Stuart O'Grady's Paris Roubaix winning Cervélo R3.
Excerpted from Cyclingnews.com article describing this bike, the actual winning bike from the 2007 Paris-Roubaix race. Team CSC rider Stuart O'Grady used this “…to score Australia's first-ever Paris-Roubaix win (as well as a repeat win for the team). On that fateful day, O'Grady spent 240km as part of a 30-plus man breakaway, but then cunningly launched his own solo attack at just over 20km to go. As his sweet reward, O'Grady rolled into the Roubaix velodrome alone with nothing behind him but glory and adulation, a full 52 seconds ahead of his closest rival, Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank).”
“For sure, a win like that is fully earned by the rider pushing the pedals, but O'Grady's Cervélo R3 didn't exactly hamper his effort. Created as a special build just for that day, the R3's chain stays are 1cm longer than normal to provide more mud clearance, and the matching Alpha Q GS-10 fork wears a bigger 50mm rake to maintain similar weight distribution as on the standard geometry R3. In addition to providing more mud clearance, the extended dimensions also provide a longer wheelbase for a slightly more stable ride over the undulating cobbles. Otherwise, according to Cervélo principal Gerard Vroomen, O'Grady's frame was essentially an off-the-shelf R3.”
Team CSC mechanics fitted the purpose-built creation with a correspondingly appropriate mix of components that were chosen not only for their promised performance, but also on the basis of whether or not they would survive the race's typically grueling conditions. The handbuilt wheels consist of standard 32-hole Shimano Dura-Ace hubs laced in a durable (and compliant) three-cross pattern to aluminum box-section tubular rims with stainless steel Sapim double-butted spokes and brass nipples. There is no tied-and-soldered trickery to be found here, but the wheels are wrapped in humongous 27c Vittoria Pavé tubulars.”
“Drivetrain components are a mix of Shimano Dura-Ace (shifters, derailleurs, cassette, and chain) and FSA. The K-Force Light crankset spins on FSA's MegaExo Ceramic bottom bracket and is fitted with a 44/53T chainring combination, while the standard Dura-Ace derailleur pulleys are also retrofitted with ceramic bearing-equipped FSA units. Team sponsor FSA also supplies nearly all of the remaining kit, including the OS-115 stem, Gossamer handlebar, and K-Force Light SB-37 seatpost.”
“When all is said and done, O'Grady's Cervélo tips the scales at an excellent 7.4kg (16.4lb), a particularly impressive figure considering what it was tasked to accomplish.”
Text and photo used with permission of Cyclingnews.com and writer/photographer James Huang
Manufacturer: Cervelo
Location: Canada/China