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A Cycling Weekly report traces the Specialized Tarmac’s development from its 2003 debut to the SL9, linking key design changes to rider feedback and racing use. Specialized says the SL9 was shaped in part by Demi Vollering’s racing needs; the company’s claim that it is its fastest road bike has not been independently verified in the supplied material.
Cycling Weekly has published a retrospective tracing the Specialized Tarmac from its 2003 debut to the SL9, the latest version discussed in the report. The account focuses on how pro-rider feedback, particularly Tom Boonen’s complaint that an earlier Tarmac flexed during sprint efforts, helped shape later designs, and how the model became a fixture in elite road racing.
The report recounts an episode from 2006, when Boonen, then a leading Belgian sprinter and Classics rider, told Specialized that the Tarmac SL felt too flexible when he was winding up for a sprint. Specialized brand voice leader Ben Capron said the team had already tested stiffness and weight, but Boonen rejected the measurements because they did not match his experience on the bike. Capron recalled Boonen demonstrating the movement while seated and explaining that the frame’s flex hindered his sprint.
Specialized responded with a new testing method and a redesigned rear end, which became the Tarmac SL2. Capron said Boonen later called it “the best bike I’ve ever ridden” and recalled that the rider “won everything” that season. The report describes the SL2 as a turning point: Specialized’s own history, as quoted by Cycling Weekly, calls it the first Tarmac that was both comfortable to ride and formidable in competition.
The Tarmac’s history began with an E5 aluminium model in 2003, followed by a series of carbon SL versions. Cycling Weekly says the current generation is the SL9. The report links its development to Demi Vollering, who narrowly lost the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Specialized programme manager Koes De Boer said the company reconsidered its aerodynamic testing after realizing it had been developing frames with two bottles, while riders might race with one during breakaways. The SL9 was later ridden by Vollering to victory at the World Championships in Montreal, according to the report.
Rider Feedback Shaped the Tarmac
The Tarmac’s development illustrates how a professional rider’s experience can challenge laboratory measures and influence a production bike. In the Boonen episode, Specialized had stiffness and weight data, yet the rider’s description of how the frame behaved during a sprint led the company to create a different test and revise the rear end. The practical result, according to Capron, was a model Boonen preferred.
The later SL9 story points to another design consideration: the conditions in which riders actually compete. Specialized’s account says the company adjusted aerodynamic work to reflect a one-bottle setup in breakaways rather than relying only on wind-tunnel testing with two bottles. That matters to readers because a race bike’s design can be shaped by specific use cases, not just general claims about weight, stiffness or aerodynamics. The report does not establish how large the SL9’s speed advantage is in real-world conditions.
The model’s results also help explain its place in the sport. Cycling Weekly recounts wins associated with the Tarmac, including Peter Sagan’s three consecutive road world titles from 2015 to 2017 and Vollering’s Montreal victory. Those results contribute to the bike’s profile, but they do not by themselves show that the bicycle caused the wins.
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From Aluminium to WorldTour Racing
Specialized’s commitment to road racing came after a period when, Capron said, road bikes represented a single-digit share of the company’s business. He recalled a meeting in the mid-to-late 1990s in which the company considered leaving the road market. A colleague argued for investing in it and set the ambition of one day winning the Tour de France. Capron said the room’s reaction shifted from laughter to a sense of commitment.
The company entered the professional peloton through a sponsorship of Festina in 2000, according to Capron. The team’s riders initially used M4 aluminium bikes, and German sprinter Marcel Wüst won a Tour de France stage that July. The first Tarmac models arrived in 2003. Specialized began sponsoring Quick-Step–Innergetic at the end of 2005, a period the report associates with the Tarmac’s rapid rise and Boonen’s demand for a stiffer sprinting platform.
The Tarmac’s record includes a complicated early Tour milestone. Cycling Weekly says Alberto Contador won the 2010 Tour de France on the SL3, but notes that he was later stripped of the title. The report identifies Vincenzo Nibali’s 2014 Tour victory as the Tarmac’s next Tour win, then records Sagan’s world-title run and Anna van der Breggen’s 2018 championship. These results form part of the model’s racing history, rather than proof of a single design advantage.
““When I’m in the saddle and I’m winding up for a sprint, the bike flexes like this. It’s too flexible. I can’t wind up for my sprint.””
— Ben Capron, Specialized leader of brand voice, recalling Tom Boonen’s 2006 feedback
What the SL9 Claims Establish
Specialized describes the S-Works Tarmac SL9 as “the fastest road bike ever made”, but that is the company’s claim as reported by Cycling Weekly. The supplied material gives no independent testing results, comparative time savings or test protocol to establish the size of any advantage over other bikes.
The report also does not specify the date of its publication or give a full technical comparison between the SL9 and earlier generations. It says the bike was released “this summer,” but the calendar year is not provided in the source material. The exact changes to the frame beyond the revised aerodynamic front end are not detailed in the supplied excerpt.
Racing results and rider comments are reported, but they cannot isolate the bike’s contribution from athlete performance, team strategy, equipment setup and race conditions. Feather’s comments on comfort and sizing likewise reflect his own experience. The source does not provide controlled comfort testing or a broader survey of owners.
Further Testing and Model Details
The supplied report does not identify a scheduled next product release, test or company announcement. Readers looking to compare the SL9 with other road bikes would need independent testing that states the setup, conditions and measurement method, alongside fuller technical specifications from Specialized.
For now, the next relevant evidence is how the SL9 performs across more races and in independent comparative tests. The report establishes that Vollering rode it to a Montreal World Championship victory and explains the design rationale Specialized gave for its aerodynamic changes. It does not supply a future timetable or say what Specialized plans for the next Tarmac generation.
Key Questions
What is the main development covered in the report?
Cycling Weekly traces the Specialized Tarmac’s evolution from its 2003 aluminium debut through the SL2 and the SL9, emphasizing how rider feedback and racing needs influenced design.
What prompted the Tarmac SL2 redesign?
Ben Capron said Tom Boonen felt the earlier Tarmac SL flexed too much during sprint efforts. Specialized responded with a new testing method and a redesigned rear end for the SL2.
What does the source say about the SL9?
The report says the SL9 has a revised, more aerodynamic front end and was designed with Demi Vollering’s racing needs in mind. Specialized calls it its “fastest road bike ever made,” a company claim that the supplied material does not independently verify.
Which major race results are associated with the Tarmac?
The report links the Tarmac to Vincenzo Nibali’s 2014 Tour de France win, Peter Sagan’s world titles from 2015 through 2017, Anna van der Breggen’s 2018 world title and Demi Vollering’s Montreal World Championship victory. It also notes that Alberto Contador’s 2010 Tour title was later stripped.
Source: cyclingweekly.com
