Two-time MSR podium finisher Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma—Quick-Step), JJ Haedo (Saxo Bank) and Jacopo Guarnieri (Astana) will each race custom-painted Specialized S-Works + McLaren Venges — that will not be available for sale.

The Specialized S-Works + McLaren Venge debuted with great fanfare at the 2011 Milan-San Remo, with HTC-Highroad’s Matt Goss piloting it first across the finish line of the world’s longest one-day classic.

On Thursday, March 15, Specialized and Omega Pharma—Quick-Step hosted an exclusive press event inside the McLaren dealership in Milan to show off Boonen’s new bike.

Boonen called the S-Works + McLaren Venge the “fastest I’ve ridden, that’s the main thing. It saves you a lot of energy. It saves you about 25 watts, which is pretty huge, especially on long stages like Milan-San Remo,” Boonen said. “Seven hours on the bike, if you save as much energy as possible it will give you extra speed on the finish. It's very strong on the bottom bracket. It's a perfect bike for me.”

The Specialized McLaren Venge was the created via a collaboration between McLaren Applied Technologies and Specialized engineers, resulting in a sub-950-gram frame with slippery aerodynamic properties and the high-end performance capabilities that road racing demands.

“The team is coming to the starting line with a designated leader, Tom Boonen” Davide Bramati says. “In this first part of the season Tom has proven to be in top form. He even shined in the recent Paris Nice, winning the stage in Orleans and then he followed this up by doing a great job for Levi Leipheimer. The squad is well equipped either way to be a major player in every phase of the race. We can count on outstanding individuals who can adapt to the tactical situations that might come up along the route.”

Watch peloton's video review of the Venge.


The Belgian superstar, with a well know weakness for fast cars, enjoyed the McLaren road cars as much as the bikes.

Omega Pharma - Quick Step Roster for Milan-San Remo:

Riders: Tom Boonen (BEL)Sylvain Chavanel (FRA)Gerald Ciolek (GER)Nikolas Maes (BEL)Jerome Pineau (FRA)Niki Terpstra (NED)Stijn Vandenbergh (BEL)Peter Velits (SVK)
Sports Directors: Davide Bramati (ITA)Wilfried Peeters (BEL)

Length 298.0 km