Competitions

Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2011: Inside Team Vacansoleil-DCM-Ridley

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Parent Category: Competitions

Category: Race 2011

Published on Thursday, 28 April 2011 07:40

Written by Luca Salvatelli

Thanks to: Ridley, DCM, Vacansoleil, Fast Forward, Etixx, Vredestein, Rotor, KMC, Tacx, Morgan Blue, Lazer, Selle San Marco, Deda Elementi, Forza, SMS Santini

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The Liege-Bastogne-Liege for the team Vacansoleil starts well before the start of Sunday, the athletes and the team are already several days in Liege.

 Athletes patrol the course and continue their workout programs, while the mechanics prepare the bikes for the race, but not all. The Saturday is a day of hard work, because you have to clean and fix all the means, the flagship of the bus. Meanwhile, the athletes have chosen to run with that bike, what kind of sprocket wheels and take. So while part of the team means worries about supplies of fuel and wash the car, mechanical overhaul, clean and fix all the bikes of the athletes, and those that will be used in the race, and those that will be used in reserve and will be located on the roof of the car. The masseurs, in the meantime, prepare the necessary supply of water bottles with water or mineral salts. It’s late at night, when the mechanics come to dinner, the bikes are stowed in the truck. The dawn of the race mechanics and masseurs are working hard, mind athletes still asleep. The mechanic checked the bike again, controlling the pressure of the tires, place the bike on the car and made the last formalities, such as cars pass attack. Meanwhile, the masseurs arrange the bottles and prepare tender packages for the supply, mechanics choose and prepare the spare wheels that are arranged in space. The athletes got up and found breakfast ready. Shortly after departure and arrive at the meeting point of departure. Prepare the bike and run past the controls, you decide the points of supply, meanwhile athletes arrive at the signature sheet to prepare for departure. Part of the mechanism follows the race with the cars, another part with the bus to the finish line. The race runs fast and after you arrive back to the mechanics of a new phase very excited, you clean up the bike before you degrease, then soaped and washed thoroughly, then dry and lubricate the main components. You run a quick setup, but not without having heard of any problems that athletes have had in the race. Time is running out, and then on each bike is just what should be checked and revised, it will slowly return to the team base. We clean up all the tools and finally we depart for the team headquarters, where the mechanics have to remove and revise all the bike before the next race.