NICOLAS COOSEMANS
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Behind the Scenes: The Unsung Heroes of Pro Cycling - Meet the Mechanics
In the world of professional cycling, where the spotlight often shines on the riders conquering the grueling races, there exists a group of individuals working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure every pedal stroke is supported by a perfectly tuned machine. These unsung heroes are the mechanics, the wizards of the workshop who transform bikes into race-ready steeds capable of enduring the harshest conditions and most demanding terrains.
We chatted with Nicolas Coosemans, technical and development manager of Soudal Quick-Step to find out more about the life of a World Tour mechanic, his wildest fixes of all time, the evolution of bike equipment over the last decade, which riders are interested in bike maintenance, how quickly their mechanics can set up a bike, and more.
(Recorded in Calpe, Spain, December 14, 2023)
In the world of professional cycling, where the spotlight often shines on the riders conquering the grueling races, there exists a group of individuals working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure every pedal stroke is supported by a perfectly tuned machine. These unsung heroes are the mechanics, the wizards of the workshop who transform bikes into race-ready steeds capable of enduring the harshest conditions and most demanding terrains.
We chatted with Nicolas Coosemans, technical and development manager of Soudal Quick-Step to find out more about the life of a World Tour mechanic, his wildest fixes of all time, the evolution of bike equipment over the last decade, which riders are interested in bike maintenance, how quickly their mechanics can set up a bike, and more.
(Recorded in Calpe, Spain, December 14, 2023)
TOPICS COVERED & TRANSCRIPT
(00:00) Introduction
(01:50) Nico’s Journey
(07:19) What makes a good mechanic?
(10:01) A Day In The Life Of A Pro-Mechanic
(20:02) Tubes, Tubular or Tubeless?
(21:04) Inserts and Extra Sealant for RBX
(24:55) Grand Tour Custom Paint Job and Bar Wrap
(26:45) Disc Wheel change
(28:58) Maintenance and Evolution of Bike Tech
(38:31) Broken Parts, Crashes
(39:54) UCI Safety Rules
(43:18) Ending
SOREN JENSEN
Mechanics have it tough. Pro level mechanics have it even worse. They are used as the last ones to leave the pits and the first to return in the morning. Their hours stretch out the working day but there is no time to rest in the middle. They have to be on the tools at a moment's notice doing practice and could be faced with needing to make an emergency fix right before the riders start time, or maybe they're living it up doing what they love. In their eyes, they get to wrench on their latest bikes and hang with the world's top riders. They're all part of a traveling circus, hopping from race to race on airplanes or long days of highway driving, living out of a suitcase for weeks on end. They bounce in and out of hotels and up and down mountains across continents. We chatted with Nicolas Coosemans, technical and development manager of Soudal Quick-Step, to find out more about the life of a world tour mechanic, their wireless fixes of all times, the evolution of bike equipment over the last decade and more. So without further ado, Nico, welcome to the show. We are thrilled to have you on the Castelli podcast.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Thank you very much for having me.
SOREN JENSEN
It's a pleasure, man. It's a pleasure. But before we get started with all the technical questions, tell us a little bit about yourself, your journey getting into the sport, and then where you are now.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, it started back in 2007. I was working in a bike shop for three years, and I got the opportunity to work with a continental team, some young guys from Belgium and I could do tour of Belgium with them so that's where it started and it just grew and I did like more and more races and it ended at the end of the 2012 season because I got the opportunity to start in the Quick-Step team, the big team. I got contacted by Kurt, my colleague, and it was like a dream that came true. So that's where it all started. So now 12 years later, quite a lot has happened, I must say. So six years ago I got the opportunity to become the head mechanic and since last year I could take another step and become the technical manager of the team. So I'm super proud to be part of this team and still after all those years it's still a dream.
SOREN JENSEN
Oh that's good too because that is the passion for the sport and for what you do and also the people that you have around you. Let me just rewind back a little bit to the day or the year that you said you started working as a bike mechanic, 2006, correct?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes, correct.
SOREN JENSEN
How old were you back then? In 2006, I was 22 years old. So then be honest with us now, when starting working as a bike mechanic, could you actually glue on a tire and change the chain or did you have to learn everything from scratch?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, the year before I tried to be a cyclist, so even just up to continental level. And I worked on my bike myself all the time. So I learned by myself and I think I did well. So that's where I learned everything and then just to steal with your eyes just go around and just look around and learn from you know the mechanics in those times, so I was watching movies whatever I could pick up so for me it's like since I'm six years old cycling is my life. So I have my family, but that's what they know. It's a passion and it's what I love.
