Flat bars, hybrid drivetrains, vintage parts, and self-inflating tyres: Paris-Roubaix women's tech gallery
Every little hack, and every last mod from the start of the most chaotic race of the year
As I write this I am in the (new) Roubaix velodrome, which is doing a pretty convincing impression of the inside of an oven. The dust, of which there was plenty, has settled following an electric day of racing, which culminated with Pauline Ferand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) going one better than her result at the Tour of Flanders and bagging herself a giant cobblestone for what is already a very full trophy cabinet.
Before the racing got underway though, I spent some time roaming the pits, sniffing out the best mods, hacks, and coolest bikes for what is probably the best race of the year for tech nerds.
The cobbles of northern France are brutal, and as such teams often modify their bikes in some really unusual ways. The big headliners for the day were Visma-Lease a Bike using self inflating tyres (very effectively it must be said), and also Lidl-Trek hacking their 13sp SRAM Red XPLR groupsets to force it to use an older 12sp road cassette for a real franken-drivetrain.
Before I ramble any further, I suggest you get scrolling. It's a big'un, as it always is at Roubaix, so grab a drink, scroll and unwind.
Given the team had some of the favourites for the race, including probably the outright favourite in Lotte Kopecky, it made sense to check in at SD Worx-Protime first. Good thing I did, as the team were using 35c tyres - old versions of the Specialized Mondo - and this was the widest we'd see all day.
Interestingly the team were opting not to use the lighter and slightly more aero Roval Rapide CLX II Team Edition wheels, choosing the standard versions instead. Perhaps they're slightly more durable, but perhaps they're cheaper to replace. Maybe both.
Kopecky stands alone in getting the SRAM Red rainbow cassette.
Separate bars and stems were the order of the day all round, with satellite shifters on the tops for the World Champion.
Standard wheels and large 35c tyres for third-places Lorena Wiebes too.
A Zipp Service Course SL stem and round bars for Blanka Vas.
Marta Lach gets her hoods adjusted just before the start line. I saw the commissaires making teams move their hoods outwards if they were turned in too much, and I suspect this was a mechanic moving them back to the usual (illegal) position for the race.
The team also kept their thru-axle keys in for swift wheel changes if the need arose.
Separate stem and bar for Wiebes too.
Composure. Perseverance. Enjoy :). Not bad words to live by for Imogen Wolff.
Visma-Lease a Bike used a mix of the aero Cervélo S5 and the Soloist endurance bike. Having tested the S5 recently I can attest to the slightly creak-prone cockpit, which has clearly been lathered in grease at the contact points by the mechanics - see the white stuff at the edge of the inserts on the top? Now you've got it.
No stone left unturned on Ferrand-Prévot's bike. The standard rubber bolt covers have been removed and replaced with black electrical tape. Lighter, but more aero primarily.
The whole team was using the Gravaa self-inflating tyre system, something I got to have a go on in the week before the race.
While I chastised the team for not running 34c tyres, the 32c size fitted to the team bikes today had scant room for anything bigger, so I stand well and truly corrected.
Ferrand-Prévot had her tyre adjustment buttons under her shifter hoods so they could be used in the tops or on the drops.
See, not much room to spare is there?
Over at Marianne Vos' bike, she's used clear tape over the charging port cover of her computer just to be safe.
The wide top bar of the Cervélo S5 has a lot of real estate for race notes.
I got a tip off that, just to be extra secure, the Visma mechanics were using tubular glue to glue the tubeless tyres onto the rim for the race. Very much belt and braces, that! You can see the residue collecting dust.
While Ferrand-Prévot didn't use the time trial helmet, her teammates did.
Lotto riders also had their axle keys left in. This was a pretty universal trend for the day all told.
Plenty of metrics going on at the Ceratizit bus. I'm not sure I'd be able to read these over any lumpy bumpy sectors.
A 32c Vittoria Corsa Pro Control tyre barely clears the downtube on the team's Orbea Orca Aero bikes. The Corsa Pro Control is a little more durable than the standard Corsa Pro, and offers. abit more grip, but is a little slower.
The Commissaires were laying down the law at the Lidl-Trek team bus. Oddly they were also checking tyre width, despite there being no maximum tyre width allowed in the rules, unless they were using it as a proxy to catch anyone exceeding the maximum allowable wheel and tyre diameter.
They had a new tool to check the hood angle, which Ellen van Dijk fell foul of, despite the team's protestations that they were legal using the old jig that clamped on the drops. I think the double layer of bar tape hasn't helped in this regard.
While most teams use a paint pen to mark saddle height, Lidl-Trek use branded stickers. Very pro.
Some more round bars, plus a little GoPro so we can all enjoy some in-race footage.
The bottle cages all had little rubber rings on them for better retention.
Not one, but two extra sets of satellite shifters going on here.
Here are the offending hoods, which looking at them do seem a little bit the wrong side of 10º turned in.
Now then, what's all this? That's a 13sp SRAM Red XPLR rear derailleur...
... but this is a 12sp Sram Red road cassette. What's going on?
SRAM has provided the team with modified derailleurs, complete with an extra grub scre to force it to be 12sp compatible. Neat, if a little agricultural.
Fresh Lidl-themed kicks for the staff.
And a flat bar gravel bike for getting round the pits.
You've got to be a bit annoyed if you're Lidl-Trek when you haven't even got the coolest flat bar whip of the day. Enter the amazing VolkerWessels flat bar Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8.
