The Olympics Highway Race really is a race like no different. Not solely are teammates immediately rivals representing their residence nations but in addition the groups fluctuate in measurement relying on every nation’s qualification. Issue within the absence of race radios and the racing takes on a complete new dynamic completely different from some other race on the calendar.
With riders usually 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 question a nightmare for every nation’s workforce of mechanics.
Through the years, now we have seen bike design evolve at a speedy charge and with every Olympic Video games 4 years aside, we regularly see monumental jumps within the bikes and the tech getting used to say gold.
The Beijing Olympics would possibly 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 way 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
Though the Orca identify continues to be going sturdy, if we leap again 16 years the bike that claimed the gold medal in Beijing is a really distant relative of the brand new Orca. Simply how a lot has modified is visually evident simply by evaluating the silhouette of Sanchez’s Orca with the present breed of recent aero race bikes.
Beginning 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’s additionally not a single little bit of electronics (excluding the bike pc) on this bike, with Shimano’s digital Di2 system nonetheless a yr 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 items nonetheless a couple of years away.
London 2012 – Alexander Vinokourov’s Specialised S-Works Tarmac SL4
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In 2012, Alexander Vinokourov was using for Astana who on the time have been sponsored by Specialised. As such Vinokourov took to the streets of London using an all-red S-Works Tarmac SL4 that was actually simple to pick within the bunch.
Vinokourov’s win purchased SRAM a gold medal within the street race with the newly launched Pink 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.
Though DoubleTap does nonetheless exist, the model has largely moved away from it on its street groupsets transitioning to wi-fi digital actuation as a substitute. Three years earlier than the London Video games, Shimano launched its Di2 digital shifting platform, nevertheless, SRAM-sponsored riders must wait till 2015 to get an equal with SRAM eTap.
Again in 2012 SRAM’s Pink mechanical groupset additionally made do with an 11-26 tooth 10-speed cassette, it may not have slowed Vinokourov down on Field Hill however by trendy requirements, this might be thought of very small with riders now utilizing wider ratio cassettes with the biggest 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, nevertheless, by 2016 the entire peloton was largely utilizing battery energy to vary gears.
Transferring 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 as a result of hillier profile of the Rio course but in addition indicated an indication of the instances and issues to come back.
On the Rio Olympics, Van Avermaet determined to make use of Shimano’s Dura-Ace C35 wheels quite than the deeper C50 wheels. With the quantity of climbing over the course of the race this resolution was seemingly made to avoid wasting weight.
Mounted to the C35 rims have been some wide-for-the-time 25mm Continental Competitors Tubular tyres. By 2016 the peloton was waking as much as the thought 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 top end result, having some wider rubber seems to be to have been an excellent name for Van Avermaet. Throughout the race it seemed 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 Specialised 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 is likely to be a key element it nonetheless doesn’t make up for having one of the best legs on the day.
Tokyo 2020 – Richard Carapaz’s Pinarello Dogma F
The final time we discovered ourselves in an Olympic yr was 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic had precipitated a yr’s delay to plain 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 street race.
Forward of the 2021 Tour de France, Pinarello had launched the Dogma F, superseding the F12 that got here earlier than it. Probably the most notable selection from Carapaz was to make use of the rim brake-equipped body quite than the disc frameset that was additionally accessible. The choice behind this was more likely to save weight along with his commerce workforce 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, nevertheless, 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. Quick ahead a couple of years and 11-30 is now the smallest ratio cassette accessible from Shimano’s 12-speed model of its top-tier groupset.
On the entrance of the bike, we discover a one-piece carbon fibre bar and stem for the primary time with absolutely inner cable routing (aside from the entrance brake). Beforehand Van Avermaert’s BMC additionally had inner cable routing nevertheless there have been extra uncovered cables on the entrance of the bike earlier than they entered the body quite than neatly being fed by way of the headset.
In 2021, tubeless tyres have been rising in reputation, and had been used to clinch victory two years prior, however throughout huge swathes of the peloton, tubular tyres reigned supreme. On this case, it was the Light-weight Meilenstein Obermayer wheels fitted with Continental’s Competitors Professional Ltd tyres in a 25mm width.
Which means 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 most definitely be working tubeless tyres.
What’s more likely to win in Paris
With the course comparatively punchy earlier than settling right into a flatter closing circuit in Paris it’s seemingly that we’re going to see aero bikes dominate proceedings. Pre-race favorite Mathieu Van der Poel can be using the newly launched Canyon Aeroad while his rival Wout Van Aert will most definitely be on Cervélo’s S5 aero bike.
Different riders in competition resembling Remco Evenepoel can be on the all-rounder bikes that they use for all street races with these turning into virtually as aero as an outright aero-focused bike in recent times.
We’re additionally more likely to see most riders on 28mm tyres which are arrange tubeless. Wider tyres have been adopted by virtually all skilled riders now and tubeless programs have been confirmed to supply higher rolling resistance than tubular tyres.
It would even be the primary Olympic Highway Race the place the winner is ready to win on a motorcycle outfitted with disc brakes. It’s simple to see simply how far bikes have come since 2008, however with Olympic cycles solely occurring each 4 years, it may well take some time for brand new tech to say gold.
