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The bikes of Hell: Tom Boonen's Quick.Step Innergetic Time VXS Spécial Paris-Roubaix, April 8, 2006

A difference you can feel

As well as the unique demands its 50+km of cobbles make on the riders, Paris-Roubaix is also notoriously hard on bikes. Every year the contenders' mechanics and sponsor pull out all the stops to create special bikes that will survive the Hell of the North. More than any other race, Paris-Roubaix proves that "to finish first, you must first finish" and Tom Boonen's bike sponsor Time has created a special edition of its VXS bike to try and ensure that Boonen finishes first again this year. Anthony Tan takes a close look.

Tom Boonen's weapon for Roubaix

Everything points to another victory for 25 year-old Belgian prodigy Tom Boonen, who has displayed a dominance in his chosen races like no others before him. As shown in last weekend's Ronde van Vlaanderen, he has the legs to win and the team to win. Now, he has the bike to win the 'Hell of the North'.

Naturally, the most significant modifications come from the heart of the bike, Time's VXS Spécial Paris-Roubaix frame. "Six months of research and development," Time's promotion manager Alain Descroix proudly told Cyclingnews when asked how long the frame took to make.

Standing outside the Bar Tabac L'Allumette in Bouvines the Friday before Roubaix, where the defending champion was about to give a press conference before Sunday's big day out, Descroix was holding onto this bike as if it were his child, with a Quick.Step-Innergetic mechanic also keeping a close eye on things. Paranoia maybe, but then again, Boonen and Milan-San Remo victor Filippo Pozzato will be the only riders on these machines come Sunday in Compiègne.

So how is the VXS Spécial Paris-Roubaix different from Boonen's normal bike, the VXRS?

Boonen will use	The VXS Spécial Paris-Roubaix
Boonen's distinctive	An integrated seat post is available
Head and seat tube angles	Now that's some beef
One of the modifications	Not that light
Brake mounts have been positioned	Cyclingnews bribed one of the Quick.Step mechanics

"The geometry," says Descroix. "For Tom, it is very important that the pavé is not too hard [on the body], to have as smooth a ride as possible. So the wheelbase has been lengthened and the fork [rake] is also different; the wheelbase is 415mm - normally 405mm - and with regards to the fork, a steel steerer is used instead of a carbon, and the rake is 45mm, when it is normally 43."

Boonen took receipt of the new bike only a fortnight ago, and his first race test under cobbled conditions was at the Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde, and just for one stage. That may seem unusual, however Descroix notes that apart from extending the wheelbase and fork rake as well as having the brake levers two centimetres higher, the seat and head tube angles remain unchanged. Furthermore, he says, the VXS Spécial was made for Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Roubaix only, as the race's requirements are so unique.

Although a Time representative, Descroix was very familiar with other subtle changes made to Tommeke's ride for Roubaix, specifically the hoops and rubber, modifications that apply across the whole Quick.Step team. "It is a special wheel for Paris-Roubaix with a Campagnolo hub and rims, but it [the rim] is flat [box section] not (puts his hands in a 'V' shape) for more comfort, and 32 spokes front and rear," he says. "The tyres are also special - 25mm tubulars made by Hutchison, both front and back. Also, the compression is different; the front is 5.5 kilograms and the rear is 6 kilos."

Asking the man himself what he thought of his new weapon to add to an already formidable Spring Classics arsenal, Boonen said: "Yes, it's a new one, but I already tested it last year. It's a very good bike, and I can feel [the difference] on the cobblestones; it gives you a lot of control. It's very stiff, but it also absorbs the shock."

However, during the press conference, a cynical French journalist wasn't convinced: "Can you really feel the difference?" he asked Boonen.

"You feel it," came a deep voice that was tinged with a hint of annoyance (who are we to question this Belgian cycling god?), reminding this writer of a certain Bruce Lee film. "It's also the wheels and the fork, they're also different; if you try everything at once, you know the difference between the wheels, between the fork, between the frame - but if you get [the changes] all at one time, then you get a big difference. It's a very good bike."

No more bike questions, the press was told.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Anthony Tan/Cyclingnews.com

• Tom Boonen's weapon for Roubaix - the custom-designed Time VXS Spécial Paris-Roubaix.
• Boonen will use a 42/53 chainring combination on race-day.
• Boonen's distinctive white Selle San Marco saddle.
• Head and seat tube angles remain unchanged, said Time's Alain Descroix to Cyclingnews.
• One of the modifications to Boonen's bike - increasing the fork rake from 43 to 45mm and a steel rather than carbon steerer tube.
• Brake mounts have been positioned higher to allow for greater clearance in muddy conditions.
• The VXS Spécial Paris-Roubaix has seen changes made to structure and layering of the Vectran fibers to minimise road shock, according to Time's Alain Descroix.
• An integrated seat post is available on a number of Time models, but the VXS Spécial Paris-Roubaix uses the standard seat post and clamp.
• Now that's some beef in the bottom bracket area!
• Not that light - but it's a case of comfort over weight in a race like Paris-Roubaix.
• Cyclingnews bribed one of the Quick.Step mechanics to become a human workstand. He was delighted with the opportunity.