Paris-Roubaix 2018: equipment in focus

Paris-Roubaix 2018: equipment in focus

Gallery: from special pavé tyres and strapped fingers to strategically positioned helpers with spare wheels, Paris-Roubaix demands serious attention to detail

Cobbled classics Gear Paris-Roubaix Racing

Road racing is always a sport of man and machine but rarely does the equipment fall into focus quite as sharply as it does at Paris-Roubaix. 

At no other event on the World Tour calendar, do riders deviate so far from the standard (road and time trial) set-ups they are issued with at the start of the season.

Sure, the climbers get their special lightweight wheels out in the mountains, a time trial specialist might pull out an extra big chainring for the worlds, but everywhere you turn at Roubaix there are special accommodations made to the 55 km of ragged, dirty, rutted pavé that defines this race.

Read: Muddy Hell – the last wet Paris-Roubaix

It was to these preparations -and consequences despite them- that photographer Chirs Auld turned his camera in the 2018 edition of the race. 

Won by World Champion Peter Sagan, it was an event marred by the death of 23 year old Belgian rider Michael Goolaerts following a cardiac arrest.    

Read: Steve Bauer, the man who lost Paris-Roubaix by millimetres

   

Gallery: Drillium and sawn-off bars at the national hill-climb

 

The post Paris-Roubaix 2018: equipment in focus appeared first on The world's finest cycling magazine.

Cobbled classics Gear Paris-Roubaix Racing

READ MORE

‘Van Aert said he would work for me’ - How Paris-Roubaix’s youngest rider became Visma-Lease a Bike’s unexpected co-leader

‘Van Aert said he would work for me’ - How Paris-Roubaix’s youngest rider became Visma-Lease a Bike’s unexpected co-leader

19-year-old Matthew Brennan impressed in his debut performance at the Hell of the North, at times appearing to be the strongest rider in his team’s...

Read more
‘He will be like Merckx’ - Paris-Roubaix is proof that Tadej Pogačar will win all five Monuments

‘He will be like Merckx’ - Paris-Roubaix is proof that Tadej Pogačar will win all five Monuments

The world champion narrowly missed out on a victory at his Hell of the North debut – his performance is a menacing sign for years...

Read more
'It's quite exceptional' – Is Mathieu van der Poel this century's greatest Classics rider?

'It's quite exceptional' – Is Mathieu van der Poel this century's greatest Classics rider?

The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider has now won eight Monuments, and next year will be looking to equal the record number of Paris-Roubaix victories.

Read more
‘This was my first time ever on a velodrome’ - Rosa Klöser, from the Kansas flint hills to the Roubaix cobbles

‘This was my first time ever on a velodrome’ - Rosa Klöser, from the Kansas flint hills to the Roubaix cobbles

The Canyon//SRAM rider finished the Hell of the North after a dramatic but rewarding first experience on the cobbles

Read more
'He’s going to be a big champion': António Morgado is Tadej Pogačar's new favourite helper

'He’s going to be a big champion': António Morgado is Tadej Pogačar's new favourite helper

Tadej Pogačar has a new domestique to rely on – and he's tipped for greatness in the Classics himself.

Read more
All about anticipation: How Paris-Roubaix Femmes signified a shift in the dynamics of the women’s peloton

All about anticipation: How Paris-Roubaix Femmes signified a shift in the dynamics of the women’s peloton

Teams like Lidl-Trek, Visma-Lease a Bike and EF Education-Oatly are proof that aggressive racing can pay dividends

Read more

READ RIDE REPEAT

JOIN ROULEUR TODAY

Get closer to the sport than ever before.

Enjoy a digital subscription to Rouleur for just £4 per month and get access to our award-winning magazines.

SUBSCRIBE