2011 champion chases second cobblestone trophy on modified Cervélo
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Johan Vansummeren (Garmin-Sharp) is hoping a second Paris-Roubaix victory will come aboard this Cervélo R3 Mud.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This Shimano Dura-Ace pedal is showing some battle scars - which Johan Vansummeren's (Garmin-Sharp) body probably have to match.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rotor's chain catcher provides some extra insurance against chain drops.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Arundel stainless steel bottles are used to firmly grip the Camelbak Podium bottles.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Chain stays start out big and tall near the bottom bracket before tapering down dramatically at their midsections.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Cervélo arguably pioneered the 'big chain stay, small seat stay' concept and it's been further refined since then.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Johan Vansummeren's (Garmin-Sharp) 3T Rotundo Team carbon bars are wrapped with just a single layer of fi'zi:k tape.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 rear derailleur and 11-23T cassette are matched to a Shimano Ultegra chain.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Between the solid 'Aero' spider and solid 'Aero' Q-Rings, Johan Vansummeren's (Garmin-Sharp) 180mm-long Rotor 3D+ crankset is looking mighty... solid.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Garmin-Sharp will tackle Paris-Roubaix on Mavic's M40 carbon tubular wheels - which still haven't been released to the public despite having been raced for several seasons.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The Shimano Dura-Ace brake calipers are supplemented with Mavic carbon-specific pads (made by SwissStop) and Gore Ride-On sealed cables and housing. The longer 'SL' fork lends more room for the 27mm-wide FMB Paris-Roubaix tubulars, too - note the position of the brake pads in the slots.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Cervélo's R3 head tube isn't as long as many companies' so-called 'endurance' chassis but it isn't terribly short, either. Here, Johan Vansummeren (Garmin-Sharp) uses an undersized 58cm frame but still needs a 150mm x -17° stem to get the bars where he wants them.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The seat tube, down tube, and chain stays all make good use of the extra real estate provided by Cervélo's unique BBright bottom bracket width.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Even several years on, few companies have dared to make their seat stays as small as they are on Johan Vansummeren's (Garmin-Sharp) Cervélo R3 Mud.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The top morphs from nominally round to Cervélo's so-called 'Squoval' shape up front.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Some might consider the shaping on Johan Vansummeren's (Garmin-Sharp) Cervélo R3 Mud front end to be boring but the engineering principles behind it have proven themselves to be extremely sound at Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Fi'zi:k builds this Antares saddle with k:ium rails and a carbon fiber shell.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Cervélo has applied its long-running – and highly successful – Paris-Roubaix formula to the latest R3, which now has an official name: the R3 Mud. Longer stays lend more tire clearance out back while the standard fork is swapped for one with longer legs for the same effect. Extra fork rake evens out the altered rear center to maintain the same fore-aft weight balance, too, plus the longer wheelbase that results from all the changes lends extra stability overall as well.
Given Vansummeren's success on the bike, then, it's rather surprising that he's downsized from a 61cm frame to a 58cm, which has gained him 25 additional millimeters of drop but also cost him 9mm of reach. Never fear, though, as 3T has supplied the lanky Vansummeren with a colossal 150mm-long ARX Team stem with an aggressive -17° angle. Add in the 865mm saddle height and what you get is an enormous 178mm of handlebar drop.
Garmin-Sharp has stuck with its proven Mavic M40 wide-profile carbon tubular wheels and 27mm-wide FMB Paris-Roubaix tires this year along with 3T cockpit components, another fi'zi:k Antares saddle, and – of course – a new Garmin Edge 510 computer to record Vansummeren's data along the way.
Also carrying over are a pair of Arundel stainless steel cages and Gore Ride-On sealed cables and housing throughout.
The team has since switched from SRAM to Shimano, though, and Vansummeren will use the company's previous-generation Dura-Ace 7900 mechanical group (the new 9000 version is still not only in short supply but also requires a longer freehub body so it'll take a while for the wheel fleet to refresh). Several Shimano-sponsored teams and riders – including two-time winner Fabian Cancellara (Radioshack-Leopard-Trek) – have suggested that the system's longer throws are actually an advantage since Di2's buttons can sometimes be too sensitive on the pavé.
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Vansummeren has also switched to a more conventional two-bolt 3T Dorico seatpost in place of the secure – but somewhat convoluted – 3T Palladio, moved to a carbon fiber 3T Rotundo bar instead of the alloy version he used in 2011, and has gone with a beefier Rotor 3D+ crank setup that includes the company's solid 'Aero' outer elliptical Q-Ring chainring plus the matching 'Aero' solid spider.
Total weight without the computer or bottles is 7.62kg (16.8lb).
The chain stays are massive behind the bottom bracket. And note the Gore Ride-On cable liner
Complete bike specifications
Frame: Cervélo R3 Mud, 58cm Fork: Cervélo SL Headset: FSA Orbit IS-2 integrated, 1 1/8-to-1 3/8" tapered Stem: 3T ARX Team, 150mm x -17° Handlebars: 3T Rotundo Team, 44cm Tape/grips: fi'zi:k bar:tape, single wrapped Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace BR-7900 w/ SwissStop Yellow King pads for Mavic Rear brake: Shimano Dura-Ace BR-7900 w/ SwissStop Yellow King pads for Mavic Brake levers: Shimano Dura-Ace STI Dual Control ST-7900 Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace FD-7900 Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace RD-7900 Shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace STI Dual Control ST-7900 Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace CS-7900, 11-23T Chain: Shimano Ultegra CN-6701 Crankset: Rotor 3D+, 180mm, w/ Aero spider and 53/44T Aero Q-Rings Bottom bracket: Cervélo BBright Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SL PD-7900 Wheelset: Mavic M40 tubular Front tire: FMB Paris-Roubaix tubular, 27mm Rear tire: FMB Paris-Roubaix tubular, 27mm Saddle: fi'zi:k Antares w/ k:ium rails and carbon fiber shell Seat post: 3T Dorico Team Bottle cages: Arundel Stainless (2) Computer: Garmin Edge 510 Other accessories: Gore Ride-On sealed cables and housing, Rotor chain catcher
Critical measurements
Rider's height: 1.97m (6' 5") Rider's weight: 76kg (167lb) Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 865mm Saddle setback: 105mm Seat tube length, c-t: 580mm Seat tube length, c-c: 535mm Tip of saddle nose to C of bars (next to stem): 665mm Saddle-to-bar drop (vertical): 178mm Head tube length: 199mm Top tube length: 581mm (horizontal) Total bicycle weight: 7.62kg (16.80lb) w/o computer or bottles
