Team mechanics have a difficult job at Le Tour. They have early mornings, long days behind a team car and are the last to finish the night. But for some, the 24 to 36 hours between the arrival of stage 4 and the start of stage 6 could be the longest.
In stage 5, the Tour de France 2022 group will face the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix. For the riders this is an extra complication during the stage; for mechanics a “Roubaix stage” is equivalent to a completely new fleet of bicycles and a change of equipment. Or does he?
The cobbled stage of the Tour is often described as a mini Paris-Roubaix in the middle of a Grand Tour, but in reality the Spring Monument is a completely different beast. It’s a similar story when it comes to technological readiness.
While Roubaix’s special offerings have shrunk in recent years, as the day-to-day racing racing team becomes more versatile, the queen of the classics remains an atypical technology. Roubaix’s little brother, the Tour stage, on the other hand, presents an enigma for Tour teams: dust off Roubaix’s bikes or stay with their tested team?
We decided to look back at this year’s Roubaix technology and predict what we might or might not see in the 5th stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday.
Bicycles
While the equipment has a lot of technological adaptations at its disposal, it is the frames that are the heart of any bike. Once a year, WorldTour teams dust off their specific cobblestone or resistance frames, such as the Trek Domane and the Specialized Roubaix, to name just a couple. But even teams sponsored by Trek and Specialized have sometimes been left with their “standard” race day facilities for Paris-Roubaix.
While Trek-Segafredo raced the new and still-unreleased Trek Domane in April, several Specialized-equipped team drivers decided to stick with the Tarmac SL7 instead of the S-Works Roubaix-specific cobblestones. In addition, Dylan Van Baarle won the Royal Roubaix with an almost standard Pinarello Dogma F. Inos Grenadiers staff have already confirmed to CyclingTips that the team will run with almost standard Pinarello Dogma F.
However, some computers may change. As already mentioned, Trek has a new Domane RSL and it looks like the team will switch to the new frame for stage 5. DSM team racing coach Matt Winston confirmed that the team will switch from the new Scott Foil to the Scott Addict, while Jumbo-Visma may come out in Cervelo Caledonias, as they did for Paris-Roubaix.
We will be in the paddock before stage 5 to offer you all the exact details, but with the increasingly versatile racing bikes and a “standard” frame that takes the win over the ~ 50km paving in Paris- Robbery this year looks less and teams less likely will have to switch to Classics bikes dedicated to the 19.4km of relatively short stage 5 cobblestones.
Tires
If not the frames, the tires are an area where we should see the teams make some significant changes. Now the wider tires are common, but still 28mm are as big as we are likely to see at any other road stage. For the “Roubaix stage”, we expect to see almost all equipment change to 30mm, maybe even 32mm, rubber.
Beyond the extra width, most teams will hit the cobblestones with cameraless tires. Jumbo-Visma ran with tubular tires in Paris-Roubaix, but they were very much in the minority. Almost all other teams had most of their riders lined up in tubeless. But even Jumbo-Visma has already lined up in tubeless configurations for the first four road stages of this year’s Tour de France.
At the start of stage 2 we saw Wout van Aert and others rolling with Vittoria’s Corsa Speed 2.0 cameraless tires. Formerly considered a tire reserved for time trial stages, the Corsa Speed was an interesting choice for road stages and showcases Jumbo’s new opening to tubeless technology. If the team kicks off with cameraless tires for stage 5, it could be a reaction to the numerous punctures and tire failures the team has suffered at this year’s Paris-Roubaix.
The tire pressure is as important as the actual tires through the Roubaix cobblestones. The exact pressures with which the riders will run are a well-kept secret, but are expected to be lower than the pressures used in stage 4 and somewhere in the 50-70 psi range, depending on the combined weight of the rider and the bike.
Expect to see 30mm rubber throughout the platoon in stage 5.
Perhaps the biggest change for stage 5 will be another invisible one: many teams are expected to line up with cameraless tire inserts. While these inserts allow riders to lower tire pressure and protect their tires in the event of an impact, the biggest benefit for WorldTour riders could be the ability to drive in the event of a puncture. In a scenario where team cars can be several minutes behind leaders, moving forward is an invaluable marginal gain.
Gear
Lizzie Deignan won the Paris-Roubaix 2021 race with a 1x setup.
Electronic change is now ubiquitous within the professional platoon and, aside from perhaps Peter Sagan, we don’t expect this to change for stage 5. Most likely it’s a change to 1x configurations. SRAM-equipped team riders have run Paris-Roubaix with 1x configurations the last two Paris-Roubaix, while Anthony Turgis, of the TotalEnergies team, ran Roubaix in April with a mix of Dura-Ace and XTR for a similar 1x configuration.
Although a 1x configuration without a front derailleur is technically more aerodynamic, speaking with SRAM and the teams of the last two editions of Roubaix, it is the advantages of retaining the wide plate chain that are most valuable on the cobblestones. It is much more likely to drop a chain in the extremely rough cobblestone sectors, so any additional chain retention is a welcome addition. Each team will run a chain receiver regardless of 1x or 2x chains, but additional chain retention along with a chain guide in 1x configurations offers riders an additional level of chain safety.
On the back, look for equipment with rear derailleurs with clutches. A clutch helps ensure the tension of the diverter and the chain on rough terrain where the weight of the bouncing chain can cause it to fall. SRAM equipment can rely on its standard Red Etap AXS derailleurs, which include a standard clutch, while Shimano equipment can opt for GRX or XTR Di2 rear derailleurs. Campagnolo drivers are unlucky with any 12-speed compatible clutch derailleur in the Campy range.
Finally, look at the satellites or the so-called speed changes, scattered around the handlebars of the pilots. Pilots usually travel to the top bar of the cobbled sectors and the electronic shifts combined with satellite changers at the top offer motorists to shift gears without moving their hands from this top position of the bar.
Accessories
With the main components of a bike covered, there are still some tweaks that the mechanics might be preparing tonight. The double bar strap is Roubaix’s classic trick, but even that is disappearing in recent years as motorists find comfort thanks to reduced tire pressure and wider rubber.
Teams often change bottle cages for Roubaix, opting to sacrifice a few extra grams of bike weight in exchange for better bottle retention. Expect to see carbon cages changed in favor of more classic steel cages.
Don’t be surprised to see that some teams also attach drums and CO2 holders to these bottle cages, as Alpecin-Deceuninck did for Roubaix in April. With the sealer flowing inside your tires, having a CO2 container on hand could be the difference between inflating an almost deflated tire before the sealer saves the day and staying on the side of the road waiting for a spare wheel.
While we expect all teams to dust off their Roubaix-dedicated technology before stage 5, don’t be surprised to see a relatively boring day in terms of technology as the Tour faces the cobblestones. Either way, we’re on the ground to check out the exact configurations with which teams choose to compete and we’ll have a full gallery of technology after the stage.