Has Giulio Ciccone been spotted on an unreleased Trek Emonda?

The Emonda, the current lightweight bike on offer from Trek, is now entering its fourth year in production, making it the overwhelming candidate to receive an update. It burst onto the scene in 2014 as the brand's third road bike joining the Madone and the Domane to complete the trio of anagram-based names.

In 2020 the Emonda received an overhaul that added aerodynamic optimisation to the lightweight package that the bike is synonymous with. The frame profiles became more aerofoil in their shape making it the fastest climbing bike that Trek had ever produced.

We haven't seen another official update since then, but Lidl-Trek rider Giulio Ciccone was recently spotted on a frame that looks very much like a new iteration of the Emonda.

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The current Emonda although aerodynamically optimised still closely resembles a traditional road bike

In the pictures that were first leaked on the Weight Weenies forum, it is possible to see that the frame still has the slender build of the Emonda with what looks to be even thinner seat and chain stays. However, the inclusion of the Isoflow seat post does point towards further aerodynamic optimisation as well as a reduction in overall weight.

• Read more: Serene expectations: Tao Geoghegan Hart’s new adventure at Lidl-Trek

Although it's hard to tell from the limited images we've seen, it does look like the new Emonda will also be sporting a SRAM UDH universal derailleur hanger. This inclusion points towards an industry move to direct mount derailleurs for SRAM groupsets in future which would follow the trend we have already seen in the mountain bike world. The benefit of this is far more crisp and accurate shifting as the derailleur is structurally joined to the hub of the rear wheel through the thru-axle.

• Read more: Bora-Hansgrohe confirm switch to SRAM for 2024

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The new generation Madone has an Isoflow seat post with what looks to be the new Emonda looking like a slimmed down version of this bike

Trek tend to wait until the Tour de France to officially release any new bikes that are in the works, however that doesn’t mean that it will remain outside of the professional peloton until then. We might see it in some earlier races for Lidl-Trek under the likes of Ciccone and fresh signing for 2024 Tao Geoghegan Hart.

Lidl-Trek is one of the teams that appear to be sticking with the multi-bike quiver for 2024, shunning the current trend of adopting a do-it-all bike like the Specialized Tarmac SL8 or the Pinarello Dogma F. The Madone is set to remain the team's go-to aero race bike with the Domane the cobble classic specialist bike.

We will keep you updated with any news on new bikes for 2024 as they pop up and with the Tour Down Under, the first race of the year, just around the corner we could be in for a treat.

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