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Unlike other bike sponsors that typically supply teams with just framesets, Specialized will provide FDJ-Suez a full suite of equipment: framesets, handlebar/stem, wheels, saddles, tyres, helmets and shoes. This brings with it a level of equipment change that is more akin to changing teams altogether rather than bringing a new sponsor onboard to an existing team.
FDJ-Suez is now Specialized’s third Women’s WorldTour team, joining SD Worx-Protime and AG Insurance-Soudal. Given that the Women’s WorldTour is made up of 15 teams, this gives Specialized a 20% share of all bikes at this level.
After having photographed all the bikes at the Tour Down Under, Escape’s Dave Rome named the FDJ-Suez Tarmac SL8 as one of the best-looking pro bikes in the peloton on a recent episode of the Geek Warning podcast and it is hard to argue against him.
A closer look
The livery from 2024 remains but now adds a new level of depth and texture. The rich blue and red colourway is reminiscent of that found on the team’s 2024 Lapierre Xelius SL but moving closer to the bike the blue and red of the frame reveals itself as a cocktail of adjacent tones dappled across a black backdrop. Much like the Tarmac SL8 of Redbull-Bora Hansgrohe, this bike needs to be viewed up close to be fully appreciated.
Fresh to the team for 2025, Ally Wollaston moves over from AG Insurance-Soudal – one of the other two Specialized-sponsored teams. This means that the New Zealander will feel more at home on the team’s equipment than most of her new teammates (excepting Vollering).
In 2024 Wollaston took the points jersey at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Femenina along with stage wins on the opening and closing days. Elsewhere in the 2024 season she also took victory on the opening day of the Women’s Tour Down Under. This year Wollaston had to settle for second place on the opening day, but took her first win in this week’s Surf Coast Classic, and is a rider to watch in this weekend’s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.
To see all of the bikes of the Women’s WorldTour including the other Tarmac SL8s of SD Worx-Protime and AG Insurance-Soudal make sure to check out our bikes of the Women’s WorldTour gallery.
Specialized and FDJ-Suez have managed to create one of the best-looking bikes in the peloton using the S-Works Tarmac SL8 as the canvas. Although this might be the most common bike across the men’s and women’s WorldTour pelotons, FDJ-Suez has a fresh design that is only truly revealed when viewed up close.Wollaston looks set on her position for 2025, running Roval’s Rapide integrated cockpit. We have seen other riders including Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s Sam Welsford opt to use the two-piece bar and stem combo at the Tour Down Under.As slammed as it can get. Wollaston runs her stem in the lowest position possible, with the brake hoses just visible on the underside of the stem before entering into the head tube. It is unusual to see the SL8 slammed like this, with many riders running a few spacers under the stem to lift the handlebar position slightly.FDJ-Suez is an official Shimano-sponsored team. As a result, Shimano provides the groupset, power meter and pedals with Dura-Ace R9200 as the natural choice. Wollaston looks to be at the Tour Down Under in good form with a 54/40 chainset fitted, slightly larger than the 52/36 used by many of the women’s teams running Shimano groupsets. Once upon a time, Wollaston’s 170 mm crankarm length would have been considered at the shorter end of the crank length spectrum. Now in 2025, 170 mm sits in the middle to upper end of the crank length spectrum, with many riders moving to 165 or 160 mm crankarms.These silver hubs are a tell that FDJ-Suez is not using the standard Roval CLX II wheels. Instead, the team is using the aptly named Team Edition wheels; these save 130 grams over the standard CLX II wheels in part thanks to a slimmed-down hub flange.Roval also claims that the CLX II Team wheels are 0.5 watts faster thanks to the lower-flange hub. Mounted to the wheels are Continental GP5000S TR in a 28 mm width.The more time you spend looking at the paint scheme the more texture and depth presents itself. In this respect, the texture of the patterning is similar to Visma-Lease a Bike’s 2024 Renaissance livery used at the Tour de France. Elite provide the team with its Custom Race X bottle cages. These are made of what the brand calls ‘Fibre-reinforced material’ rather than conventional carbon fibre. At 28.5 grams each they are 3.5 grams heavier than Elite’s Vico Carbon, which sports a similar profile. The fork legs combine both the blue and red colours of the team however, as you step back from the bike they blur together.The down tube employs a lighter and richer blue to create a two-toned medley across the black base coat. The underside that is hidden from this view uses the team’s red notes to the same effect.A motivational sticker sits in prime eye shot, reading, ‘Tomorrow is decided today.’Wollaston uses a lesser-seen Specialized saddle, selecting the Romin EVO Pro with Mirror rather than the more typical Power Pro. Specialized’s Mirror technology uses 3D printing to create a variable-density saddle that aims to better support the rider and relieve pressure from soft tissue areas.A small 3D-printed number holder clamps around the seat post just above Wollaston’s name sticker, with her national flag of New Zealand.
