the bike certainly encourages you to get up close to it. SRAM’s flagship Red AXS groupset is looking box-fresh on Welsford’s bike. The visible carbon of the lever blade is a nice touch.No mistaking who this bike belongs to. The two-tone white scheme between the frame colour and the Bora logo is unlike anything else in the peloton. The team is sponsored by Garmin for its computers along with Garmin subsidiary Tacx, who supply the team with its bottles and Carbon Deva bottle cages.Specialized’s Power saddle is a classic design that many riders select. Welsford has opted for the Mirror version of the Power Pro saddle, which uses a lattice construction to tailor the foam density of the different regions of the saddle. This is said to increase comfort and help riders remain in their natural riding position.Head down and charge. The Red Bull logo could be something that Welsford hopes to emulate in the opening stages of the TDU (so long as he doesn’t drop his head to the point it constitutes a sprint relegation). The small ‘2’ sticker on the front of the seat tube points towards this being Welsford’s spare bike. Something that is always surprising with the SL8 is just how little material there is around the bottom bracket. Aesthetically it is very pleasing but goes against the current trend of making this area larger. A standard BSA threaded bottom bracket takes care of the cranks.
Sam Welsford’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 specs
Frame: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8
Wheels: Roval Rapide CLX-II Team Edition (steel spokes)
Groupset: SRAM Red AXS
Crankset: SRAM Red AXS powermeter, 172.5 mm arms, 56/43T
Chain: SRAM Red Flattop
Cassette: SRAM Red XG-1290 10-33T
Brakes: SRAM Red AXS
Tyres: Specialized S-Works Turbo Cotton 26 mm with latex inner tubes
Handlebars: Roval Rapide, 38 cm width
Stem: S-Works Tarmac SL7, 140 mm
Saddle: Specialized S-Works Power Pro with Mirror (3D printed)