SOREN JENSEN
And you know what? I've heard the exact same phrase from all the WorldTour mechanics. You know, it is your second family.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
It is. You spend more time with the guys at the races than with your own family. I have to miss quite a lot of just random parties or whatever with the family because you're just on the road.
SOREN JENSEN
How many days do you then actually travel during a full season?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
In the beginning I did like 200 days and even more, including days in service courses. I ended up with 120 days. So a little bit more time at home, but also more responsibility.
SOREN JENSEN
Also in the early years, starting out as a bike mechanic, you probably had someone learning you the ropes, like a mentor.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
They are still here in the team. So when I came, the guys like Kurt, Dirk, Frank, Guido, we were still all together and we spoke about it yesterday evening. We had a small meeting with the mechanics and we are so proud. After all those years, we are still just together. And now with the young guys coming in the team, we have a few new guys. I just told them, guys, just look up to those guys because they have like a big backpack, you know, with all the experience. So, yeah, you better listen to what they say.
SOREN JENSEN
And learn some of the best. I like to hear that because, you know, as a professional cyclist, a new pro and up, you always have that one person that gets their foot in that door, that shows them the ropes. They're there to help and succeed rather than, you know, happy that they failed. Someone that always shows you the way and guides you. So that's cool that your network of mechanics have the same sort of support group and the same sort of story.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, but it's also if we have to make a decision, I always go around and ask what they think. I'm not going to make a decision on my own. That's like a kind of respect in both directions.
SOREN JENSEN
And that is teamwork. And I'm sure we're going to get into that a little later when it comes to the evolution of bike equipment over the last decade, because that's probably going to be very exciting. But before, at your level, at the WorldTour level, what makes a good mechanic? Because as you said before, you're on the road a lot of days during the year. You see the team and the riders and the other staff more than you see your own family. What is it that makes a good mechanic?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
It just starts with a passion you need. And from there, the will to learn, to listen, and just to do the best you can, to give what you can. So that's actually, it sounds easy, but it's not always easy.
SOREN JENSEN
I can imagine because you said the word passion a few times already and yeah, you're completely right. A good mechanic doesn't only need to have the skills to be a good mechanic. I think it all boils down to passion. Passion for the sport, passion for the riders, passion for the job. What motivates you to go above and beyond when things are tough on the road?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
It's always hard to travel a lot, just to leave your family.
SOREN JENSEN
When it's your child's birthday maybe, or like yesterday, it was Michel Landa's birthday. He told me yesterday that he always celebrated his birthday apart from the COVID year, but with the teams and the riders he worked with in the past, now with his family.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, but it's something that grows with the years, the experience you have, and you get a little bit used to, I must say, but yeah, still family is priority.
SOREN JENSEN Let's move in a little bit towards bike racing now. Is it mandatory for a mechanic to have a truck license? Does every mechanic need a truck license in these modern days?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
It is, it is. You have to, it's like your tool. You bring it everywhere to the races, so you spend a lot of time in the truck, so it's mandatory. We give them, when they arrive, like a little bit of time to get their license, but if it doesn't go fast enough, you can push a little bit to just wake them up and say, guys, we are also a kind of small truck driver sometimes so yes we do.
SOREN JENSEN
Because we know that the mechanics well they move the truck they also drive in the team cars they need to be flexible in any matter and especially let's talk about one of the big things now like a grand tour. At a grand tour can you take a listener through what you guys do first, what do you guys do last, what time do you go to bed? You know, just for our listeners to understand, because I know it's some long days for you guys at the bigger races, and it's not just one week. It's a full three weeks from early morning before everyone else gets up, and you're probably also the last ones that are hitting the bed in the evening.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes. So let's say you start the day around six o'clock. It can be 5.30, it can be earlier, a little bit later, but let's say we start at six. So you wake up, get ready. If possible, you get breakfast immediately. If not, you just start your job. So we go to the truck, start to pump all the tires we have, put the bikes on the roof. And actually the main job comes later to prepare the bikes. So in the morning we are actually quite easy just to get some air in the tires. Then if we got breakfast, okay, then we leave, we go to the start. So there our spare bike stays on the roof with the race bikes. We put them in front of the buses and so the riders can get ready. Then we adjust the tire pressure. It depends on the rider, the weight, whatever.
SOREN JENSEN
So you already have a list?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
We have a list, yes.
SOREN JENSEN
Okay, but do also then, sorry for interrupting here, but then also the riders, are they all on the same tire width? Specialized are going 26, 28 and 30mm, I guess.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes.
SOREN JENSEN
Are they all the same tire width or can the riders also choose what tire they want?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
It depends on which race, let's say. If it's a Grand Tour, yes, they are all on the same width, like let's say 26 millimeters every day.