No, it didn't get used in the race - it's super illegal - but it is cool nonetheless.
Apparently the frame was written off on the top tube, but repaired and then built up as a staff bike.
It looks like the remains of a chainring have been used to space out the chainring bolts.
Cheap plastic flat pedals really tie the whole thing together.
Wireless shifters, really juxtaposing the bodged aesthetic of the rest of the build.
Neatly the out-front computer mount had an integrated bell on it from CloseTheGap.
Anyway, back to the actual rider's bikes - Another case of separate bars and stems.
This was the first and only instance I saw all day of anyone using Specialized's new Turbo TLR road tyres. It only goes up to a 30c, which is probably why.
Round bars here, for better grip on the tops.
It must, and it did!
K-Edge kitted out AG Insurance-Soudal with colour matched and Wolfpack branded chain catchers.
I can't lie, this is a very good looking bike.
The chain keeper matches the CeramicSpeed bottom bracket.
Which in turn matches the K-Edge out front computer mount - Also Wolfpack branded.
Integrated tyre sensors? It must be Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto! (or Movistar, but we'll get to that later).
A big 1x chainring for Chloé Dygert, plus a 3D printed chain guide for extra security.
The top secret black tape covering the wheel's notation is starting to fray, given they've been in use since before Flanders.
Dygert's MyCanyon custom paint is really very lovely to behold.
The team bikes are pretty jazzy at the best of times, but this one looks dreamy in the sunshine.
Also, get a load of this... just a casual coffee machine worth a few thousand Euros on a sliding platform out the side of the bus.
Over at the Winspace Orange Seal bus the mechanics diligently secured the Di2 cables to stop them snagging.
Older 11sp Dura-Ace chainrings mated to newer cranks. This is something that's sometimes done for better chain retention, given the 11sp rings are slightly quicker.
A special cobble motif on the frame and forks here.
The team were running 30c tyres, but could have gone wider.
Yeah, I think that's a pretty fair assessment.
This wasn't a stndard team paint job, but it was another one that really caught my eye in the midday sun.
Gravel wheels and 32c Continental tyres for Uno-X.
The new Ridley Noah Fast 3.0 has a whopping head tube.
Another instance of a rider using traditional round drop bars for better grip.
Cofidis nearly took the prize for widest tyres of the day, with 34c Corsa Pro Controls all round.
With some room to spare on their Look bikes too.
I mean, it wouldn't do any harm to take it off, would it?
Velcro in the computer mount reduces the risk of an ejection on the cobbles.
Not an exciting image, but the fact that brake block spacers are laid out ready to be inserted into the empty rear calipers when the riders warm up shows the mechanics are on it.
Human Powered Health clearly allow their riders to use whatever saddle works for their riders. Here's a time trial model on one bike.
While another was fitted with this really old-school Selle SMP model.
Human Powered Health were also the only team to use Vittoria's second-tier Corsa N.EXT tyres, which have a vulcanised carcass rather than cotton.
One rider was also using a vintage set of Speedplay Zero Pavé pedals, which have better mud clearance.
The Liv-AlUla-Jayco riders had all signed their race numbers - Jeanne Korevaar here.
The team also had sandpaper stuck to the inside of their bottle cages for better retention.
At the St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 bus (one of my favourites, as they are sponsored by delicious biscuits) one rider had a hair tie on her seat post. I've no idea why, maybe it was sentimental?
The team was also using second tier, more rugged Michelin tyres in a 30c width.
Still plenty of room around the 32c Corsa Pro Control tyres on the bikes of EF Education-Oatly.
Bars wrapped all the way to the stem for better grip.
Pink valves very much match the team vibe.
Through hell for glory? Yep, sounds about right!
At the Coop-Repsol bus this allen key taped to the saddle rail caught my eye initially...
... but it led me to this, a rider using SRAM Force cranks with old 11sp Shimano Dura-Ace chainrings. Odd.
Not much room around the 32c Continental tyres at the UAE Team ADQ bus.
Elynor Bäckstedt was running a distinctly non-standard chainset too, with a larger difference than usual between the chainrings.
While most of the team were on Fizik saddles, one rider was on an Ergon model.
32c Continental tyres for FDJ-SUEZ too, but this time in tanwall.
The french team did opt to use the pro wheelsets, with the shiny hubs.
Instead of leaving the axle key in the axles, the team used Velcro strips to attach them to the seatposts.
Not as flash as the red Wolfpack ones, but the team also had custom K-Edge computer mounts.
Axle keys in at Fenix-Deceuninck.
Nothing crazy here, but that Canyon paint really pops in the sun.
32c Pirelli P-Zero Race TLR RS tyres all round here.
Over at Movistar the team were also using the Zipp wheels with the integrated tyre sensors.
And 32c tyres, which was the most common size of the day.
Some of the DD Group team had some really cool looking aero chainrings going on.
While their BMC bikes have very wide set forks, there actually isn't huge tyre clearance.
Anyone unfortunate enough to need neutral service was limited to 30c tyres.
Neatly the neutral service bikes come with dropper posts so they can fit riders of differing heights.
That's all for today folks. Time for me to get some dinner, get some rest, and so this all again tomorrow.
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Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines, from the standard mix of road, gravel, and mountain bike, to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross. He’s made his own bike frames, covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet, and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye. Also, given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear. His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord, with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines.