As the racers rolled to the start of the 2016 Paris-Roubaix, there was a single bike on a team car with a race number - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sagan's Specialized S-Works Roubaix had meaty gears - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sagan's Roubaix had mechanical Dura-Ace, while his first-100km Tarmac had Di2 - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
While riders have multiple (and often identical) bikes, they are only issued one race number per event - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
As is the tradition, Sagan had the cobble sectors taped to his stem - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sagan's SRM head unit likely had some impressive numbers recorded in it by day's end - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sagan started on 26mm tubulars, but rode the last two thirds of the race on 30s - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sagan has his own logo, which often pops up on his gear - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Note how all his teammates' bikes have numbers on them before the start - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The empty holder says planned bike change - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Roval CLX60 wheels for aero benefit in the fast opening hours - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sagan logo on Prologo - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
You see the theme here? - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Good thing Sagan runs a long Zipp SL Sprint stem - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Scotch tape might not be the most elegant solution, but it gets the job done - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Di2 sprint shifters poke out of the Supacaz tape. Sagan opted for mechnical Dura-Ace once the race hit the stones - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sagan had an SRM power meter for each bike - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
While Sagan and Fabian Cancellara have opted for mechanical Shimano for the cobbles, a majority of the Shimano-sponsored riders this year used the electric option, including race winner Matthew Hayman - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sagan went with 26mm to start the day - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Peter Sagan started the 2016 Paris-Roubaix with his dedicated cobbles bike atop the first team follow car. As the 258km race left Compiegne, Sagan pedaled away on a Specialized S-Works Tarmac with deep aero wheels and 26mm tubulars.
“The energy savings in the early part of the race is critical,” Specialized team liaison Gianpaolo Mondini said before the race. “He will switch after about 100km.”
On the follow car, Sagan had his Specialized S-Works Roubaix with fat 30mm FMB/Specialized tubulars.
Note how all his teammates' bikes have numbers on them before the start: note how all his teammates' bikes have numbers on them before the start
Notice something missing here? While Sagan's teammates all had number plates on the bikes they started the race on, Sagan did not
Most other riders opted to split the difference, and start and (hopefully) finish on 28mm tubulars.
The other notable difference was the drivetrain. The Tarmac had Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 with sprint shifters; the pavé set-up had mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace.
Sagan’s top rival Fabian Cancellara has long favored mechanical Dura-Ace over Di2, and again started the race on the cable-actuated group. These two riders are increasingly in the minority, however, with a dozen teams at Paris-Roubaix using Di2 for some if not all of their riders.
Sagan's roubaix had mechanical dura-ace, while his first-100km tarmac had di2: sagan's roubaix had mechanical dura-ace, while his first-100km tarmac had di2
Sagan's Specialized S-Works Roubaix had mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace with 30mm tubulars
Be sure to visit Cyclingnews.com for complete coverage of Paris-Roubaix.
Ben Delaney is a journalist with more than two decades of experience writing for and editing some of the biggest publications in cycling. Having studied journalism at the University of New Mexico, Ben has worked for Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, VeloNews and BikeRadar. He has also previously worked as Global Brand Communications Manager for Specialized. Ben covers all things road and gravel, and can be found logging big miles in the Rocky Mountains that nestle alongside his home in Boulder, Colorado. He has covered the most important bike races in the sport, from the Tour de France and Tour of Flanders, to the Unbound gravel race, and specialises in tech content, showcasing what the pros are riding and putting everyday equipment through its paces.
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