The race has been won. The photos have been taken. Some stories have been written. Many interviews have been conducted and various views expressed. The analysis of the action will continue for a while yet… and commentary about Milan-San Remo’s 106th edition will be shared in bunches around the world.
John Degenkolb achieved a stunning victory, bursting ahead of the defending champion Alexander Kristoff in the final metres to claim his first Classic. Australia’s Michael Matthews rounded out the podium and admitted: “I had really good legs… so I am a little bit disappointed in the final.”
Over the course of the 293km race that began in cold conditions and pouring rain before ending in sun bathed streets, outfits would change – after the event in 2013, the riders know not to take a chance when the weather is against them. They rugged up in all manner of clothing before rolling away from Milan and along the coastline they peeled off layer after layer until attacking the Cipressa and Poggio climbs near the finish.
This is a day when equipment choice can be crucial.
With the help of Yuzuru Sunada we take a look at some items in the peloton that caught our attention and note a few changes, additions, or special issues that appeared on the road to San Remo last Sunday.
– Photos by Yuzuru Sunada
(For more on products from the pro peloton, have a look at our online team bike galleries… so far these are the WorldTour teams that have been featured: ALM • AST • IAM • TFR • EQS • LTS • OGE • SKY • TGA)
1. John Degenkolb: before and after
At the start: rainjacket, leg warmers, long fingered gloves, head warmer, booties… and a picture of concentration.
At the finish: short sleeves, unzipped jersey, short knicks, no gloves… and a picture of happiness.
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2. John Degenkolb: on the podium
Big smile for the champion and a handshake with last year’s winner, this year’s runner-up Alexander Kristoff.
A Polar podium watch… photo taken at 5.15pm in San Remo; according to Degenkolb’s time piece, it’s 10.07. Who cares about the details when there’s a bonus written into the contract?
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3. Heinrich Haussler: green and gold for the Australian champion
Scott bikes had promised a special issue for the 2015 Aussie champion and he was ready to race with it in Milan-San Remo. The colour scheme includes green and gold (rather than wattle yellow, as per usual Australian team protocol)… and there’s a boxing kangaroo decal up on the head tube (obscured by the over-knicks legwarmers).
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4. Serge Pauwels: collecting footage for MTN-Qhubeka
One of the riders in the long breakaway was Belgium’s Serge Pauwels. RIDE has worked with him in the past when, as a member of the Omega Pharma-Quickstep team, he supplied his power files at the Tour Down Under.
Of all the photos in our collection, only Pauwels is riding with an on-board camera. His product of choice is the Shimano Sport Camera and, it appears, Pro fastening device… no footage has appeared, as yet, on the team’s site. Note: MTN-Qhubeka is not a registered member of Velon… and despite numerous rounds of the 2015 WorldTour now having been contested, there’s still no news about when this group is going to act on its promises from the launch late last year.
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5. Mark Cavendish: new Oakley Jawbreaker sunglasses and Power2Max cranks
The Milan-San Remo winner from 2011 had an upset stomach that commentator Carlton Kirby referenced numerous times – with, at times, bizarre explanations that related to candles and wind ‘from the wrong end’…
EQS continues to use a mix of components, including Shimano shifters and derailleurs and FSA cranks which are fitted with Power2Max power meters (paired with a Garmin).
‘Cav’ and some of his Etixx-Quickstep team-mates wore Oakley’s new-season design, the Jawbreaker.
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6. Nacer Bouhanni and his headscarf…
French sprinter, Nacer Bouhanni switched from the team’s white Orbea frame to a black one featuring ‘Fight NB’ and #RideFightWin decals…
And his outfit included a curious headcover/scarf for the early hours…
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7. Adam Hansen: and his giant cranks and mid-sole cleat…
We know he’s got many equipment quirks. The narrow bars and custom-made shoes have been well documented in the past…
But a closer look at this show reveals how long the cranks are and how, at the bottom of his pedal stroke, his toes come perilously close to scrapping the ground.
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8. Lars Peter Nordhaug… and Sky’s Continental tyres
By the end of the race, The Blue Line was omnipresent. There were Sky riders in force and on the attack leading to the Cipressa. Over the Poggio Geraint Thomas and Lars Peter Nordhaug showed themselves… (but the best place for the team was 13th for last year’s runner-up Ben Swift).
Although the team has used Veloflex in recent times, there were a couple from Sky using Continental’s Competition Pro Ltd, including Nordhaug and Bernhard Eisel…
