The Olympics Road Race really is a race like no different. Not solely are teammates all of a sudden rivals representing their dwelling nations but in addition the groups range in dimension relying on every nation’s qualification. Factor within the absence of race radios and the racing takes on a complete new dynamic completely different from every other race on the calendar.
With riders sometimes sticking to the bikes they know and using the bike of their commerce groups, it additionally signifies that teammates are sometimes all using completely different bikes, little doubt a nightmare for every nation’s staff of mechanics.
Over the years, now we have seen bike design evolve at a speedy price and with every Olympic Games 4 years aside, we regularly see monumental jumps within the bikes and the tech getting used to assert gold.
The Beijing Olympics may solely really feel like yesterday, however at 16 years eliminated, the distinction in bike tech between then and now could be stark. With that in thoughts, we have taken a quick journey by means of historical past, beginning in 2008, stopping off at London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021 en path to some predictions forward of Paris this weekend.
Beijing 2008 – Samuel Sanchez’s Orbea Orca
Although the Orca title continues to be going robust, if we bounce again 16 years the bike that claimed the gold medal in Beijing is a really distant relative of the brand new Orca. Just how a lot has modified is visually evident simply by evaluating the silhouette of Sanchez’s Orca with the present breed of contemporary aero race bikes.
Starting off with the body, there’s not a single internally routed cable on the bike. The uncovered cables run alongside each the highest tube and down tube. There can also be not a single little bit of electronics (excluding the bike pc) on this bike, with Shimano’s digital Di2 system nonetheless a 12 months away from being launched.
The wheels are additionally extremely shallow Dura-Ace tubular fashions that in any trendy race would get replaced with a deeper set of 40 or 50mm rims to extend aerodynamic effectivity.
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Mounted to one of many spokes on the entrance wheel can also be a small magnet for a pace sensor and Sanchez was utilizing a standard biking pc with the widespread adoption of GPS-enabled head models nonetheless a couple of years away.
London 2012 – Alexander Vinokourov’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL4
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In 2012, Alexander Vinokourov was using for Astana who on the time have been sponsored by Specialized. As such Vinokourov took to the streets of London using an all-red S-Works Tarmac SL4 that was actually straightforward to select within the bunch.
Vinokourov’s win purchased SRAM a gold medal within the highway race with the newly launched Red groupset, which used the model’s DoubleTap know-how for shifting. This used a single shifter paddle to vary each up and down the gears relying on how far you pushed the paddle.
Although DoubleTap does nonetheless exist, the model has largely moved away from it on its highway groupsets transitioning to wi-fi digital actuation as an alternative. Three years earlier than the London Games, Shimano launched its Di2 digital shifting platform, nonetheless, SRAM-sponsored riders must wait till 2015 to get an equal with SRAM eTap.
Back in 2012 SRAM’s Red mechanical groupset additionally made do with an 11-26 tooth 10-speed cassette, it may not have slowed Vinokourov down on Box Hill however by trendy requirements, this might be thought-about very small with riders now utilizing wider ratio cassettes with the most important sprockets starting from 30-36 tooth.
The Corima wheels fitted to the bike are additionally a step ahead from the Dura-Ace wheels utilized by Sanchez 4 years prior. Corima’s Carbon Viva S entrance wheel was paired with a Carbon Aero+ MCC rear wheel. These deep-section tubular carbon rims supplied an aerodynamic benefit over shallower wheels with the wheels additionally sporting a novel 12-spoke design.
Rio 2016 – Greg Van Avermaert’s BMC TeamMachine SLR01
2016 was the primary Olympic video games the place an digital groupset had been used to clinch the gold medal. There had been loads of riders utilizing Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2 groupset in London, nonetheless, by 2016 the entire peloton was largely utilizing battery energy to vary gears.
Moving on from Vinkourov’s successful bike, 2016 noticed 11-speed reign supreme with Van Avermaert utilizing an 11-28 tooth cassette paired to a 53/39 chainset. The transfer to a wider ratio cassette was partly because of the hillier profile of the Rio course but in addition indicated an indication of the instances and issues to return.
