Paris Roubaix, Cancellara and Sportives

I haven't been to see Roubaix live in ages, yet much of that day from when I last saw it is still clear in my mind. I can remember what I had for breakfast, how cold it was standing by the Roadside and how fast the riders are over the cobbles. I'd made the decision after Flanders this year that I wouldn't be back to watch it in 2011. I've managed it for the last three years, and to be honest it will be strange not watching the Ronde in Flanders. But I knew I had to visit the Queen again, she was calling loud and clear and both races are Super Special.

With the rumours that have been flying around and the now recent announcement that ASO would be holding a Sportive version for amateurs the day before. Unlike Flanders where having 17,000 people trample over the bergs before the Pro's is likely to do little damage, but may actually help clear the course, the same can't be said for Roubaix. I wonder if it may make the Stones worse. Details are sketchy at best, so we really don't know how much it'll cost or how many people will be able to enter. We do know that it will be 135km in length and the date is the 9th of April.

So I'd like to take part, and I'm sure I won't be alone in thinking that it'll be a great day, but I expect it to be tough. Unlike the June version run off every two years, the one the ASO are proposing will get the full Pro effect being the day before. I love Pave, and the more I ride it the better I get. So if I get in this will represent my first goal this year, and the training will have to start, or I'll never get fit in time. I've just watched these excellent videos from Michael at the www.theroaddiaries.com and it makes me want to have a go at it even more. I am sure it'll be a big challenge, and if the weather is shit a big ask. But it really appeals and I'm hoping to gather a little Team of people so we can ride can tackle the pave together. If I can't get in, I'll be hitting Belgium instead.

The race winning bike, although I'm unlikely to use a Specialized but I love the idea of using Sram, Zipp and FMB tubs. Not afraid of carbon on the cobbles as I won't be hitting then at 50 kmph+.

I'll be happy to finish, much in the same way I was chuffed to finish my first Flanders. Goals and going for a good time can happen on the second edition!

 

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Fabian Cancellara to leave Saxo Bank ....

.... well this is the current rumour hitting the peloton. He's acheived a lot under Riis and no doubt some of his victories would not have happended without his guiding hand. He's been at Saxo (CSC before it) for some time and so like many things all chapters require a full stop.

This will be chapter 5 for him. Chapter 1, none Pro. Chapter 2, Mapei. Chapter 3, Fasso and Chapter 4 the Riis years. So Fabian is off to ................................................. well, I can't tell you as yet but I do know. It will be a change for sure and I hope he's made the right decision. As soon as I get a Green light I'll tell you.

So after what has been a pretty exciting year in cycle racing, it looks like we are in for another really interesting year ahead. As the sport slowly becomes cleaner and in the UK appreciated on  a wider level, all is looking good.

p.s. don't ask me where he's going on Twitter, soon as I can say something it'll be on here.

Posted via email from Sprinting for Signs's posterous

FMB Paris Roubaix, Pave King

 I mentioned recently that it was Specialized's third straight victory in a row. I'm not sure if another manufacturer has managed this feat before, and currently I don't have the time to research it more fully. But the point of the article today is not to marvel in the big American Super Power Bike Brand, but it is to revel in the little guy who also has become the first name in quality tubulars.

Francois Marie Boyeaux is the man behind the the tubulars that bare his initials. Like many artists it acts both as a signature and a brand. It seems fitting that a French tyre should be the one that should be used to tame the pave. Boonen used the Paris Roubaix Pro tyre to great effect. You can't really hide the manufacturer as it screams FMB, even with no logo's on them. Tom used the 25mm version which is made with a cotton carcuss with added protection coming from a 0.2mm thick latex covering. This is a process used by a lot of Pro mechanics to help protect and speed up the ageing process of maturing tubs, plus it adds some welcome protection from side impacts when applied to that area. For those who have ridden a matured tub and a latex treated one say that the performance and feel is the same. The big benefit is the time gain, you no longer have to wait 3-5 years for some bombproof tyres.

