What’s the very best bike for the Olympic gold medal highway race?

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Are you able to imagine it? The 2024 Paris Olympics are right here, which suggests the Olympic Highway Race is right here.

Each the boys’s highway race and the ladies’s highway race begin and finish in Paris.

Outdoors of Tadej Pogačar opting out of the Olympics, the oldsters you’ll see racing within the Olympics are the usual record of riders you’ll discover on the professional ranges. In North America, Brandon McNulty (Phoenix; UAE Staff Emirates), Matteo Jorgenson (Boise, Idaho; Staff Visma -Lease a Bike), and Kristen Faulkner (Homer, Alaska; EF-Oatly-Cannondale). Nevertheless, the boys’s workforce is noticeably one rider underneath the utmost of 4 riders per nation.

That received us daydreaming a bit.

What if we had been referred to as into the Olympic highway race? And whereas most of those riders might be aboard their workforce bikes, what about if we might select our personal bike? We’re positively getting dropped within the first 30 seconds of the race, however maybe the suitable setup might forestall that, if just for a second.

Right here’s how we’d arrange our bikes for the 2024 Paris Olympics, fueled by delusion, grandeur, and hope that the suitable equipment selections would give us each likelihood we are able to.

Let’s speak in regards to the programs

Two programs are getting used for the Paris Olympics highway race: one 237 km (147.3 miles) course with 2,800 m (9186.4 ft) climbing for the boys’s race, and a 158 km (98.2 miles) with 1700 m (5577.4 ft) of climbing for the ladies’s race. The 2 programs are pretty comparable in profile, however the ladies’s route primarily removes one of many loops within the course.

What are these programs like? They’re designed to stage the enjoying area: not flat, however not an enormous climbing day, both. Name the course punchy, with just a few climbs that go previous 1.5 km in size. Each males’s and ladies’s highway races begin by passing the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, and Les Invalides. After about 5 km, the racing begins.

Riders should climb 13 totally different climbs alongside the boys’s course, with the ultimate 50 km (31 miles) that includes three loops of the Butte Montemarte, some cobblestone, and the end line at Trocadéro. Riders within the ladies’s highway race could have 9 totally different climbs, with a forty five km end just like the boys’s course. Each races have a flat end on the finish.

Each males’s and ladies’s highway races will function a 90-rider peloton every. Every nation could have a most of 4 riders accessible, although some may need only one rider. In consequence, rider ways must be totally different too. Groups could have a way more troublesome time controlling the tempo because of being in smaller teams in addition to a scarcity of radios.

Opportunistic riders can get away from the sprinters, however no person else desires to overlook the successful transfer. It’s not in contrast to what you’d see from a World Championship highway race all issues thought-about.

What forms of bikes are allowed within the Olympic highway race?

All sports activities within the Olympics should comply with the principles set by the governing our bodies of these sports activities. Subsequently all bike racing within the Olympics follows the UCI guidelines. All observe and area occasions comply with the principles of World Athletics and so forth.

In brief, all the highway bikes you’ve seen within the Tour de France this 12 months will doubtless be within the Olympics this 12 months.

So, how would we arrange our bikes would we select to race within the Olympic highway race?

Alvin’s bike

In my eyes, the bike you need should you’re making an attempt to win the Paris Olympics must have some kind of aero chops. It’s doubtless that you simply’re going to should comply with each assault to the most effective of your capacity, so one thing that feels mild on its ft however is fairly aero is the ticket.

On the similar time, although, that little bit of cobblestone worries me a bit. I do know I’ll have some fillings fall out if I don’t set my bike up correctly, and what a waste of time it’ll be to should backtrack and discover these issues mid-race!

Alright, right here’s how I’d do it.

The body goes to be the Cannondale SuperSix Evo 4 in its Hello-Mod variation. There are lighter frames on the market, and there are extra aerodynamic frames too. However there are few that handle each and have the type of dealing with I feel will matter on the finish of the experience right here. The three different frames I thought-about right here embrace the BMC Teammachine R, Specialised Tarmac SL8, and Issue Ostro VAM.

The large purpose I might need the Evo right here although is for a way composed it feels over cobbled roads. It’s not fairly as snappy as another bikes, however it does pretty much as good a job of retaining that entrance wheel in place as any race-ready highway bike I’ve ridden. And maybe surprisingly, the again of the bike manages to do an excellent job of placing the facility down over these rougher roads too. None of those are qualities you’d count on from a highway bike with the go-fast ambitions of the Supersix Evo, however it does an excellent job right here.

