“Expectations are excessive, and we wish to win each editions, women and men,” is the brief, intent-filled reply that Lidl-Trek Technical Manager, Glen Leven, provides when requested in regards to the workforce’s objectives for Paris-Roubaix this 12 months. The workforce has loved a robust Classics marketing campaign to this point, and the assured, attacking driving by leaders Mads Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven has drawn reward and resulted in a win at Gent-Wevelgem, even when girl luck did not smile on them fairly as a lot at Dwars door Vlaanderen.
As Technical Manager, Leven is liable for overseeing the Lidl-Trek workforce of mechanics, all the workforce’s tools, and any prototype components and testing. He additionally has over a decade of expertise as a mechanic on the high degree beneath his belt.
A number of days out from Paris-Roubaix, Leven calmly says, “Now we’re set.” Plans have been made, the preparation has been accomplished, and it feels just like the calm earlier than the storm forward of the ladies’s and males’s races on the weekend. In an unique interview with Cyclingnews, he mentioned workforce logistics, mechanics, and tools decisions at what is usually touted because the hardest race of the season for each rider and bike.
Paris-Roubaix requires much more planning and further logistics, in no small half because of the slim, small roads and varied difficult pavé sectors.
“Anything can occur till you might be on the velodrome,” Leven explains. The workforce calls in favours and makes use of further volunteers who’re often mates of – or near – the workforce to cowl as many factors on the route as doable to offer rider help.
“You want extra employees to cowl all of the sectors with wheels and bottles, which is far more than a standard race.”
Leven explains the workforce then has to organise further autos to ferry the added helpers to varied factors on the course. The automobiles themselves obtain the Roubaix remedy, and the workforce use BMW X1 fashions – as a substitute of their regular 3-Series – as they sit larger from the bottom. They additionally substitute the under-body plastic tray with a metallic one to guard it from scraping and bottom-outs on the cobbles.
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Helpers sadly cannot reap the benefits of the Lidl connection for a free lunch, although, as Leven concedes the workforce nonetheless pays for all of its groceries.
Bikes and tech
Leven accepts the concept that the times of the specialist Roubaix bike are just about over, saying, “90% that is the fact, it is a regular race bike,” earlier than including that the Lidl-Trek males’s workforce use the Trek Madone aero bike solely, whereas the ladies’s workforce use a mixture of the Madone and the extra endurance-focussed Domane.
It feels like at Lidl-Trek, at the very least, the Roubaix strikes of outdated aren’t of concern anymore. There’s not a lot speak of double bar tape or particular tips, simply factory-spec tools that has been examined completely and might address the abuse that the callous cobbles will throw at it.
Leven says the workforce use Loctite on bolts, change bottle cages to sturdier ones, and makes use of a gravel spec inventory Bontrager wheelset, however says using grip tape on elements is “complete old fashioned”. The workforce’s chains may also all be waxed by the Belgian firm Cyclowax.
Equipment testing particular to the Queen of the Classics has been taking place since January with the workforce chief Mads Pedersen. “We did testing with Mads on the finish of January and determined the tyre measurement for the workforce.” It appears Pedersen’s technical opinion issues.
The 2019 World Champion Pedersen, Stuyven and Jonathan Milan are all energy and objective on the bike, as demonstrated by the 56 1X SRAM chainring they are going to use on Sunday. It’s not onerous to see that their tools should have the ability to stand as much as the abuse. “We examined till the restrict and even over the restrict,” Leven says.
No quantity of planning can mitigate the danger of punctures, although, Leven admits. “The cobbles are actually tough and typically in the event you hit them not good, they lower the sidewall. It’s influence or a sidewall lower.
“We examine all the pieces after the race, and also you see some impacts on the edges.”
The workforce use Bontrager wheels, a subsidiary model of their bike provider Trek, and are selecting a gravel wheelset choice for Roubaix, although the mechanics do not tune the wheel’s spoke pressure. They are at present paired with prototype Pirelli tubeless tyres and tyre liners to mitigate in opposition to these impacts for the race.
“We work with Pirelli to resolve the most effective tyre stress based on the rider’s weight, [which is] 3 to 4.6 bar, someplace in between these figures.” Leven says the brand new tyre is a brand new mannequin that’s “even quicker than the present P Zero”.
On the topic of wheels, Leven explains Lidl-Trek are the one workforce to all the time use a thru-axle with a lever on the request of the workforce’s riders. This means they’ll all the time change wheels themselves in a race or at the very least take away one prepared for the arrival of a help automotive, avoiding ready for a mechanic to reach with an allen key or drill.
This is not one thing that each wheel model can provide, and given the ferocity of the terrain at Paris-Roubaix and the following chance of punctures, it isn’t unusual to see bikes with allen keys taped to the seatpost on the beginning line.
Mechanics should really feel the stress at Paris-Roubaix, and the temptation to spend hours checking riders’ bikes should be felt at occasions. Experience and confidence should play a component right here, and Leven’s personal expertise seems to face him in good stead.
“When you see mechanics checking a screw 10,000 occasions, they’re simply not assured in themselves,” he says. “Maybe at Roubaix, you examine it as soon as extra, however as soon as all the pieces is checked, it is checked.”
The workforce stick with torque specs on all the pieces. “The really helpful torque is the torque we’re utilizing, doing over-torque to be protected can create a problem,” Leven says, clearly the itch to overtighten a bolt within the title of additional insurance coverage should stay unscratched.
For many riders, even making it to the end line at Roubaix is the objective. The similar might be mentioned of the mechanic’s expenses. Without excellent bikes, riders will – and do – run into issue.
Leven sums up the dedication that’s certainly a prerequisite on the high degree. “It’s not sufficient to be a mechanic, you want additionally a ardour for biking. And to be a freak, to verify there is a love for element and to verify all the pieces is true and makes it to the end line.”
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