Paris Roubaix picks



strummer_fan said:
I know that Hincapie had a flat, and lots of people will say... "Well, if he didn't have a flat...he could have..."

And I say...

Wasn't Hincapie running Carbon Semi-Aero wheels with 25mm Tubulars?

Boonen and Ballan were both using traditional, high-spoke count alloy-box rims with 27mm paris roubaix special tubulars (FMB and Vittoria Pave respectively).

I just think that the race preparation is a huge part of winning here, and the rim and tire choice could have added to Hincapie's troubles.

thoughts?

Good points.

As others have said, the leading three riders (Boonen, Ballan, Cancellara) all had the traditional aluminium wheels.
If Hincapie used carbon - this seems crazy.

Preparation for a race like PR is half the battle - Cancellara 2 years ago went out with the CSC squad and rode the course (Cycle Sport did an excellent piece on it).
He knew every single nook and cranny of the route.

For any rider who has serious ambitions to win PR - they need to have the right bikeset up and the need to know the course.........and they need luck.
 
limerickman said:
Good points.

As others have said, the leading three riders (Boonen, Ballan, Cancellara) all had the traditional aluminium wheels.
If Hincapie used carbon - this seems crazy.

Preparation for a race like PR is half the battle - Cancellara 2 years ago went out with the CSC squad and rode the course (Cycle Sport did an excellent piece on it).
He knew every single nook and cranny of the route.

For any rider who has serious ambitions to win PR - they need to have the right bikeset up and the need to know the course.........and they need luck.
In order to win at Flanders and Roubaix, it is not enough to have strong physical conditioning.

You need:
  • A strong team
  • Excellent Tactics (see Devolder and O'Grady working for Boonen and Cancellara)
  • Ability to read a race
  • Excellent Form
  • The right equipment (and a bit of luck)
I know that Quick-Step have been fond of using Ambrosio Rims, even when they have badged them as Roval (for their sponsors sake.)

I had thought that CSC were still running some sort of rims by Zipp, but a close look at CSC's own image gallery also shows Ambrosio rims to be in evidence during the team's Recon Ride on the Cobbles (see the logo printed across the first rider's rim).

see: http://www.riis-cycling.com/gallery/gal_3920.jpg

As far as tires go, Boonen won on hand-made FMB Paris Roubaix tires. A bit pricey for my weekend club rides at more than 120 Euros each:

scroll down to see the tires in question:

http://www.fm-boyaux.fr/route.htm

Ballan rode Vittoria Pave Tubulars, Cancellara's look similar, but I can't quite make out what they are.

Suffice to say, I think there is a lesson here on equipment preparation. Teams have the ability to influence their own chances, based on how they face the challenges of the Pave.
 
earth_dweller said:
Flecha & Pozzatto had been chasing for quite awhile before Hincapie's wheel problems. I would say that yes once Hincapie was fixing his wheel, and trying to bridge back - seemingly without team mates - that the field accelera ted.

From what I could see (yes I watched it), High Road was at front, hammering when it happened. As soon as the High Road boys found, they disappeared from the font, and CSC went at it, accelerating to lose Hincapie and others.
That's not what happened. High Road was driving it, CSC's Lungkvist (sp?) attacked on the pave which was covered by High Road including Hincapie, who was right near the front. This split the bunch somewhat, then you had more accelerations on the smooth roads, this is when Langeveld crashed going with an attack by Vansummeran, and then shots of Hincapie going slowing behind with some dropped riders. I assume he broke his wheel on the pave section they had just covered.

Hincapie got a wheel and was back in the cars, then the bunch hit the next section of pave and Vansummeran attacked again, Devolder, Boonen & Cacellara went after him and a few more crossed. This resulted in the 8 riders who contested the finale, no one else ever got across. There was never a team riding on the front keeping Hincapie off the back, he was simply unfortunate, when he got back to the bunch the 8 escapees were already away.
 
