TakeWorlds2 weeks ago
McNulty's rainbow Y1Rs is louder than Pogačar's version
Colnago and Specialized unveiled the rainbow-liveried bikes for 2026 world champions Brandon McNulty and Demi Vollering. McNulty's Colnago Y1Rs runs a glossy black base with glitter and bold, horizontal colour-block stripes — a bolder scheme than the one Colnago built for Tadej Pogačar's own world champion Y1Rs. The stripes have moved to a different rider with a different story to tell.
What this means
The rainbow stripes on Colnago's Y1Rs now carry McNulty's identity rather than Pogačar's, a visible marker of the title changing hands after two years with UAE Team Emirates.
Pogačar held the rainbow jersey for UAE Team Emirates across 2024 and 2025. McNulty's win broke that run and made him the first American man to take the title in 33 years. Where Pogačar's Y1Rs carried a comparatively restrained scheme, McNulty's version is louder on the same frame — black, glitter, and stripes that cut across the tubes rather than tracing them quietly. The headset cover even carries the date of the win, a detail built for this specific result rather than a generic rainbow build. Vollering's Specialized Tarmac SL9 takes the opposite route, keeping a white-and-grey base with rainbow confined to the seat tube fin, fork blades, and geometric top-tube patterns. Two world champions, two manufacturers, and two readings of what a rainbow bike should say about the rider wearing it.
Sources
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