Deep wheels come out in force at the sprint-fest Scheldeprijs - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
With 25mm tubulars being the standard at Scheldeprijs, this was the widest casing we saw, on a Specialized-sponsored Astana bike - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Europcar's Johann Gene was clearly race-testing his Paris-Roubaix bike - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The Giant Propel with Shimano C50 wheels is a machine made for Scheldeprijs - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Bradley Wiggins will be flying the Team Sky flag through Paris-Roubaix, then he's done - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Bradley Wiggins' Pinarello Dogma FS-8 made its second appearance at Scheldeprijs - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
With elastomer suspension, the Dogma FS-8 is designed for the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix. Wiggins was just testing it out ahead of the race on Sunday - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Despite clearly being built for rough roads, the Dogma FS-8 cuts a very aero figure up front - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The hourglass headtube of the Dogma FS-8 - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Grip tape on the Elite cages will hopefully keep bottles from ejecting over the Paris-Roubaix cobbles - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Wiggins had his tape wrapped right up to the stem - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Studies in miminalism: a Speedplay pedal and a Stages power meter - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Pro and amateur alike, riders either love or hate the Giro lace-up shoes. Wiggins likes them - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
At Scheldeprijs and Paris-Roubaix, riders either go standard or go big. This rider, Wanty's Frederique Robert went smaller, as he has been feeling under the weather - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
A 53/44t (on an Astana bike) is more standard for this point in the race calendar - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Wheels in the 50-80mm depth are common at Scheldeprijs — a pancake-flat course with a sprint finish - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Lotto-Jumbo's Bianchi Infinito CV feature carbon lay-ups with claimed vibration damping built in. Note the deep rear wheel - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Who needs a name sticker when you can have your own paint? - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Although dubbed the Climbing Switch, Shimano's Di2 thumb-operated remote is popular for the cobbles when riders often ride with their hands on the tops - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Van Marke's race bike lacked the Pioneer power meter used by the rest of his team - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
An unmarked Shimano C70 - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Pioneer's power meter now works without the outboard bottom bracket necessary on the first iteration - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Katusha went deep with 80mm wheels - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Nothing says flat-and-fast like a Cosmic CXR 80 - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Luca Paolini don't need no stinkin' small gears for Scheldeprijs - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Why does Gregory Rast have a TT bike at a one-day road race? No idea - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Trek Factory Racing went all in with the endurance Domane bikes at Scheldeprijs — clearly a trial run for Sunday - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The key point on the Domane is the so-called Decoupler that allows the seattub to pivot within the toptube/seatstay yoke - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Bretagne-Seche brought aero bikes to Scheldeprijs with the Look 795 - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Bretagne-Seche is notable for their use of Polar watches (a sponsor) wrapped around the handlebars. All other teams just use cycling computers with dedicated mounts - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
At the pancake-flat Scheldeprijs Wednesday, aero bikes with deep wheels mingled with endurance bikes with Paris-Roubaix-style modifications, revealing the mixed objectives of riders at the sprinter’s race in northern Belgium. Some were there for the win; others to fine-tune their Roubaix set-ups ahead of the Hell of the North.
For riders and teams eager to contest the sprint finish, 50mm wheels were the minimum, with 60, 70 and even 80mm rims in regular use. Similarly, aero frames and aero road helmets were plentiful.
For others, getting a few more races miles on endurance frames with modified cockpits and gearing were the priority.
Europcar’s Yohann Gene set out from Antwerp with old-cyclocross-style bar-top brake levers on his Colnago CX Zero.
For a little extra insurance, Team Sky's Bradley Wiggins had grip tape on the Elite bottle cages mounted on his new Pinarello Dogma F8-S.
Lotto-Soudal’s Lars Bak rode a prototype Ridley Fenix, a future update to the Belgian brand’s endurance platform. His inner chainring was a huge 46t, put on in advance of Paris-Roubaix. Other riders had 53/44t and even 54/44t chainrings installed. On the other end of the spectrum, Wanty-Groupe Gobert's Frederique Robert had a semi-compact 52/38t mounted. "He hasn't been feeling well," his mechanic said.
One Paris-Roubaix modification notably absent from all teams at Scheldeprijs, of course, is tubular selection. Teams will be breaking out the 28 and even 30mm tubulars for Roubaix on Sunday. At Scheldeprijs, 25mm tubulars were the norm.
For a close look at the unique blend of bikes and gear at the midweek race, check out the gallery above.
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.
This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
