In June 2015, Zwift held what may have been their biggest promotion up to that point: a Pinarello Dogma F8 giveaway, held in conjunction with Jaguar to celebrate Bradley Wiggins smashing the hour record days earlier (see original Facebook post). Back then, 10 months into Zwift’s beta period, the platform and its community looked very different from what they do today.
Riders were instructed to first unlock the Jaguar kit in game (code “JAGUAR”, which is no longer valid), then ride Zwift for at least 1 hour, take a screenshot, and share it on social media:
Danish cyclist Bo Ekkelund was the lucky winner (see Zwift’s Facebook announcement), and unlike many unique prize bikes, the Dogma did not spend the following years hanging on a wall.
It was ridden.
A lot.
Over the following decade, the distinctive Zwift Pinarello became Bo Ekkelund’s main road bike, covering thousands of kilometers while Zwift itself grew from a relatively small indoor cycling experiment into the platform familiar to millions of cyclists today.
The bike is not a replica or a later custom paint project. It is the original factory-painted Pinarello Dogma F8 supplied as the prize in Zwift’s competition, making it an unusual physical reminder of the company’s early history.
And now, after many years on the road, it is looking for a new owner.
From Competition Prize to Everyday Race Bike
The Dogma F8 was Pinarello’s flagship race bike when the Zwift competition took place. In fact, this is the same model Chris Froome rode to Tour de France victory in 2015 and 2016!
But despite its unusual provenance, Bo never treated the Zwift bike primarily as a collector’s item. It became a working road bike. Over the years it was ridden extensively and adapted along the way, while retaining the unmistakable Zwift-branded frame at the center of the build.
That history arguably makes the bike more interesting today. It represents a particular moment in Zwift’s development, but rather than being preserved untouched from that period, it has continued to accumulate its own cycling history ever since.
Why sell it now?
The decision to sell has less to do with the bike itself and more to do with its owner.
A combination of injuries and a recent professional bike fit has pointed Bo toward a bike with a higher front end and a somewhat different riding position. The F8 has already been adapted to bring its position closer to the recommended fit, but there are limits to how much the geometry of a pure race bike can be changed.
After years of riding his beloved Zwifty Dogma, Bo finally decided to put the bike up for sale.
A Small Piece of Zwift History
There are plenty of Pinarello Dogma F8s in the world. There are considerably fewer factory-painted Zwift versions with a documented connection to the platform’s early beta era!
That is what makes this particular bike interesting beyond its specification or value as a used road bike. For someone who was part of Zwift during those early years, it is an unusually tangible piece of the platform’s history. For a Pinarello enthusiast, it is also a distinctly different version of one of the most recognizable race bikes of its generation.
Bo has now listed the bike on Buycycle, where interested buyers can find the full specification, detailed photographs, condition information and the practical details of the sale. The original matching Castelli Zwift cycling kit has also remained with the bike and is being included with the sale.
Full listing: buycycle.com/en-dk/product/dogma-f8-dura-ace-di2-bike-2015-zwift-branded6a6deefde9778-59755
Whether its next owner chooses to continue riding it or eventually turns it into a display piece remains to be seen. But either way, after spending more than a decade with the person who originally won it, one of the more distinctive bikes from Zwift’s early years is ready to begin its next chapter.
Questions or comments?
Yes, anyone can unlock the Dogma F8 in game via the Tour Italy challenge. But who will unlock this IRL Zwifty Dogma F8? Share your thoughts below!
