In the days before the #TDU2023 RIDE Media began documenting the team bikes at the start of the racing season. In the coming days we will be presenting a series of interviews with team mechanics and an overview of the equipment being used in 2023.

 

– A blog and videos by Rob Arnold (part of a series from the TDU of 2023)

 

 

The WorldTour season is underway. Racing at the Tour Down Under began yesterday with the Schwalbe Classic, a criterium on the streets of Adelaide, and today the women’s stage race begins. A considerably strong wind is blowing early today, and it’ll be interesting to see how this impacts the race from Glenelg to Aldinga.

While in Adelaide, I’m collecting content about a range of things related to the race, South Australia, and pro c cycling. Some days there will be some race reports, and some days you’ll find tech features – including interviews with mechanics about team bikes for 2023 (see link above) – and some days there’ll be a bit of tourism as I get out on the bike and explore…

Be sure to follow the racing action which is being broadcast live in Australia on 7two. And also keep following RIDE Media on this site, Instagram and the YouTube channel for updates on other aspects of the TDU in 2023.

I’m here to watch the racing but also to catch up with people from the cycling trade and pro racing scene… and I’ll also be getting out on the bike and soaking up the atmosphere of this #FestivalOfCycling which heralds the beginning of the 2023 WorldTour season.

Click the link at the top of this page to watch an interview with Joep Verhees as he explains some of the equipment changes at Jumbo-Visma for 2023.

An unexpected pause…

It was my intention to hit the ground running at the start of the year and continue the regular uploads of the #StoryOfMyRide ‘Summer Series’, but things took an unfortunate turn for me on the eve of New Year’s Eve… on Friday 30 December last year, I had a silly fall in my backyard, landing heavily on a sharp edge I cracked three ribs on my right-hand side.

It was the second time in six months that this has happened; the first time I fractured ribs in 2022 was because of an accident while cycling with my son in July… and, that time, the fractures were on my left side (and I also copped a pneumothorax and some road rash).

My injuries from the very end of 2022 prompted me to take a little hiatus from posting stories but I’m now back in action, riding again, and collecting plenty content that I’ll be editing and publishing in the coming days and weeks.

Jumbo-Visma’s first season with SRAM

The first mechanic interview that you can find on RIDE Media’s YouTube channel is with Joep Verhees from the Jumbo-Visma team.

While Verhees finished preparing the last of the team bikes on Friday, I introduced myself as he stood in his workspace in the TDU Village. I noted the (well-publicised) change from Shimano to SRAM for the 2023 season and, after a few minutes of discussion, he agreed to do an impromptu interview about getting the Cervélo bikes ready for racing.

As you can see in the video, Verhees explains that the team will be exclusively riding on tubeless tyres in 2023 – with tan sidewall Vittoria Corsa Pro (28mm) the choice for the Dutch team while in South Australia.

There are several other component / product changes for Jumbo-Visma in 2023, including use of Wahoo (formerly Speedplay) pedals, which will be matched to the Nimbl shoes worn by all the riders.

Another thing I learned while talking to Verhees is that Jumbo-Visma will be waxing the chains of the team bikes in 2023 rather than using oil. (Go to 3:35 in the video to see Joep’s explanation of what product they are using.)

Exploring Adelaide and surrounds…

As referenced earlier, I’m back on the bike after the accident in my backyard. Riding is possible, but sleeping is painful even if my ribs are on the mend. Actually, I’ve found that one of the best things I can do to reduce the discomfort caused by the fractures is to go for a ride.

On Friday’s ride, I opted for a flat route down to Outer Harbour and back into the city. And yesterday morning I went up the hill on Norton Summit Road when it was brutally hot, even early in the day.

The first #StoryOfMyRide for the year (in the link above) features a little review of that Saturday morning ride, when I came across a koala wandering down the middle of the road, and later saw Chris Froome and the guys from the Israel-Premier Tech team as they squeezed in a training ride in the heat of the Aussie summer.

There will be more to come from my return to the TDU and South Australia for the first time since January 2022, when the WorldTour was last in town.

For now, that’s a little update about why it has been a little quiet on RIDE Media early in 2023… but I’ll now resume with my regular updates about riding, bikes and the cycling life.

Of course, if you have any questions or thoughts you’d like to share, feel free leave a comment on the YouTube videos (or any of the other social media options). There is a lot to see when visiting the TDU and I hope you enjoy seeing what I’m getting up to while back in South Australia.

 

 

– By Rob Arnold

 

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