Wayne666 said:
That's not what happened. High Road was driving it, CSC's Lungkvist (sp?) attacked on the pave which was covered by High Road including Hincapie, who was right near the front. This split the bunch somewhat, then you had more accelerations on the smooth roads, this is when Langeveld crashed going with an attack by Vansummeran, and then shots of Hincapie going slowing behind with some dropped riders. I assume he broke his wheel on the pave section they had just covered.

Hincapie got a wheel and was back in the cars, then the bunch hit the next section of pave and Vansummeran attacked again, Devolder, Boonen & Cacellara went after him and a few more crossed. This resulted in the 8 riders who contested the finale, no one else ever got across. There was never a team riding on the front keeping Hincapie off the back, he was simply unfortunate, when he got back to the bunch the 8 escapees were already away.
Yep, that is what happened, and it was **** luck. Regardless, he would most likely have gone with the Devolder attack and been sucked back up by Hoste et al. At any rate, with the legs the top 3 showed, it is VERY doubtful he would have been able to drop them. I don't care who arrived at the velodrome with Boonen yesterday, they were sprinting for 2nd. He was too strong, and there wasn't anyone else in the race capable of dropping he or Cancellara. It ended how it would have ended in any "what if" IMO.
 
thoughtforfood said:
Yep, that is what happened, and it was **** luck. Regardless, he would most likely have gone with the Devolder attack and been sucked back up by Hoste et al. At any rate, with the legs the top 3 showed, it is VERY doubtful he would have been able to drop them. I don't care who arrived at the velodrome with Boonen yesterday, they were sprinting for 2nd. He was too strong, and there wasn't anyone else in the race capable of dropping he or Cancellara. It ended how it would have ended in any "what if" IMO.
But what if Boonen, Cancellara's, and Ballan's wheels had broke instead. THEN... it would have been close... :rolleyes::D .

But I get your point and agree with it.
 
whiteboytrash said:
Ballan using a Garmin;

I noticed Alessandro Ballan was using a Garmin with GPS. Why would he use this...? surely he knew where he was going ? They are quite bulky so not he'd be using it for the speed and heart rate functions.... can someone enlighten ?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2008/apr08/roubaix08/index.php?id=/photos/2008/apr08/roubaix08/bettiniphoto_0026128_1_full
New sponsor with the new Garmin being launched in Italy in a big way?

To know exactly the distance between pave sections without having to tape a bit of paper to his top tube?]

He is a bit dorky, thought...
 
TheDarkLord said:
So Boonen, Cancellara and Ballan podium. I was a bit surprised that Cancellara and Ballan didn't even stand up on their bikes when Boonen attacked in the end. Maybe they were too spent...

While watching the race in the last 50kms - I reckoned that Canc would have tried to break away from Boonen, knowing that if it came to the sprint Boonen had a better chance.
Canc's attempts to breakaway looked like the efforts of a tired rider (I thought).

Still it was an intriguing race - O'Grady did a superb job for Canc, I thought.
 
limerickman said:
While watching the race in the last 50kms - I reckoned that Canc would have tried to break away from Boonen, knowing that if it came to the sprint Boonen had a better chance.
Canc's attempts to breakaway looked like the efforts of a tired rider (I thought).

Still it was an intriguing race - O'Grady did a superb job for Canc, I thought.
Yeah. He gave it that one go and let up pretty quick when Boonen followed. If he had anything left he would have kept going until he broke Boonen. Brian Smith was speculating that he was savig it for the sprint. No way. If he had anything in the tank he would have wanted to go way before the velodrome.

Glad to see that CSC didn't ask him to do a bike change after the Carrefour D'Alabra so that they could get pictures of Zipp wheels on his bike.
 
