I had some grand plans to get the bikes used at the World Championships and take a deep look at the bikes of the stars and the ones you’ve never heard of. Unfortunately, plans don’t always work out.
The relatively small size of Wollongong’s surrounding towns makes hotel and rental prices higher than any of the nearby hills. So, in turn, several groups were forced to do creative work where they landed and trained. Several national teams stay across Wollongong’s sprawling hotels, serviced apartments and caravan parks. A few, such as the Belgians and Danes, took a short drive along the coast. The Italians and the British chose isolation, a good hour route to the west and the hills. And then you had the Canadians and a few other people going back to Sydney about an hour and a half.
Come race day, there were strict media controls for those who had access and those who didn’t. My press pass wasn’t the backroom pass I was used to, and I was often turned away from my bike by race officials. That’s not to complain – and hey, at least I had a press pass! – but why the proposed women’s peloton bike, a brand you’ve never heard of, the bikes used by rising stars, and the traveling toolboxes of racing mechanics.
I will openly admit that there is not much coordination in this gallery. In many ways, it’s the photo storage that I planned to expand that failed. But even if it’s a somewhat random mess, it’s a shame to keep it all to myself.
The first trip was a short visit to the Great Britain team. Most of the riders were still training, but a few elite men’s bikes were on hand to watch. This Pinarello Dogma F belongs to British rider Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadier), and he was eventually driven 9th in the men’s road race.The cleanest bartop wrap in the pro peloton? Ineos Grenadier mechanics do not use finishing tape – instead, they send the ends of the tape in place.For teams running Shimano drivetrains, direct suspension remains the preferred option.A die-hard time-trialist, Ethan Hayter is one of the many riders who now ride with messed up brake hoods. Doing so only reduces the front area when you are in the hood.British rider Fred Wright (Team GB/Bahrain-winner) has been a consistent threat throughout the season. This is his Merida Reacto.The masking tape around the rear wheel is a warning to the team mechanic of a hole that needs attention.There were quite a few new Dura-Ace R9200P power meters floating around among riders.Tubeless tires were a common sight throughout the week. And from what we can tell, both the new men’s and women’s world champions rode tubeless tires.Many riders still set up their hood a little lower than most recreational riders have.Fred Wright keeps the hood upright.New Dura-Ace R9250 Another direct hanger that holds the throw.The Merida Recto uses a precision seat post with a flexible zone.British rider Jake Stewart Lapierre’s Xelius SL.Tapes are on the rise.So is the chain. Most of the pros on the new Shimano 12-speed are running 54/40T rings.Jake Stewart is typically seen in Groupama – FDJ business team colours. He signed with the French team for two more years.While many tubeless tires are used, tubes are still the most common.The one-piece handle and stem quickly became the top-notch standard.All athletes stay with their respective national teams and their bikes are serviced by mechanics employed by the national team. Jeff Crombie, usually an Ineos Grenadiers mechanic, worked with the GB team.Crombie’s personal toolbox is largely stocked with Unior equipment (Ineos Grenadier sponsor). There are many pre-set rotation keys in this box.Shimano had taken a large hotel conference room in the center of Wolverhampton to run its independent service. Shown here are bicycles and spare tires ready to be packed into independent service vehicles. Each basket and stack of bikes represents the value of one car.Carrying spare parts isn’t as easy as it used to be. Inside you’ll find a mix of rim brake wheels, and disc brake wheels with 140 and 160 mm rotors.Another unitary toolbox of another Ineos Grenadiers squad mechanic. This is Matteo Cornaccio’s box for Italy.More uni drivers and some preset driving keys. A 12 Nm preset can be used to torque the Shimano crank pinch bolts.I took this photo the day after the Elite Individual Time Trial. The Ghana special chain packaging was still on the chair.There’s a lot to take in with this photo. Yes, that Ghanaian is trying to sort out some fit-related differences between the three time trial bikes he had in Australia. And yes, the class is filled with bikes with riders