Paris-Roubaix – The Hell Of The North on the Mechanics – side

While the cyclists undergo their last-minute preparations for Paris-Roubaix in the warmth of their rooms, the IAM Cycling mechanics must pamper and prepare the beautiful Scott team bicycles to be ready to withstand the brutal beating they will receive racing over the cobbles of northern France.

With 27 passages of cobbles sprinkled throughout the race, the bikes require small but significant adjustments to help keep the IAM Cycling riders competitive.

In the hotel parking lot and under the watchful eye of fans and autograph hunters, Jonathan Fazan, Christian Blanchard and Julien Lienard concentrate on their work for what is often considered the most important race for mechanics to show their strengths.

Christian Blanchard estimates it can take an additional half hour per bike to prepare them to suit the demands of the race while keeping within the rules,

“when we already require 25 to 27 minutes for the normal maintenance of the bike, which includes washing, adjusting, and checking each machine.” 

Julien Lienard explains what are the most important and time consuming changes:

“Though we usually won’t change the rear cassette, we will change the small chain ring in the front.  In a typical race the guys will use the traditional 39-52 front chain ring combo.  Well, for Roubaix we prefer to pair a 44 or even 46 small ring with the 53 large ring.  This allows the cyclists to have a smoother chainline, reducing the drop between rings.  That becomes important when they are powering over the rough cobbles, and are forced by a strong head wind, for instance, to down shift.  This change makes the chain drop less dramatic and keeps the pedaling rhythm much more supple.”

Another important change, according to Julien Lienard is in the tire choice.

“For Roubaix, we run tires as wide as 27mm.  The increase in the diameter of the tires allows for more comfort and absorption of the shock, keeping the riders as free from fatigue as possible.  We will also have the tires inflated substantially lower than is typical for a road race.  Though each rider prefers a particular level, we will inflate the tires to between 4.5 and 5.5 bars, instead of the usual 8 bars for most other races in the season.”  

Christian Blanchard points out that there are other details some riders will request.

“Sometimes we change the seatposts depending on the rider’s preferences.  Certain seatposts can add that extra bit of comfort by being slightly more compliant.  Some riders also ask us to put gel pads underneath the tape that wraps the handlebars.  Interestingly, none of our riders ask us to double layer the handlebars with tape, though that is sometimes a ploy used by competitors of a race like this.”  

IAM Cycling technical supliers