Julien Alaphilippe (Quick Step-Alfa Vinyl) will race on the new Specialized Tarmac SL7, his fourth Specialized World Champion special edition since winning the rainbow jersey in 2020.

When Specialized recently unveiled the paint schemes for the teams it sponsors on the men's and women's World Tours, Alaphilippe's bike was displayed as the white bike he rode late last season.

However, Specialized announced another custom design that Alaphilippe will use starting next month when the season begins.

Alaphilippe himself had input into the design, which is understated with a rainbow color scheme. The Frenchman had suggested that the world champion's jersey would weigh heavily on his shoulders in 2021, so perhaps he was trying to make his status less conspicuous and less attention-grabbing after retaining the title in Leuven in September.

The frame is marbled white with black parts for a subdued look. Rainbow colors are applied only to the seat tube, with patches of blue, red, black, yellow, and green extending toward the bottom bracket.

In addition, the top tube, which is within Alaphilippe's reach, is specially decorated with his logo, a rainbow vertical ribbon, and the words "Imola 2020" and "Leuven 2021" celebrating his double win at the World Championships.

"I am very proud to have my very own original bike. When I found this bike, I was greatly impressed.

"It's simple, but has all the little details that are important to me. I am happy to have worked with the Specialized team to make it happen."

Specialized's Tarmac SL7 is the U.S. brand's flagship road race bike, merging the older Tarmac model with the older Venge aero bike. Alaphilippe will therefore use this bike in all mass start road races this season.

The new bike is Alaphilippe's fourth custom model since winning his first rainbow jersey in Italy in 2020. From his first race as world champion through his 2021 campaign, he rode a bike with a black-based frame and extensive rainbow flashes to wins in Brabantpaille and La Flèche Wallonne.

He then switched to a white model with diagonal rainbow stripes before Liège-Bastogne-Liège and brought it to the Tour de France, winning the opening stage.

He then won the world championships again on a standard matte black Tarmac SL7, but soon received a special edition from Specialized in mottled silver, said to represent "the vortex of competition."

However, the bike was never raced, and Alaphilippe will carry the new, simpler design to the Tour de la Provence on February 10, then to the Classics, the Tour de France, and Australia, where he could win a third consecutive world championship season.