It’s an underrated art in pro cycling for a climber to recognise their GC shortcomings and switch their focus to stage wins. Patrick Konrad had achieved strong stage race placings in the past but, having changed his goals, truly shone for the first time in 2021 with a stage win at the Tour de France.
In 2022, he’s back for more, with plenty of huge mountain stages calling out for a strong climber to win from the break, and a stacked Bora-Hansgrohe team with no real shot at yellow after Aleksandr Vlasov lost time in week one.
Konrad and his teammates have an elite new kit for the Tour but will be racing on the same Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 bikes. Boring right? Wrong.
A five-star steed on release in 2020, the SL7 has won a ridiculous number of races and will continue to do so.
Konrad’s is kitted out with a Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 groupset with a K-Edge chain catcher, as well as Roval’s Rapide CLX tubeless wheels and suspiciously unmarked S-Works tyres.
Bora–Hansgrohe is one of the lucky teams that’s riding full groupsets – many are still mixing 11-speed R9100 cranks with 12-speed R9200.
Konrad’s setup is pretty standard save for the addition of satellite shifters on the underside of the bar either side of the stem, placed for thumb shifting on long climbs, we imagine.
With Shimano component brand Pro supplying the bar and stem, the headset spacer arrangement isn’t as elegant as that of a stock SL7, but it’s far from the worst we’ve seen.
Keep scrolling for every glorious detail captured at the Grand Départ in Denmark.
Patrick Konrad’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 spec
| Frameset | Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 |
| Levers | Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 |
| Brakes | Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 |
| Rear derailleur | Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 |
| Front derailleur | Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 |
| Crankset | Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 power meter 54/40 |
| Cassette | Shimano Dura-Ace R9200, 11-30 |
| Chain | Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 |
| Wheels | Roval Rapide SLX |
| Tyres | Specialized unknown*** |
| Bar | Pro Vibe, 40cm |
| Stem | Pro Vibe, 110mm |
| Seatpost | S-Works |
| Saddle | Specialized S-Works Power Arc |
| Pedals | Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 |
| Accessories | K-Edge chain catcher |
| Measurements | |
| Rider height | 1.8m |
| Rider weight (approx) | 65kg |
| Complete bike weight | 7.1kg |
| Saddle height: BB to saddle (c-t) | 75.5cm |
| Tip of saddle to middle of bar | 57.5cm |
More Tour de France 2022 pro bikes
- Mads Pedersen’s new 2023 Trek Madone SLR
- Luke Durbridge’s unreleased Giant Propel
- Adam Yates’s new Pinarello Bolide F TT
- Mads Pedersen’s Trek Speed Concept TT
- Tadej Pogačar’s Colnago Prototipo
- Ruben Guerreiro's Rapha × Palace Cannondale SuperSix Evo
- Tom Pidcock's Pinarello Dogma F
- Nairo Quintana's Canyon Aeroad
For all our coverage, head to our Tour de France hub
Photos: Matthew Loveridge