Colnago has introduced a limited-edition version of its C68 road bike to mark the 2024 Tour de France’s start in Florence, Italy, and it’s priced at €23,000 (about £19,600) a throw. Colnago has produced 111 of these bikes because it’s the 111th edition of the Tour, and the number one model, which Tadej Pogačar will ride during the race’s team presentation (27th June), will be auctioned by Sotheby’s – so that one’s likely to be even more expensive.
Colnago calls this edition of the C68 the Fleur-de-Lys, this lily symbol being “the heraldic element that unites the history of the city of Dante Alighieri to the French nation”, according to Colnago. It’s a motif that decorates the frame.
“The French lily is serially reproduced on the top tube in gold on a Bleu de France-coloured metal leaf field,” says Colnago. “This pattern – in addition to being a tribute to a recurring coat of arms in French royal iconography – echoes the pattern of the frescoes in the Sala dei Gigli, one of the most beautiful rooms in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, the venue for the presentation of the teams and the starting point of the first stage of the Tour.”
So now you know, culture fans.
“The leaf finishing is applied each time by hand, with the result that the texture changes from one frame to the other,” says Colnago.
On top of that “a pattern composed of 15 small lily flowers applied by gold leaf embellishes the horizontal tube”.
As mentioned, the Fleur-de-Lys bike is a Colnago C68, which is a fabulous bike in its own right. When we reviewed it last year, we summed it up like this, “Stunning looks, build quality and ride characteristics, for a premium price”.
The bike we reviewed was £14,999.95. Let’s call it 15 grand. That was with a Campagnolo Super Record groupset.
> Check out our review of the Colnago C68 Super Record
The Fleur-de-Lys model has a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset with Carbon-Ti chainrings and special limited edition Colnago x Tour de France CeramicSpeed oversized pulley wheels. The wheels are Enve SES 4.5, also in a special limited edition with gold-coloured spokes.
The Colnago CC.01 handlebar comes with a Tour de France cap at the top of the steerer tube.
The bottle cage is intended to reflect the Tour de France trophy, although it’s not as cool as Colnago’s Giro d’Italia equivalent.
> Check out the limited edition Colnago Gioiello – decorated in real gold leaf
As mentioned, the number one Colnago Fleur-de-Lys will be auctioned by Sotheby’s. The auction will start on the first rest day and end on the second rest day.