Custom paintjobs are nothing new in the WorldTour peloton but Vincenzo Nibali’s shark-themed Specialized S-Works Tarmac is one of the best we’ve seen.

Specialized produced this stunning machine for the champion elect ahead of the Tour de France and the intricacy of the glitter-finished Tarmac, with a cable-gobbling, pink-eyed shark on the headtube, is stunning.

The Tarmac was revamped earlier this year (it’s said to be lighter and stiffer than the previous SL4 incarnation, with a size-specific carbon fibre layup and 27.2mm seatpost with an integrated clamp) and first broke cover ahead of the Giro d’Italia, where we profiled the machine of Nibali’s team-mate, and Astana’s leader for the first Grand Tour of the season, Michele Scarponi.

Nibali, nicknamed the Shark of Messina (the Italian’s birthplace in Sicily), has devoured all before him at the Tour de France, leading the race for all but three stages and winning three stages (going in to stage 17) on this Tarmac.