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Cycling Weekly’s history of the Specialized Tarmac traces the road bike from its 2003 aluminium debut through the SL2 and the latest SL9. The report links the bike’s development to rider feedback, including Tom Boonen’s demand for greater sprint stiffness, and to major race results; Specialized’s claim that the SL9 is its fastest road bike has not been independently established in the source.
Cycling Weekly has published a retrospective tracing Specialized’s Tarmac road bike from its 2003 debut to the latest SL9, detailing how professional riders’ feedback and race ambitions shaped the model. The report highlights a pivotal 2006 redesign for sprinter Tom Boonen and records major victories associated with later Tarmac versions, while noting that Specialized itself calls the SL9 its fastest road bike.
The report says the first Tarmac was built from E5 aluminium and describes it as harsh to ride. The first carbon SL followed, but the decisive change came with the SL2. In 2006, Boonen, then a leading Classics rider, told Specialized that the Tarmac SL flexed too much when he was seated and accelerating for a sprint. The company developed a new stiffness test and revised the bike’s rear end in response.
Specialized brand-voice leader Ben Capron recalled that Boonen dismissed laboratory stiffness figures and demonstrated the movement he felt on the bike. After riding the SL2, Boonen reportedly called it the best bike he had ridden. Capron said Boonen won extensively that season, describing the result as a strong endorsement of the redesign. These recollections are attributed to Capron in Cycling Weekly’s account.
The article places the Tarmac’s development within Specialized’s effort to establish itself in professional road racing. It says the company entered the peloton with Festina in 2000, before the Tarmac itself appeared in 2003. The report then links the bike to Alberto Contador’s 2010 Tour de France win on the SL3, later stripped, Vincenzo Nibali’s 2014 Tour victory, and Peter Sagan’s three consecutive road world titles from 2015 through 2017. It also cites Anna van der Breggen’s 2018 world title and Demi Vollering’s world championship victory in Montreal on the SL9.
How Rider Feedback Shaped the Tarmac
The history matters because it shows how a flagship racing bike evolved beyond published weight and stiffness figures. Boonen’s complaint was about how the frame behaved under a specific sprint effort, and Specialized responded with a new test and a redesigned rear end. The episode illustrates the role of rider experience in product development, particularly when a bicycle is intended for elite competition.
The Tarmac’s race record has also helped make it a prominent model for riders outside the professional peloton. British hill-climb champion Andrew Feather told Cycling Weekly that comfort was a key advantage for him, describing the ride as having “flow” rather than bouncing over the road. His account is an individual rider’s assessment, not a controlled comparison between brands or models.
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From Road-Racing Doubts to SL9
Specialized’s commitment to road bikes was not assured in the 1990s. Capron told Cycling Weekly that road business represented a single-digit share at one point in the decade, and company staff considered leaving the category. He recalled that a colleague argued for investing in road racing, setting an ambition to win the Tour de France.
The report says Specialized joined the pro peloton by sponsoring Festina in 2000, when other teams were reluctant to take on a brand known primarily for mountain bikes. Festina rider Marcel Wüst won a Tour de France stage that July on an M4 aluminium bike. Specialized later sponsored Quick-Step–Innergetic, and the Tarmac became central to its road-racing profile.
The SL9’s design was influenced by Vollering’s narrow defeat in the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which she lost by four seconds, according to the report. Specialized programme manager Koes De Boer said the team reconsidered its aerodynamic testing after realizing it had tested bikes with two bottles while riders sometimes raced with one. The company adjusted the frame shape with that use in mind.
“I don’t care about that.”
— Ben Capron, Specialized’s leader of brand voice, as quoted by Cycling Weekly
What the SL9 Claims Establish
Specialized describes the S-Works Tarmac SL9 as “the fastest road bike ever made.” That is the company’s claim, as reported by Cycling Weekly; the supplied account does not provide independent test results, comparative measurements, or the conditions needed to verify it. The report also does not give detailed technical specifications or quantified aerodynamic gains for the new frame.
The article recounts past results and rider impressions but does not establish that the Tarmac alone caused those victories or experiences. It offers no controlled comparison of the SL9 with competing bikes, and its account of the SL2’s effect on Boonen’s season is based on Capron’s recollection. The report does not specify a publication date in the supplied material, beyond describing the SL9 as released “this summer.”
What Riders Can Verify Next
The next practical test of the SL9 will come through further racing and independent reviews that disclose their test methods, equipment setup and comparison bikes. Riders considering the model can look for those details rather than relying on the company’s speed claim alone. The source material does not identify a scheduled product announcement or a forthcoming Tarmac model.
For now, the development described is a retrospective account of how the range reached its current iteration, paired with Specialized’s claim for the SL9. Further evidence on measured performance, the effect of the one-bottle design and the bike’s results across different race settings remains to be seen.
Key Questions
When did the Specialized Tarmac first appear?
Cycling Weekly says the original Tarmac launched in 2003 and used E5 aluminium. The report describes later carbon versions as the SL models.
Why did Specialized redesign the Tarmac for Tom Boonen?
Boonen said the earlier Tarmac SL flexed too much when he was seated and winding up for a sprint. Specialized responded with a new stiffness test and a revised rear end for the SL2.
What is the latest Tarmac model in the report?
The report identifies the S-Works Tarmac SL9 as the latest iteration. It says the design considered aerodynamic performance when riders raced with one bottle rather than two.
Has the SL9 been proven to be the fastest road bike?
No independent proof is provided in the source material. “The fastest road bike ever made” is Specialized’s claim, and the report does not include comparative test data to verify it.
Source: cyclingweekly.com
