Michal Kwiatkowski’s custom world championship Specialized S-Works Tarmac

When you win the UCI World Championships, as Poland's Michal Kwiatkowski did in Ponferrada recently, you can expect many things as a result, like immediate fame, a new contract, that coveted jersey… and a freshly painted customised bike of course. It's pretty standard these days. Specialized delivered Michal Kwiatkowski a custom painted S-Works Tarmac for the Tour of Lombardy last week.

Michal Kwiatkowski rides for Omega Pharma-Quick-Step, a team sponsored by US bicycle manufacturer Specialized. He was riding the latest generation S-Works Tarmac, launched earlier this summer. The bike is kitted out with a SRAM RED 22 groupset with a Quarq power meter connected to a Garmin Edge 1000, which allows him to share his rides on Strava. Zipp supply the 404 wheels, handlebar, stem and seatpost.

The bike has been dubbed the S-Works Tarmac “Kwiato” frameset, and features a rather understated design compared to the usual brash designs we’re more used to seeing (especially anything with Peter Sagan’s name on), with a Jackson Pollock inspiration in the paint splatter decals along the top tube, only using the five colours of the UCI jersey (green, yellow, black, red and blue). The frame is finished in a satin finish and white metallic gloss base.

“At a first glance it’s not easy to understand that it’s the World Champion’s bike. But then if you connect Flower Power, Polish guy, and World Champion stripes you can close your eyes and you can easily imagine this incredible bike. The Specialized Tarmac has been designed especially for me, it’s unbelievable how everything looks just great together. The helmet suits perfectly with the rainbow jersey and this great bike. I am really happy for that and everything together gives me an extra motivation. I really want to thanks all the guys from Specialized for the extraordinary support they give me all the time," says Michal Kwiatkowski.

This splatter design is seen on the top tube, seat tube, chainstays and the inside of the forks. Zipp also got involved in the fun and supplied some new decals for the 404 carbon fibre wheels with the rainbow stripes running through the lettering. Kwiatkowski was also gifted a Specialized Evade helmet with a matching design.

“I wanted to create an artistic interpretation of the rainbow colors. I looked to the American expressionist painter Jackson Pollock who created many abstract paintings using his drip technique. I felt that using a similar look on the frame but with the rainbow colors could be a new and exciting approach to creating this bike graphic. I felt the energy of the drip pattern used directly tied to the energy Kwiatkowski needed in order to win the World Championships,” adds Ron Jones, graphic designer from the Specialized Performance Road Bike Division.

If you’re looking at the photos and liking what you’re seeing, and wondering if Specialized will offer a replica frame for sale, well you’re in luck: they’ll produce a limited number of the frames for sale. No word on pricing or availability at this stage.

Here's a video of Michal receiving his new bike.