I wouldn’t go along with a inventory SuperSix Evo, nevertheless, as a lot as I loved the Hello-Mod 2 I reviewed final 12 months. Moderately, I’d swap the wheels for the Black Inc 48|58 wheels. These can be found as standalone wheels, however most of my expertise with them comes from using the Issue Ostro VAM. There, I discovered these to really feel precisely how I’d need my wheels to be: snappy underneath acceleration, splendidly direct when cornering down a descent, and unbothered in crosswinds.

Maybe probably the most spectacular little bit of the Black Inc 48|58 wheels is that they handle to do all of this whereas weighing in at simply 1,250 grams. You pay for the privilege, however I’m definitely keen to take action for the Olympics.

Matching that wheelset can be a set of Vittoria Corsa Professional tires in a 28 mm width. I in the end selected these over the Pirelli P-Zero TLR RS tire I fairly appreciated, however it’s only a contact heavier. Additionally in consideration was the brand new Continental Aero 111 tire we noticed on the Tour de France, however regardless of the aero claims, I would like to race on one thing I’ve ridden earlier than. Nevertheless, I haven’t ridden the brand new Aero 111 simply but, and I’m fairly proud of the Corsa Professional tires each for velocity, grip within the moist and dry, and puncture resistance for a single experience like this.

There is no such thing as a scarcity of nice highway bike tires on the market, however for a single-day race just like the Olympic Highway Race, my intestine says to go along with the Vittoria tires.

As for the groupset? It’s a toss-up, frankly. However as of now, I feel I’d go along with the brand new SRAM Crimson AXS groupset, however solely by a hair. I element every thing I like in regards to the new group in our overview, however my key thought right here is that I like that braking efficiency. Shimano’s shifting alongside the cassette continues to be a little bit smoother, however SRAM’s efficiency right here is as shut as makes no distinction.

Josh’s bike

There’s nothing I really like greater than a great thought experiment to determine what’s the proper bike for the day. We even have much more latitude than even skilled athletes since now we have no obligation to select sponsor merchandise. Meaning the very first thing I did was open up the course in RidewithGPS.

I began my seek for the proper bike by three issues. I needed to understand how a lot climbing vs flat there’s, how steep the climbs are, and the way a lot wind there’s. The wind is clearly an estimate since I’m wanting as I write this and who is aware of what the day will convey. Regardless of that, there’s principally no wind velocity wherever close to Paris. That’s a great signal that wind isn’t going to be a significant factor and I’m free to get as aero as attainable with out fear.

On the similar time, I can even see there’s nearly no flat. That would push the choice in the direction of a climber’s bike besides the climbs aren’t that steep or lengthy. An Olympic peloton goes to be flying on these so aero is king. Plus, the UCI minimal weight continues to be in impact and it’s attainable to hit the UCI minimal with an aero bike in right now’s world.

Intel gathered, and my first thought was the Scott Foil RC. That looks like probably the most aero setup accessible for the least weight. I used to be deep into determining wheels however then Alvin jogged my memory of the cobbles. That throws a wrench into issues as a result of now I would like consolation.

That final requirement instantly made me consider the Trek Madone Gen 8 I not too long ago reviewed. That bike is extremely comfy over tough pavement, hits UCI minimal, and is aero-optimized. The one factor I nonetheless need to change is the wheels. The included wheels are Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 and at solely 51mm deep they’re additionally 1410 grams. There’s room to go each deeper and barely lighter.

The primary wheel I considered to match that description is from Scope. I’m presently testing the Scope Artech 4 however even the deeper 65mm Scope Artech 6 solely weighs 1244 grams. That’s spectacular aero credentials for a wheel that mild. It really appears so good that the combo of Trek Madone and Scope wheels strikes me as excellent for absolutely anything. The one downside now could be that any UCI race would require extra weight due to the 6.8kg minimal. I say seize a metal rail model of no matter saddle you want.

Now for the remainder of the construct. SRAM Crimson is my choice basically however most of my causes have extra to do with useability, not final efficiency. Alvin is true although, the brakes are unbelievable.

For tires, my choice is at all times going to be the Schwalbe Professional One. Solely Schwalbe is open in regards to the testing that goes into large hookless efficiency and regardless that the Scope wheels are hooked, I’m nonetheless sticking with the corporate that shares testing information.