Hincapie was asked by Velonews before the race how he and his team prepared technically for Roubaix. Big George said that he spent countless hours choosing his sunglasses & the lenses that would go in them. When prompted on his choice wheels for the race Hicapie looked confused & showed the reporter that his sunglasses had flexable arms so even when he crashed they stayed on his head. Genius.
 
whiteboytrash said:
Hincapie was asked by Velonews before the race how he and his team prepared technically for Roubaix. Big George said that he spent countless hours choosing his sunglasses & the lenses that would go in them. When prompted on his choice wheels for the race Hicapie looked confused & showed the reporter that his sunglasses had flexable arms so even when he crashed they stayed on his head. Genius.
Now that's funny.
 
whiteboytrash said:
Hincapie was asked by Velonews before the race how he and his team prepared technically for Roubaix. Big George said that he spent countless hours choosing his sunglasses & the lenses that would go in them. When prompted on his choice wheels for the race Hicapie looked confused & showed the reporter that his sunglasses had flexable arms so even when he crashed they stayed on his head. Genius.
Yeah, really it's a suprise he didn't turn up to the race with a full TT bike with disk wheels :D.

Apparently though his wheel didn't fail, it was just a puncture (according to cyclingnews). Still, his choice of wheel and tire wasn't exactly, smart. Surely his mechanic should have said something? Or maybe they expect him to know better by now.
 
Eldrack said:
Yeah, really it's a suprise he didn't turn up to the race with a full TT bike with disk wheels :D.

Apparently though his wheel didn't fail, it was just a puncture (according to cyclingnews). Still, his choice of wheel and tire wasn't exactly, smart. Surely his mechanic should have said something? Or maybe they expect him to know better by now.

Agreed on all fronts even the bit about the double disc wheels !

See below. If a third rate hack like Nuyens can get his wheel choice correct then you'd expect a guy gunning for the podium to get it right.... Hincapie lost the race before it even started.
_______

While some teams will attack the cobbles with deeper carbon wheels, Cofidis is sticking with the traditional 32-spoke aluminum Campagnolo classic tubular wheels. The metal hoops provide added strength and race-tested reliability at Roubaix. The bumpy, unforgiving course has been known to bend and shatter rims as often as it punctures tires. A pair of chunky 24mm Vittoria Pavé tubulars finish off Nuyens’ wheelset.

http://www.velonews.com/article/74523/roubaix-tech-nick-nuyens--special-time-vxs
 
Eldrack said:
Still, his choice of wheel and tire wasn't exactly, smart. Surely his mechanic should have said something? Or maybe they expect him to know better by now.
Hey, how does it (equipment choice) function in pro cycling?
If I was a pro, I would ask for a mechanic's advice (especially for a race like P-R), then, I'd tell him about my feeling on a bike with suggested equipment and, at the end, we'd make best possible choice, considering race conditions and my feeling. It's irrational to leave so important decission to a rider.
 
whiteboytrash said:
Agreed on all fronts even the bit about the double disc wheels !

See below. If a third rate hack like Nuyens can get his wheel choice correct then you'd expect a guy gunning for the podium to get it right.... Hincapie lost the race before it even started.
_______

While some teams will attack the cobbles with deeper carbon wheels, Cofidis is sticking with the traditional 32-spoke aluminum Campagnolo classic tubular wheels. The metal hoops provide added strength and race-tested reliability at Roubaix. The bumpy, unforgiving course has been known to bend and shatter rims as often as it punctures tires. A pair of chunky 24mm Vittoria Pavé tubulars finish off Nuyens’ wheelset.

http://www.velonews.com/article/74523/roubaix-tech-nick-nuyens--special-time-vxs
Did Hincape reject your advances or something? You definately have a hard-on for him.
 
Andrija said:
Hey, how does it (equipment choice) function in pro cycling?
If I was a pro, I would ask for a mechanic's advice (especially for a race like P-R), then, I'd tell him about my feeling on a bike with suggested equipment and, at the end, we'd make best possible choice, considering race conditions and my feeling. It's irrational to leave so important decission to a rider.
Andrija, what you say sounds perfect to me for a neopro or second year rider. But someone who has ridden that particular race a number of times beforehand? Is it possible he has been oblivious to the experience he must have accumulated in equipment selection.

And in any event, the great majority of the riders opt for the same thing in the PR - a solid set of handbuilts with very sturdy rims and heavy duty and wide tires. No secrets there I suspect...
 
Powerful Pete said:
Andrija, what you say sounds perfect to me for a neopro or second year rider. But someone who has ridden that particular race a number of times beforehand? Is it possible he has been oblivious to the experience he must have accumulated in equipment selection.

