A few weeks back I had the opportunity to have a look around the Team Sky service course in Belgium. This is where all the bikes and equipment that Sky riders use is stored and prepared. It is, unsurprisingly, a substantial operation. With Sky riding high in the Tour de France, here's a rest day special...
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28 riders, five bikes each, that's, er, 140? Yes. Lots. |
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Numbers |
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Lots of wheels, stored on wheeled racks that can be rolled straight onto the truck. These are the "all-rounder" wheels -- Sky use more traditional wheels for the cobbled Classics. |
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Each mechanic has his own tools and toolbox. |
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2013 Dura-Ace, meet Pinarello Dogma. |
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Chainrings aplenty. |
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Not even Sky's mechanics are sure how much tub cement they get through in a year. Lots and lots, though. |
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Sky's truck is the envy of the peloton. Built by the people who do Formula 1 transporters, the truck has slide-out sections both sides and acts as the mobile base for both mechanics and soigneurs. |
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Worra lotta bottles. 25,000 a season, apparently. |
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Cupboard of plenty. |
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Rocket sprockets. |
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Torque is cheap. |
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Team Sky's mission statement thing, as found on the top tube of the team bikes. Probably best not to read it while actually racing. |
Lucky bugger.
ReplyDeleteNot at all envious me....