No other race matches the level of pre-race intrigue and interest that swirls around in the week leading up to Paris-Roubaix, at least from a tech perspective. Every year, we see new and innovative ways for bike brands and teams to try and tame the cobbles and give their riders the best possible chance of coming home with the famous cobblestone trophy.
In the past, we've seen teams use gravel bikes, gravel wheels, and historically, suspension has been used to try and smooth things out. Gravel tyres aren't uncommon alongside the usual slew of double-wrapped bars and taped-on bike computers.
This year, we've seen some brand new ideas and some old favourites, and having spent the afternoon camped out at the five-star Arenberg sector, we can bring you what we think are the most interesting developments so far by way of a tech roundup.
Tadej Pogačar will ride the Colnago Y1Rs, but modified
This isn't a huge surprise, but while Alpecin appears to be having decision paralysis over whether to use the new Canyon Endurace CFR or the tried-and-tested Aeroad, Tadej Pogačar has only been seen testing his usual aero Colnago Y1Rs. In fact, he hasn't really touched the V5Rs since the Dauphiné last year, so there's absolutely nothing to indicate he's about to have a drastic change of heart in a few days' time.
I've written a deeper dive into his overhauled cobble setup, but the short version is: Aero bike, bigger tyres, 1x, and a safer computer mount. Whether it works for him come Sunday is another matter, but I, for one, am excited to see if this new tack does the business.
Visma-Lease a Bike will ride the Cervélo S5
Last year, the men of Visma-Lease a Bike took on the cobbles aboard the Cervélo Soloist, a more endurance-focused machine than their usual S5 aero bike. The women, on the other hand, competed to great effect on the S5, leading to Pauline Ferrand-Prévot taking the victory. Whether there have been new developments, further testing, or simply seeing Ferrand-Prévot win aboard the S5, it seems this year the men will race aboard the aero bike too, as confirmed to Cyclingnews by Jenco Drost, head of performance equipment at Visma:
"The S5 is the most aero bike of the lot, and as Roubaix is becoming faster and faster, this is the preferred choice. The aspero or soloist can hold bigger tyres, but we do not see a bigger gain on this vs the more aero bike. The Aspero is a fast bike, but still no S5 in terms of aero. And with 50 kph, aero is the main driver. For sure, bigger tyres are a gain, but not bigger when you need to switch to a less aero bike."
I guess it's time to hold my hands up and say my Paris-Roubaix tech predictions are already lying in tatters at this news, but I'm still holding out hope (though not any expectation at all) that it could be an incredible bluff...
Mathieu van der Poel hasn't decided what to ride yet
Canyon has recently launched a new Endurace CFR race bike/endurance bike/bike specifically for Mathieu van der Poel to ride at Roubaix... and I'm not sure he's going to. He rode it at E3, narrowly netting the victory by the skin of his teeth, and then again at Gent-Wevelgem [now called In Flanders Field], where he was caught at the death. Since then, he rode the Tour of Flanders back aboard his usual Aeroad, and he's been doing recon for Roubaix likewise on the Aeroad, the bike that gave him the last three victories in a row.
Other Alpecin riders were aboard the Endurace, most notably Jasper Philipsen, but only time will tell what Van der Poel will ride on Sunday. Perhaps he is a big enough asset that he gets free choice, regardless of whether it will upset a brand he has a 10-year sponsorship contract with, though if he wins, I doubt they'll care as long as it has Canyon written on the downtube.
Lidl-Trek has new tech
Last year, Lidl-Trek gave us tech nerds a real treat with a hacked drivetrain comprising a SRAM Red XPLR rear derailleur, modded to make it 12sp from 13sp with an additional limit screw, allowing the team to use the more closely spaces SRAM Red Road cassette. It looked quite extreme, but it was a SRAM-sanctioned mod and proved to be quite effective, and the team are doing it again this year.
To keep their reputation for innovation intact, we also spotted them with an all-new 'double bubble' tyre safety system in advance of the race, something new to me and to the rest of the team here at Cyclingnews. In essence, it's a small, high-pressure, low-expansion reinforced TPU tube that sits inflated to 6bar (87PSI) inside the tubeless tyre carcass to keep the tyre bead forced onto the rim and prevent burping. It also acts like a run-flat system to a point, and if punctured would simply expel its air into the main tyre cavity. The key giveaway is the dual-valve at the rim, otherwise the system would be totally invisible to the naked eye.
Where Lidl-Trek leads, others follow
While Lidl-Trek had the monopoly on the SRAM XPLR hack last year, as it was SRAM-approved, it means other teams have access to it. Not all of them have taken up the opportunity, but as well as Lidl-Trek, we saw EF using it, and have been told that Uno-X will also be using the system.
I spotted Q36.5, Decathlon and NSN all using standard 1x SRAM Red road setups, so there's clearly mixed feelings about the modifications.
Ineos are using MTB components and Soudal have gone gravel, but almost everyone is on 1X
Those teams without access to a native 1x setup, by which I mean Shimano-sponsored teams, they either have the option of running a standard double, which probably does have a higher likelihood of chain issues, or simply forcing their drivetrains to run 1x come what may.
I spotted Soudal-Quick Step using a Shimano GRX rear derailleur combined with a single front chainring, not to be outdone by the Ineos Grenadiers, who have taken to fitting an XTR MTB rear mech for a similar drivetrain but with a far faster crash recovery in the event of the rear derailleur taking a knock. Ineos' system is also totally wireless, so no pesky cables to snag and come out in a worst-case scenario.
Q36.5 has new paint
It's not all gadgets and gizmos, though I did see Q36.5 using Zipp's wheels with integrated tyre pressure sensors in them that made waves last spring. Sometimes if teams aren't doing anything overly novel then wheeling out a fresh lick of paint is a relatively easy way to get some column inches (as I am proving right now).
The collaboration is between Pinarello and Tissot, and I am told there's a corresponding Tissot watch to match the bikes, though it's unclear whether the Q36.5 riders were also furnished with these.
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