What was different was this year many Teams choose to use the regular Roubaix version, albeit in the 27mm version. If you take a look on Fabian's bike it may be rebranded as Specialized, but it is clearly an FMB (the base tape and block style printing are giveaways). Roubaix requires special equipment, and as the major element in reducing the effects of the cobbles is a well made tubular is crucial. This isn't the first time SAXO Bank have used them, as they turned up to Roubaix last year with these on, minus the logos. To be honest FMB where a bit off the radar, but with Teams like SKY and SAXO being a little more open about the equipment they use it has shed a spotlight upon the brand.

T

These tyres really are handmade. The photo shows the Team SKY ones being made.

Between the Pro and the Regular version it's only the latex strip that is the obvious difference, tread appears to be the same. There is no mention of what inner tube is in the respective versions, but if I where to hazzard a guess it would be that the Pro version also uses a latex tube while the Regular version has a butyl tube (but maybe a trick ultralite one). Looking at the other versions of the tyres in the range it looks like the treads are taken from some of the best brands around, Continental, Veloflex and Vittoria all look to be represented. Construction is by hand and I think the attention to detail is what the vetran mechanics look for. The backing tape (where the glue mounts the tyre to the rim) is thicker than average allowing more glue to be soaked up, while at the same tyre allowing the mechanic to straighten them on the rim with more ease.

The first win of the year went to SKY using them. Frankly they look so Pro on the bikes it is ridiculas. There is something about a black tyre with an amber wall that just shouts class. I was impressed with the choice of these tyres by SKY, and although I am sure that Vittoria (SKY's official tyre sponsor) was a little miffed I have to say that in the pursuit of the win to gain that little bit extra they where prepared to ruffle a few feathers. If Vittoria are sensible they will build a tyre as good for next season for the Team.

Fabian has a bit of a reputation for having an eye for detail, and maybe it's that subtle 'look at me' he was after, rather than the 'LOOK AT ME' that the Pro tyre screams. The whole look of the Stealth Black bike was really finished off nicely with the tyres. FMB seems to have taken over from Dugast as the Pros (not so) secret weapon. The price of the Regular Roubaix isn't that bad, not considering it's pedigree. Lets not forget Fabian didn't puncture once, ok he bust a Zipp, but the tyre and wheel where intact long enough to get to a more sensible section to change bikes.

For those riders taking part in the Paris-Roubaix Randonee in June it may be a sensible idea to consider tubs. The better puncture resistance it offers could be very welcome for us budding amateurs, and maybe for one minute or so flying across the pave you too can pretend you are the King of the Pave.

 

thanks to C3 Products for the FMB images

Paris Roubaix and SAXO Bank

The race is on as I write this and I can't wait for the live pictures to kick in. I've spent the morning looking at pictures of the riders kit and I think the best prepared (equipment wise) Teams are Cervelo, SKY and SAXO Bank. All of these Teams have Special bikes, but the prototype SL3 Roubaix along with the new Pinarello KOBH have caught my eye.

From what I can see of the Specialized bike only Fabian Cancellara and Stuart O'Grady have one. The rest of the Team will be on a SL2 Roubaix, but these are not stock geometry, but are much closer to a Tarmac, particularly in the head tube length. The Pro bikes look smart, sensible and well balanced. The consumer is sold the dream 'ride the bike Fabian rides', but you can't as it isn't available. The good news is if that the UCI clamps down on bikes being rode in the peloton being available for sale to the general public may force Specialized (and other manufacturers) to actually make it available.

I've always wanted a 'Roubaix/Vlaanderen Style' bike, as I love the cobbles and the extra comfort that could be achieved by good bike design and a bit more tyre room would be welcome. What has put me off is that the commercial version is stacked up at the front like a chopper. I know for many this is the Holy Grail in comfort for some, for me it is a bridge too far (and for the record I'm not super flexible).

Some photos:

As you can see from Fabian's position on the bike it replicates his Tarmac shape, with maybe only a slightly longer headtube. Comfort will come from the frames added length, Zertz and the different lay-up of the carbon.

You can see Hoj aboard the Roubaix SL2 and Cancellara on the proto SL3. Interesting to note that Fabian is happy to run the Zipp 303 wheel whereas Frank is using an Ambriso/DT setup. Both riders are using the much favoured FMB tyres. These look like to be the same ones they used last year in Roubaix.

