With all the talk of safety focussed on the new entry chicane to the Arenberg Forest Israel-Premier Tech seem to be taking a new approach by opting to use the Factor Ostro Gravel over the bike sponsor’s aero bike, the Ostro Vam, first spotted this year at the Tour Down Under.
On a recon of the Arenberg Forest, all riders were aboard gravel bikes, though the team cars did have black versions of the Ostro VAM road bike on the roof.
With it all but confirmed that Specialized sponsored teams (Bora-Hansgrohe, Soudal QuickStep, AG Insurance Soudal and SD Worx-Protime) will be aboard the Tarmac this year rather than the Roubaix, in line with our Roubaix tech preview, it’s interesting to see another team go in a totally different direction.
The Factor Ostro at the time of release was touted as the most aero gravel bike on the market, with extremely deep tube shapes and UCI compliant for road racing. Its aero optimisation is based around a 34mm tyre, though the team have informed us that they will be using 32c tyres, though these look more chunky in the pictures likely due to the wider internal width of the Black Inc. wheels.
In a statement from the team's Equipment Manager, Gary Blem, it transpires this is a result of back to back testing of both bikes:
"We did quite a lot of testing on the cobbles after Opening Weekend with Tom Van Asbroeck and Riley Sheehan, comparing the new OSTRO VAM with the OSTRO Gravel and the overwhelming consensus was that the OSTRO Gravel would be the best choice for Paris – Roubaix. The Ostro Gravel has a longer wheelbase so it tracks slower which is perfect for a race like Paris - Roubaix as it gives the riders more time to react, and the increased tire clearance allows us to run 32mm tires."
In stark contrast to the approach of Specialized teams, Israel-Premier Tech clearly are of the opinion that comfort equals speed, though the aero benefits of the Ostro Gravel perhaps make this a more simple choice than for some teams:
The OSTRO Gravel is a bike built for comfort and direct feedback from our riders was that they would opt for comfort over aerodynamics. Fortunately, given it is an incredibly aero gravel bike, there is no compromise on aerodynamics and having just completed our recon ride, we are confident this is the best Factor bike for our team this Sunday.
While Israel-Premier Tech is committed to the gravel setup, the other Factor-sponsored team, Human Powered Health, have confirmed that they are not. Over the chaotic cobbles mixed with smooth(ish) tarmac, it'll be curious to see which strategy wins out, and whether lady luck has more of a bearing on things than any tyre setups.