At the Rio Olympics, Van Avermaet determined to make use of Shimano’s Dura-Ace C35 wheels relatively than the deeper C50 wheels. With the quantity of climbing over the course of the race this resolution was probably made to avoid wasting weight.
Mounted to the C35 rims have been some wide-for-the-time 25mm Continental Competition Tubular tyres. By 2016 the peloton was waking as much as the concept of wider tyres being higher, however tubeless was nonetheless three years from its first foray into the peloton. With the technical descents on the course in the end affecting the tip outcome, having some wider rubber seems to have been a very good name for Van Avermaet. During the race it appeared as if Vincenzo Nibali was going to take the win, however a crash within the closing kilometres put an finish to his bid for glory.
In an period the place Specialized has already launched the Venge Vias and Trek had launched the gen 5 Madone, it was fascinating to see the comparatively ‘un-aero optimised’ BMC TeamMachine making the highest step of the rostrum. This goes some option to show that though aero could be a key element it nonetheless doesn’t make up for having the most effective legs on the day.
Tokyo 2020 – Richard Carapaz’s Pinarello Dogma F
The final time we discovered ourselves in an Olympic 12 months was 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic had brought on a 12 months’s delay to straightforward Olympic cycle. On the hilly course round Tokyo, it was in the end Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz who jumped away from his rivals taking the nation’s first gold medal within the highway race.
Ahead of the 2021 Tour de France, Pinarello had launched the Dogma F, superseding the F12 that got here earlier than it. The most notable selection from Carapaz was to make use of the rim brake-equipped body relatively than the disc frameset that was additionally out there. The resolution behind this was more likely to save weight together with his commerce staff on the time, and Ineos Grenadiers have been one of many final groups to make the change to disc brakes.
The Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 Di2 groupset utilized by Carapaz was nonetheless an 11-speed model, nonetheless, when the groupset was launched it was the primary time that the model had launched a Dura-Ace stage cassette with an 11-30 tooth vary. Fast ahead a couple of years and 11-30 is now the smallest ratio cassette out there from Shimano’s 12-speed model of its top-tier groupset.
At the entrance of the bike, we discover a one-piece carbon fibre bar and stem for the primary time with totally inner cable routing (apart from the entrance brake). Previously Van Avermaert’s BMC additionally had inner cable routing nonetheless there have been extra uncovered cables on the entrance of the bike earlier than they entered the body relatively than neatly being fed by means of the headset.
In 2021, tubeless tyres have been rising in recognition, and had been used to clinch victory two years prior, however throughout huge swathes of the peloton, tubular tyres reigned supreme. In this case, it was the Lightweight Meilenstein Obermayer wheels fitted with Continental’s Competition Pro Ltd tyres in a 25mm width.
This signifies that in 2024, given the ubiquity of disc brakes, we’re going to see the primary disc brake bike to take the highest step, and it’ll almost definitely be working tubeless tyres.
What is more likely to win in Paris
With the course comparatively punchy earlier than settling right into a flatter last circuit in Paris it’s probably that we’re going to see aero bikes dominate proceedings. Pre-race favorite Mathieu Van der Poel shall be using the newly launched Canyon Aeroad while his rival Wout Van Aert will almost definitely be on Cervélo’s S5 aero bike.
Other riders in rivalry resembling Remco Evenepoel shall be on the all-rounder bikes that they use for all highway races with these changing into nearly as aero as an outright aero-focused bike lately.
We are additionally more likely to see most riders on 28mm tyres which are arrange tubeless. Wider tyres have been adopted by nearly all skilled riders now and tubeless programs have been confirmed to supply higher rolling resistance than tubular tyres.
It may even be the primary Olympic Road Race the place the winner is ready to win on a motorcycle outfitted with disc brakes. It is simple to see simply how far bikes have come since 2008, however with Olympic cycles solely occurring each 4 years, it might probably take some time for brand spanking new tech to assert gold.