Vuelta a España pro bike: Romain Bardet’s Scott Foil RC

With a sparkling colourway and sleek integration, Bardet’s Scott Foil caught our eye

13:00, Thursday 31st August 2023

Romain Bardet's sparkle-adorned Scott Foil RC set-up for the Vuelta a España

Team dsm-firmenich
- Nationality Netherlands
- Founded 2013
- Team Principal Iwan Spekenbrink
- UCI Code DSM
- Bike Sponsor Scott
Romain Bardet
- Team Team dsm-firmenich PostNL
- Nationality France
- Age 33
- UCI Wins 14
- Height 1.85m
Vuelta a España
- Dates 26 Aug - 17 Sept
- Race Length 3,133 kms
- Race Category Elite Men
Scott
Scott is a bicycle manufacturer based in Givisiez, Switzerland. The company produces a range of bikes across multiple disciplines, from road and gravel to off-road and kids-specific bikes, alongside equipment and clothing, too. Scott also has winter sports, motocross and running product ranges.
Shimano
Shimano is a bike component manufacturer based in Osaka, Japan. The company is one of the industry’s most popular manufacturers and it makes up around three-quarters of the bicycle component market by value.
Wahoo
Wahoo is a fitness technology company based in Atlanta, USA. Wahoo produces a range of cycling technology products, from cycling computers and smart watches to indoor trainers, pedals and other accessories.

After withdrawing from the Tour de France earlier in the summer, Romain Bardet turned his focus to the final Grand Tour of the season, the Vuelta a España. It’s only the third time the Frenchman has started the Spanish stage race and he made a flying start, winning the opening team time trial alongside his dsm-firmenich teammates in a rain-swept Barcelona.

That victory came atop the Scott Plasma time trial bike, but for road stages the Frenchman will swap it for the aero Foil, like the one we got our hands on ahead of the race.

The bike was first released ahead of the 2022 Tour de France, accompanied by claims that it’s 21% faster, 9% lighter and 10% more comfortable than its predecessor. Almost every bike released has claims like this, but there’s no doubting that the bike looks fast, with a deep head tube and curved seat tube adding to the bike’s overall aesthetics.

That look is completed by, in our humble opinion, one of the best colourways in the peloton. Okay, the rear of the bike hardly stands out from the crowd, but the glistening top tube, head tube and forks are winners for us.

Bardet's Scott Foil has a very eye-catching design

If you can see beyond the mesmerising colour, the top tube’s design also incorporates the team’s ‘Keep Challenging’ motto. The team opened its Keep Challenging Centre in Limburg, the Netherlands, in 2019. It provides a living space for young cyclists where they can develop within a high-end support network. After Aqua-Step joined the project in 2022, the team said that its ambition was to “bring the first riders currently in the Aqua-Step Keep Challenging Centre to the Tour de France by 2025”. If all goes to plan, riders graduating from the set-up will be at cycling's biggest race in less than two years.

The team's 'Keep Challenging' mantra

Like most bikes in the pro peloton, Bardet uses Shimano’s Dura-Ace groupset with a 54/40t drivetrain - that’s in the same ballpark as most bikes we’ve encountered at the race. That’s paired with an 11-34t cassette and Shimano pedals.

The team is also partnered with Syncros, a components brand owned by Scott. Interestingly, it supplies the team’s wheels for time trial stages, but not for the road stages, with Shimano’s Dura-Ace C50 still the wheelset of choice for Bardet. This may be swapped for something shallower when the mountains loom into view. These wheels are paired with Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres, with tan sidewalls - always a winner for us - which adds to the overall aesthetics of the bike.

Shimano's Dura-Ace C50s are the wheels of choice

Syncros’ integrated handlebar creates a sleek look with no cables in sight, although that’s the norm at this level of cycling. Bardet also uses the brand’s Belcarra saddle which doesn’t include a cut-out, as a lot of riders choose to. Bardet's build is finished with his Wahoo Elemnt computer.