The rider’s ride

Colnago V3RS, frameset £3,999, windwave.co.uk

In some respects, the V3RS is somewhat less glamorous than its stablemate the C64, made as it is in a mould in the Far East instead of at the hands of an artisan in Italy. However, there’s a good reason that this is the bike ridden by Colnago-sponsored pro racers, including two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar. It blends light weight with stiffness and aerodynamic shaping to create one fast bike.

There are few tougher tests for a bike than this sportive, and the V3RS passed with flying colours. It was efficient on the climbs, responsive on the descents, and even proved to be pretty comfortable over roads that were less than pristine. It’s not cheap, but also no more expensive than many top-end road bikes these days. In fact, the only problem is that there is very little to fault, so if your times on your local Strava segment aren’t what you’d hoped for, you won’t be able to blame it on the bike.