BIKES OF THE CLASSICS

Joe Baker walked around the team buses on Opening Weekend to see how riders had adapted their bikes for the cobblestones

- Joe Baker

Victor Campenaerts Orbea Orca Aero

No stranger to the long lone break, Campenaerts is well known for going the extra mile in pursuit of improved rider aerodynamics and performance. He even shaved his head for his successful Hour record attempt to help reduce his core body temperature.

His learnings from the track are transferred to the road, nowhere more clearly than on his Orbea Orca Aero. His aggressive aero frameset was equipped with a Vision Metron 5D integrated bar and stem, and rolls on a Zipp 454 NSW wheelset for Omloop. Lotto- Soudal mechanics told us they were using Vittoria's Air Liner tyre inserts alongside 28mm Vittoria Corsa TLR tyres. The inserts are designed to prevent the wheels from being damaged in the event of pinching the tyre into the rim on heavy impacts - commonplace in the Classics, but the tech is also meant to reduce the chances of blowouts. Although it didn't prevent Thomas De Gendt's at the UAE Tour.

Most interestingly, Campenaerts was using a mammoth 58t chainring. Turn back the clock five years and this would have been a feature reserved only for flat, fast time trials, but it's becoming ever more common on the road. An improved chain line created by a bigger circle allows for drivetrain efficiency improvements at race speeds. And when considering Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne was ridden at over 50kph, having such large top gear makes sense.

Jasper Stuyven's Trek Madone