Pro bike: Laurence Pithie’s Wilier Filante SLR

Laurence Pithie is having somewhat of a breakthrough season. He started the year with a win at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and carried this form over to the early-season European races.

Pithie has been a regular protagonist animating the Spring Classics, even if he has missed out on a big result. He was the only rider to follow Wout van Aert's (Visma-Lease a Bike) initial attack at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and found himself in the esteemed company of Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) at Gent-Wevelgem.

2024 marks Pithie’s second season with Groupama-FDJ after graduating from the Equipe continental Groupama-FDJ team.

The WorldTeam made the announcement at the end of last season that they would be swapping bike sponsors replacing Lapierre after 22 years with Wilier Triestina.

• Read more: Wilier Triestina confirmed as new Groupama-FDJ bike sponsor

Although the team have both the Filante SLR and the 0 SLR at their disposal, the Filante is the bike of choice for the team for these early-season Classics. The aerodynamic profiles lend themselves to the fast-paced racing of the flatter parcours of northern Europe.

Big gears for the flatter races

Ahead of Gent-Wevelgem, Pithie had his bike set up with Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2 12-speed electronic groupset. With the racing fast and the climbing en route nothing more than short punchy climbs, Pithie’s bike was fitted with 56/44 chainrings. Although this might be to help keep on the gas on some of the fast descents it also allows for an optimal chain line to be maintained for the majority of the race.

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Laurence Pithie was running 56/44 chainrings for Gent-Wevelgem

Keeping the chain in the straightest line possible offers a genuine performance gain that can save a handful of watts. To help haul himself over the punchy climbs that littered that latter portion of the race, Pithie chose to run the wider ratio 11-34 Dura-Ace cassette. This bottom gear of 44-34, although not the easiest, would be more than enough for the one to two-minute full gas efforts on the bergs of Belgium.

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Groupama FDJ use the full compliment of Shimano's Dura-Ace componentry

Shimano C60 wheels

As a premium sponsored Shimano team, Groupama-FDJ uses both Shimano’s Dura-Ace groupset as well as the brand's wheels. As a perfect pairing to the 56/44 chainrings, Pithie was running the deepest wheels in Shimano’s catalogue for Gent-Wevelgem. The Dura-Ace C60 wheelset has a 21mm internal rim width optimised for 25-32mm tyres whilst the external rim width measures 28mm. As the name suggests the wheels sport a 60mm rim depth aimed at saving crucial watts whilst cutting through the air.

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28mm Continenal GP5000TR tyres are mounted to the C60 wheelset

In an attempt to further build on the aerodynamic credentials of the wheelset, Pithie has 28mm Continental GP5000TR tyres fitted that create a smooth transition from tyre to rim.

• Read more: How are carbon fibre wheels designed and tested?

Plenty of stem spacers for the perfect fit

Something we do not see all that much from inside the professional peloton is a stack of spacers underneath the stem. Pro bikes are often characterised by their slammed stems and aggressive riding positions. A close look at Pithie’s setup shows that he has what looks to be around 30-40mm of spacers under his stem. This would typically be considered a lot by pro bike standards however, given the fact that he still has a significant saddle-to-bar drop it instead looks to highlight just how aggressive the geometry of the Filante SLR is.

• Read more: How new technology can help get you the perfect bike fit

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Pithie runs a fair amount of stem spacers under his stem to dial in his optimal position

Although it might be possible for Pithie to run a lower front end it would likely have a negative impact on the balance between rider aerodynamics, comfort and power output. Pithie’s riding position is a great example of why all serious riders could benefit from a professional bike fit to dial in the best position for your body.

Bike Specification