Israel-Premier Tech to tackle Paris-Roubaix on gravel bikes

Israel-Premier Tech are set to ride Paris-Roubaix on Sunday aboard gravel bikes, taking to the pavé on the Factor Ostro Gravel.

The team have opted to put their usual road bike, the Factor Ostro Vam, to one side in favour of something much tougher ahead of Sunday’s edition of the Hell of the North, as Cyclingnews first reported. 

As they checked out the newly installed Arenberg chicane, Rick Zabel, and other Israel-Premier Tech riders, were spotted riding the gravel bike as they then entered into the Arenberg cobbled sector. 

While other major WorldTour teams will opt for their typical aero setup, albeit with the addition of extra bar tape and 32 millimetre tires, Israel-Premier Tech will evidently be looking for comfort and durability over aerodynamics on Sunday. 

Some riders on teams like Lidl-Trek, will opt for their endurance bike, the Trek Domane, over the aero offering, the Trek Madone, but these are very much still road bikes. Other squads, like Soudal Quick-Step, are eschewing their endurance bike all together, riding the Specialized Tarmac rather than the Specialized Roubaix.

When contacted by Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews, Israel-Premier Tech confirmed the chosen setup and ran through the reasoning behind the decision.

"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 and the overwhelming consensus was that the OSTRO Gravel would be the best choice for Paris – Roubaix," Gary Blem, Israel-Premier Tech's head of equipment, said.

"The Ostro Gravel 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, and the increased tire clearance allows us to run 32mm tires," he 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."

Meanwhile, Human Powered Health will also be riding Factor bikes in Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift on Saturday, but their regular Ostro VAMs, not gravel bikes. When contacted by Cycling Weekly on Friday, a spokesperson for the team confirmed that they would not be opting for a similar setup to the Israel-Premier Tech squad. 

On the eve of the Roubaix weekend, last year's winner, Mathieu van der Poel, was one of several riders who talked through their individual bike setups. 

Van der Poel and his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate, Jasper Philipsen, told the media that they would be going for the usual Roubaix bike modifications. Both riders explained that they would be opting for double handlebar tape as well as wider tires.

However, prior to Israel-Premier Tech being spotted on gravel bikes, Van der Poel said that he believes that standard aero road bikes are not the best for the brutal course on offer throughout the race. 

He said: "I also think the cobbles in the Arenberg are not meant to be ridden with a road bike, to be honest. The other sectors are quite bad, but doable. But yeah, going into the Arenberg at 65 kilometres per hour has nothing to do with skill, you just have to hope the bike holds up."