By Mike Berkenpas
Barry’s Roubaix is modeled after the infamous Paris Roubaix, one of the most difficult one day bike races in the world. What makes the Paris Roubaix so challenging is the many sections of extremely rough, cobbled roads. It is not only demanding to the riders, but also puts incredible strain on the bikes. Team mechanics and riders often use different bikes and components in an attempt to make the jarring ride more bearable, and to ensure the bikes are operating perfectly to the end. If there is a weak point on the bike the cobbles will find it, as happened in the 2006 Paris Roubaix when race favorite George Hincapie had his handle bars break off of his bike causing him to fall a break his collarbone.
The Barry’s Roubaix, although not nearly as rough as the real thing, is still demanding on equipment and requires a few changes from the standard race day setup to ensure the race goes smoothly. The bike that I used for Barry’s Roubaix is the Giant TCR Advanced 2. This bike is very comfortable on the gravel dikes in Pitt Meadows, where the race was held. The full carbon frame does an excellent job of making the gravel feel much smoother. Despite the smooth ride the bike is incredibly quick and responsive; this allowed me to avoid crashes in front of me, and to jump onto other riders’ wheels when the pace got high. I did make several changes to the existing bike to prepare for this race. The lightweight Pro Race 3 tires where swapped off for something a bit more resilient, the Maxxis Re-Fuse tire. It has a Kevlar belt to prevent flats and a knurled surface to provide traction in a wide range of conditions. The wheels where also changed to Shimano Ultegra wheels. Shimano wheels have no rider weight limit, so you know that they are strong. I have also raced cyclocross on my set of Ultegras, so I have first hand experience of the beating these wheels can take. Both of these changes add weight to the bike, but it’s a small price to pay for reliability.
The Race was a blast to ride in. High speeds, fighting for control and position. It is easy to see why the Paris Roubaix is such a wildly popular race around the world. This year in the Paris Roubaix, Fabian Cancellara won by over two minutes, solidifying his status as the greatest cyclist in the history of the world. I, despite spending a month growing a moustache similar to Fabian’s, did not fare so well. On the second last lap instead of soloing away from my competitors in a show of unspeakable power, I ran out of gas and was dropped. But my bike preformed beautifully and I was able to enjoy the race without fear of equipment failure. Perhaps next year I will, instead of growing a Fabian moustache, copy the second greatest cyclist in the world, Bradley Wiggins, and lose 30lbs.
