The Israel-Premier Tech team will use Factor’s Ostro Gravel at Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, with riders spotted on the gravel race bike during a pre-race recon of the infamous Arenberg sector.
With 29 cobbled sectors, Paris-Roubaix places a unique demand on riders and their equipment – and Israel-Premier Tech will switch from the usual race-day bike, the new Factor Ostro VAM, as a result.
According to the team, the Ostro Gravel's more relaxed geometry and wide tyre clearance make it well-suited to the demands of Paris-Roubaix.
In years past, the Hell of the North has seen a complete equipment overhaul. Endurance road bikes, cross-top brakes, sponsor-incorrect tyres and 32-spoke wheels were all common before Mat Hayman’s breakthrough win aboard the Scott Foil aero bike in 2016.
Hayman’s victory signalled a new tech era at Paris-Roubaix. With disc-equipped road bikes offering generous tyre clearances compared to traditional rim brake bikes, there's now little reason for riders to switch to a Roubaix-specific machine.
Israel-Premier Tech will buck that trend, though.
From Unbound to Paris-Roubaix
The Ostro Gravel was launched in September 2022, designed as a thoroughbred gravel race bike for top-tier events such as Unbound – and now, it seems, Paris-Roubaix.
It has an aero-shaped frame, race-focussed geometry (albeit for gravel racing) and clearance for 45c gravel tyres, though the Israel-Premier Tech team won’t be taking full advantage of that room at Paris-Roubaix.
The team appears to be using Continental’s Grand Prix 5000S TR tubeless tyre on recon rides.
The GP5000 S TR is available in a maximum width of 32c, which is the same as the available tyre clearance on the Ostro VAM aero bike.
Gravel-inspired geometry for the Hell of the North
So why the switch to the Ostro Gravel? According to Israel-Premier Tech's equipment manager, Gary Blem, the Ostro Gravel's off-road-inspired geometry is at home on the cobbles.
"We did quite a lot of testing on the cobbles after Opening Weekend with Tom Van Asbroeck and Riley Sheehan, comparing the new Ostro VAM with the Ostro Gravel," said Blem, the long-time mechanic to Chris Froome.
"The overwhelming consensus was that the Ostro Gravel would be the best choice for Paris-Roubaix. It has a longer wheelbase so it tracks slower, which is perfect for a race like Paris-Roubaix as it gives the riders more time to react."
Blem also references the Ostro Gravel's tyre clearance as a factor in the team's Roubaix bike switch.
While the Ostro VAM does offer clearance for 32c tyres, an extremely wet spring in northern Europe could see Sunday’s race contested over slick, mud-caked cobblestones.
The team could be looking to avoid any issues with clearance – or they could be using a tyre even wider than the 32c Continental rubber typically available to the public. The bike change could also, of course, be a move to prompt pre-race column inches.
Blem added: "The Ostro Gravel is a bike built for comfort and direct feedback from our riders was that they would opt for comfort over aerodynamics.
"Fortunately, given it is an incredibly aero gravel bike, there is no compromise on aerodynamics and having just completed our recon ride, we are confident this is the best Factor bike for our team this Sunday."
