Check out this Ribble Ultra SL R Alumni Edition for the Tour 21

This evening's Bike at Bedtime is the Ribble Tour 21 Ultra SL R Alumni Edition, a superbike that showcases a striking design curated as a special tribute for the Tour 21 charity ride. 

The bike has been designed by Ribble's Head of Product and ex-Pro Tour Rider Jamie Burrow. It's a race machine with aerodynamically optimised geometry, finished with bespoke pearlescent white frame complete with 24-carat gold leaf detailing that includes the logos of The Tour 21 and Cure Leukaemia. 

If you haven’t heard about Tour 21, it's a charity cycling challenge led by Geoff Thomas MBE, a former professional footballer & blood cancer survivor. The Tour sees a team of amateur cyclists (the Alumni), take on the world’s most gruelling cycling challenge by riding the entire Tour de France route one week ahead of the professionals. The group will start the ride in Bilbao and aim to raise over £1 million for Cure Leukaemia, the official charity partner of the Tour de France over the 21 stages.

The Ribble Tour 21 bike has had influence from Thomas in its aethetics. The fork features a Metallic Midnight Blue and Reflex Blue colourway, paired with Sporting Red accents based on the colours of one of Thomas’s former football teams, Crystal Palace. 

The Ultra SL R is Ribble’s aero superbike, and you can see this special edition features the Ultra cockpit that the brand says can result in a net drag reduction of around two per cent for bike and rider. This cockpit also comes in quite narrow widths, ranging from a Pro spec 33cm for the rider looking for maximum aero performance through to 36cm and 38cm.

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The bike is equipped with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, Zipp 454 NSW carbon wheels and 3D-printed Selle Italia SLR Boost 3D Kit Carbonio Superflow saddle. The tyres are Continental GP5000 S TR.

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The Alumni Edition is personally signed and individually numbered by Geoff Thomas, and is available only to riders that have undertaken the epic Tour 21 challenge with all proceeds going to charity. 

“We are incredibly proud to be a partner of The Tour 21 and to support Geoff and his phenomenal awareness and fundraising mission. Ribble’s Tour 21 Ultra SL R Alumni Edition is a superbike designed to celebrate our partnership and The Tour 21 superhuman endeavours” Andy Smallwood, Ribble CEO, said. 

You can check out more details and sign up for the 2023 Tour 21 here. 

Make sure to check out our other Bike at Bedtime features for some very cool-looking bikes here!