Although Breschel has been touted by some areas of the Cycling Press as being a contendor, I'd only rate him on a three star chance. His build looks better suited to Flanders than the pounding of Roubaix. But I could be wrong. Maybe Specialized think so as it's only the previous winners of Roubaix on the Team that have recieved the new bike.

So a few final tweeks and the riders where off. Good luck to all riders today.

Roubaix Video Teasers

Compared to last year there seems to be much more in the way of Previews of the Teams on the cobbles this year. Here are a few to get you in the mood for tomorrow. Looks like it may be hot like 2007, but I was secretly hoping that it'd be like 2001. So enjoy. Oh for the record I am going for:

1.Flecha - SKY
2. Cancellara - SAXO Bank
3. Boonen - Quick-Step








2001, what a race. Tough conditions and an inform Domo Team. George is left exposed with no Team mates.



and a little bit from the film that has started a million passions for this race.

Saxo Bank, the Jersey (and a little about the shorts)

I managed to get some pictures of the new Team Jersey, nice isn't it. Although the graphics are familiar I like it, but it is the fabric and cut that lies beneath the sponsors billboard that is really firing me up. Aero has been a buzz word on bikes for a few years and in the last 12-18 months has also been applied to kits. Timetrailing skin suits have had lots of new wind cheating technology thrown at them in recent years with Teams spending time in the windtunnel to gain precious seconds.

Now what used to be a regular road jersey and shorts have had the same process applied to them. There maybe some argument over who created it but I think that Castelli rightly earns that badge. The energy saved by applying science to the clothing benefits the rider by shaving 10 watts (at 40kmph) compared to a traditional jersey. The attention to detail is massive and all angles have been thought about. The shorts look amazing as there are no seams facing into the wind (in a frontal direction) and have been moved out of the way to the back of the garment. This must be an expensive process as the cutting of the panels must be more complicated. Dual fabrics have been used here, a tough (as in as tough as Cordura) but soft fabric has been used for the seating area. The outside edge of the shorts uses a material which mimics the benefits of a golf balls indentations. The pad itself is a completely new item which looks flat to the eye and the top section is. The riders wanted a pad that had no moulding or ridges, but with Sportfuls knowledge they knew that the pad had to be multi density to other the riders the best solution while riding in different positions. I am sure at some point in the Spring of 2011 we will see this filter through to the stand alone collection.

The jerseys employs similar fabrics, although looking the same the hexagon 'golf ball' fabric is around 30% lighter that the similar looking material used on the shorts. Again each point has been looked at to take into account where seams should be placed and how to maximise aerodynamics but at the same time to ensure that comfort has been retained. This comfort comes from the fabrics which on the Aero Jersey has up to 400% stretch in certain panels, so aiding comfort by not being restrictive in the way a rider moves on a bike.

Do Aero jerseys work? The test data backs this up but how does that translate into the real world. This would be a massive benefit in any race but those longer races over 200km as the extra energy could be used in the finish. Thor Husvold has never got over the Poggio in such a good position, and although many willl remember the dramtic finish between Mark and Heinrich, what should also be taken into account is that Thor finished third. What doesn't bear thinking (well at least for the competition) is if Cavendish was actually using an Aero Jersey. But most of all if you think about the power houses on Saxo Bank like Cancellara, Voight etc what damage are those guys going to do with an extra 10 watts for free? The mind boggles, roll on March.

Sportful Saxo Bank Team Kit

I have just had the new Saxo Bank kit explained to me. My impression is just Wow. Since the introduction of the Cervelo Test Team the Aero Jerseys and shorts and the rest of the investment they have made has changed the way they are percieved and what riders now what from their kit.

Seeing the new Saxo kit it the level has been raised again. The fabrics and cut have taken the advantage to a new level. The difference between a regular jersey and an aero jersey is worth about 10 watts at 40kmh. In a sport where every second counts and marginal differences make a huge difference over 8 hours or 3 weeks this is not only an advantage in myth, but in reality.

Will you want some, absolutely cycling clothing is now as technical as the bikes the riders are riding.

When does the racing start again?