And in any event, the great majority of the riders opt for the same thing in the PR - a solid set of handbuilts with very sturdy rims and heavy duty and wide tires. No secrets there I suspect...
You're right.
I'm just commenting Hincapie's case. It's obvious guy doesn't know to choose proper equipment.
And, off course, with years of racing experience rider needs less advices from mechanics, that's natural.
Also, I presume that, after several years of racing, equipment choice becomes standard for different races... No need for special preparations, riders and mechanics already know what equipment will be used.
 
Didn't he get a flat? Carbon fibre technology and material properties are changing year to year. Who are we to second guess the team's and George's choice of wheel? I'm sure they had reason's for their selection. It could have just been a commercial "who's our wheel sponsor?" choice even. And it wasn't the rim that failed AFAIK. The Team HR mechanics are probably reading our posts and laughing at our naivette and gall to pass judgment with limited knowledge.
 
Crankyfeet said:
Didn't he get a flat? Carbon fibre technology and material properties are changing year to year. Who are we to second guess the team's and George's choice of wheel? I'm sure they had reason's for their selection. It could have just been a commercial "who's our wheel sponsor?" choice even. And it wasn't the rim that failed AFAIK. The Team HR mechanics are probably reading our posts and laughing at our naivette and gall to pass judgment with limited knowledge.
Hincapie himself described it as a 'mechanical '. That is not a flat, or he would have said 'flat'. Maybe he lost or broke a chain, maybe his wheels broke, maybe his shifters fell off ... except that it was his rear wheel that was replaced.

As for High Road laughing, I don't think so. The carbon wheels are copping grief on internet forums all over, their sponsors would be putting pressure on them to correct the misinformed rubbish, if it were that. The silence, the absence of such correction, suggests they're not in a position to do that.

Having said that, how many 'traditional' wheels failed? Any idea? I wonder if the proportions were any different from the carbon wheels. I suspect that if 32 or 36-spoke aluminium wheels broke, people would say, 'Too bad, you did all you could', and pay it no mind, whereas we jump on the carbon deep-dish people...

Aw, hell, that's fun anyway. I am a enough of a troglodyte that I ride a steel bike, so I don't need a good reason.
 
Drongo said:
Hincapie himself described it as a 'mechanical '. That is not a flat, or he would have said 'flat'. Maybe he lost or broke a chain, maybe his wheels broke, maybe his shifters fell off ... except that it was his rear wheel that was replaced.

As for High Road laughing, I don't think so. The carbon wheels are copping grief on internet forums all over, their sponsors would be putting pressure on them to correct the misinformed rubbish, if it were that. The silence, the absence of such correction, suggests they're not in a position to do that.

Having said that, how many 'traditional' wheels failed? Any idea? I wonder if the proportions were any different from the carbon wheels. I suspect that if 32 or 36-spoke aluminium wheels broke, people would say, 'Too bad, you did all you could', and pay it no mind, whereas we jump on the carbon deep-dish people...

Aw, hell, that's fun anyway. I am a enough of a troglodyte that I ride a steel bike, so I don't need a good reason.
I was curious enough to write to Hed, the maker of the Hed Stinger carbon rim that Hincapie was riding on Sunday. I asked them to comment on the "High Profile High Road Rim Failure." Andy from Hed wrote back to say that George suffered a puncture on his rear wheel (Hed Stinger) and swapped it out for another wheel. (Non Stinger, but I don't know type or brand of wheel.) That wheel then suffered a broken spoke and George had to change again.

The flat and mechanical back to back would explain why he couldn't catch back on. Hed also pointed out that Bernhard Eisel completed the whole Paris Roubaix on the Hed Stingers w/ no issues.

So, while I still personally disagree with the choice of those rims for Paris-Roubaix, perhaps there is more to the Hincapie story. I wonder what was the wheel choice for Hincapie's teammate, Servais Knaven. He spent many years riding for Patrick Lefevre's teams and he won Paris-Roubaix in 2001, riding a Merckx Team SC with some solidly built wheels.