Bike check: Mark Cavendish’s Wilier Filante SLR for the Giro d’Italia

Mark Cavendish is famously picky when it comes to bikes and equipment. But with as many career victories as he has, not to mention those 34 stage wins at the Tour de France, he knows exactly what he needs from his equipment to be able to cross the line first.

Cavendish had spent the last two seasons aboard a Specialized Tarmac, a model, and brand, he has had high praise for over his career. And in other years past, the Manx Missile has found himself aboard Pinarello, Cervélo, Scott, and Giant. 2023 has brought one more brand to that list after the B&B Hotels team he was tied to folded in December, and he became a late signing with Astana Qazaqstan.

That new team puts him on a Wilier for the first time in his career.

This month, he’s taking on the Giro d’Italia for the seventh time in his career, looking to add to his 16-stage career haul there, and follow up his stage win last season.

As a sprinter, Cavendish has chosen to race the Giro on the Wilier Filante SLR, an aero model that is quite lightweight, weighing only about 100 grams more than the brand’s climbing bike. It is outfitted with a Shimano Dura-Ace drivetrain, Hed wheels, a Prologo saddle and bar tape, and Wilier’s own integrated bar-stem.

We got a closer look at Mark Cavendish’s Wilier Filante SLR bike during the opening stages of the Giro d’Italia.

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Cavendish’s Wilier Filante SLR is outfitted with a Shimano Dura-Ace drivetrain, Hed wheels, a Prologo saddle and bar tape, and Wilier’s own integrated bar-stem. (Photo: Chris Auld)

Cavendish was running 54/40T chainrings on this power meter crankset for this sprint stage. He is also on Look road pedals. (Photo: Chris Auld)

Seeing a touch of leftover steerer tube above the stem is a little surprising for a pro bike, although there’s potential that it was done to get the bike up to the UCI weight limit. Wilier makes the integrated handlebar-stem for the Filante. (Photo: Chris Auld)

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As a sprinter, Cavendish is a fan of the satellite shift buttons on the drops, seen here peeking out on the handlebar behind the brake lever. Prologo provides the team with bar tape, as the extra sticker makes clear. (Photo: Chris Auld)

Astana is all in on capturing sprint stages if assigning the team leader number to Cav is any indication. (Each team gets eight numbers for eight riders starting with 1, 11, 21, 31, etc.). (Photo: Chris Auld)

Cavendish is running 28c tubeless Vittoria Corsa Pro tires on 60mm-deep Hed RC6 Pro wheels. (Photo: Chris Auld)

The Wilier Filante SLR features aerodynamic seat stays. (Photo: Chris Auld)

Tacx provides team Astana with water bottles and cages. (Photo: Chris Auld)

Prologo provides Astana with saddles and bar tape. (Photo: Chris Auld)

Wilier consistently makes some of the most beautiful bikes. (Photo: Chris Auld)