from all categories. It was a busy week for the mechanics.Next up was the Canadian team. Worlds was the last race for the Canadian rider. Leah Kirchman and her Scott addict R.C. The Team DSM driver is now retired.The metallic color of the DSM Group bikes is also beautiful.Kirchman was another rider running the caps.German brand Corratec isn’t the name we get to cover it all. This particular bike belongs to Canadian junior rider Michael Leonard, who signed a three-year contract with Ineos Grenadiers.This team bike It’s an Italian outfit that folded in 2021, and doesn’t match the one Leonard rode for 2022. Instead, the young Canadian was riding with Italian outfit Franco Ballerini Juniors.Ursus is another name we don’t often mention. The Italian tire and body company has a very wide range of products.It is very common to find mechanical switches and exposed wires in small steps.This was the last World Championship with junior gear restrictions.Canada’s Olivia Barrill Cannondale Super Six. Baril Travels for Italian UCI outfit Valcar – travel and services.Cannondale’s head tube design allows for standard handlebars and stems to be used.Just back from training and still not cleared. The Elite Women’s Racer used 52/36T gears.Special thanks to mechanic Zane ‘Free’ Freebairn from Team Canada for providing me with a variety of bikes.Some of the most used tools are housed on the front panel of the Freebairn Park Tool BX-2.2 toolbox.This homemade tool pouch is used to store Frebairn’s most important tools. He goes with him in the team car.A custom Abby Crombie and Abby chain whip to celebrate the opening ceremony at the Olympics.This #ToolBoxWars competitor is a Canadian National Team mechanic. Ryan Taylor. Taylor works on everything from road, time trial and track bikes, and needs to be able to adapt to whatever comes his way – such demands are not ideal for carrying a lightweight case for international travel. The safe case is from the Canadian company Nanook, but the interior is completely normal. Those side panels and interior trim are made from recycled carbon fiber sheets from a damaged satellite dish.The bottom layer is the least used bike building tools, carefully cut into the foam floor mat.Getting ready to shoot Keegan Swenson’s bike brought us to Team USA headquarters. For general daily use (with mechanic Brandon) this is a Trek-Segafredo team bike owned by Leah Thomas.This 7two Velo tool pack is by Bora-Hansgrohe mechanic Kevin Grove. Grove has been working with Team USA, and has put together this kit to be a versatile and light mix. The tool pack is also designed to hang on the back of a car seat (mechanics always sit in the back seat and tires are ready to go).Grove knew he wanted to pack this little Bosch electric impact driver, but the limited weight allowance meant the charger and spare battery had to stay behind. The longevity of a single battery is amazing.Grove working on the Cervelo R5 of U23 Team USA rider Colby Simmons. We recently chatted with Grove about the logistics of worlds on the Nerd Alert podcast.This is Team Bike Exchange – Kristen Faulkner’s Jayco Liv Langma represented Team USA in Wollongong.Langma is an effective women’s special version of Giant TCR.The classic Sagan brother Juraj racing bike.The 2022 Road World Championship was Juraj Sagan’s last race. Fresh pizza awaits.Pinarello Dogma F Australian National Road Champion Luke Plapp.Plop had his nutritional intake carved into his trunk during the 266.9km race.Crews pause to see who will win, and then the chaos begins.I wish I had more invisible bikes. This is a Carraro Fire 3.2 bike owned by Ukrainian rider Vitaly Buz. The Turkish bike brand is a sponsor of the UCI Sakarya BB Pro team.When you look at the many team bikes belonging to Ineos Grenadiers, it can only be one country.South Africa’s Gustave Basson (Continental Team Pro Talk) rides the Alpe DiHuez 01 with a lovely rim brake equipped time.Aurum Magma with U23 rider Eric Fetter. Fetter used to race for Hungary, but was usually in the group pack. EOLO-Kometa (Team of Alberto Contador).You can usually tell who the most important team riders are by the position of the bikes on the car. It’s no surprise that Frenchman Julien Alaphilippe made the second S-Works tarmac so accessible.Italy’s Lorenzo Rota with a simple Cube Litting AIR C:68X option presented by the business group Intermarch – Wanty – Gobert Matriaux.That’s the world, run and conquer. The end of the Elite Men’s Road Race saw some riders pack their bikes for flight. The baggage queue at Sydney Airport was the saddest place in the last 24 hours.