SOREN JENSEN
And then it only depends on the individual tire pressure.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, in the classics, there you have the different width of tire and the pressure you play more with. But yeah, also like the climbers and lightweight guys, they go lower in pressure, which is just normal.
SOREN JENSEN
And that's some of the testing, of course, you do during training camps, you do it during recons and...
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, that's something we do actually always together with specialized tests. We do some rolling resistance tests and whatever on a drum. So yeah, we're quite good on those things with them.
SOREN JENSEN
So that's because of the rolling resistance test, one thing is to do it in a lab. Another thing is when you do it outside and especially on different riding surfaces or faces of pavements like cobbles, gravel, rough tarmac, potholes. I mean, that completely changes everything.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes. But the good thing is we have a few smart guys in the team, let's say smart riders, that they give us the feedback that we actually need to improve or adjust. Then we do it together with specialists, so they have their own test lab and it goes quite smoothly, I must say.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah. No, it's great. But also what we see on the clothing, that the riders' feedback that's then being filtered through you guys and then being brought over to us at Castelli, it's very good, it's spot on, it's very productive in a way that it can help us improve the clothing and the materials, and so that's fantastic.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, no changes, it's like standing still and running behind.
SOREN JENSEN
So we always tell that yourself or partners that there's no negative feedback. I mean, it's constructive, everything, because only positive feedback will never make you take one step further ahead. So talking about the trucks, we all know that you guys have, the whole world to have these fancy trucks and thank goodness for that because they have air conditioning, they have heaters, so you guys aren't working out in the cold like back in the old days. But one thing is also that a big truck has to be moved, that mobile village from hotel to hotel. And what are some of the challenges that you guys face when moving that big truck? Because sometimes you have longer transfers, you have to go through small villages, parking in very narrow and tight spaces. Can you tell us a little bit more about how all that logistics works?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, if we go from hotel to hotel, we are actually with two people in the truck, so it can help if you have a hairpin in the mountains, so you can see one guy on the right side and one on the left side, just that everything goes well. So but yeah, in the mountains, let's say that's the most difficult thing. So long travels we are a little bit used to, so that's okay. And highway, yeah, you're just going straight. But yeah, mountains are for us, like, we are not like a full-time track driver. So often you drive a car, then you drive a truck, so you have to get a feeling sometimes back with but yeah.
SOREN JENSEN
Then the guys get to the hotel, then they need to sort out the parking and they need to make sure that they have access to water, electricity for the high-pressure cleaners and this goes on. What are some of the strangest, most weirdest things or most difficult situations you have ever Experienced in your life when getting to the hotel?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well it happens that you just arrive at the hotel and you ask like can we connect water and you say like it's not possible so we cannot do our job without. It doesn't happen a lot but sometimes it happens so then you have to find a solution and we're always able to find a solution.
SOREN JENSEN
That's what all these years of experience but there are some I assume someone from the team, that have already been in contact with the hotel, but also when it comes to nutrition or cooking, I know you also have your truck here when it comes to the kitchen, but still, you know, there has been some logistics, a list of logistic things or needs that the team will have, but still, these things can surprise.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
They always get in contact months before you go to a hotel. So trying to get the rooms, whatever, they have the space we need so that they can just keep us a parking spot for the vehicles we have to park.
SOREN JENSEN
Is it the same all over like France, Spain, Italy? Is it kind of the same you see everywhere or there's some countries that are more difficult, maybe it's culture wise, you know, to...
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
I won't say difficult. It's just like the hotels you come, they are used to getting bike teams, you know, so they know how it goes or most of them, they know. So no, not really difficult.
SOREN JENSEN
So now we got to the hotel and let's say for next day you need to maybe specialize to have a new bike they want the riders to ride or maybe there's been a crash or you guys need to build up more bikes. How long does it take for a mechanic to build the bike right out of the box, dial it into the exact millimeter of the rider's position? How long does it take to build the bike and then B, get the rider to be 100% happy with that bike?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
To build a bike, it takes, let's say, around, it depends on the person who can build it or just the speed. So let's say two and a half hours and if we just include the positioning, it's three hours for each bike. And then it depends on the rider. So one is more secured and the other one. So yeah, we are trying to put a position as correct as possible. But it's always important to get the feeling on the bike. So the rider is the pilot on the bike. So he decides what he wants. So yeah, let's say, again, half an hour just to adjust small things and just put the seat like..
SOREN JENSEN
So then the rider will take the bike for a spin and then maybe come back and say, can you do this or that. Do you sometimes even give the rider an allen key or a torx wrench in the hand and have them adjust their bike? Like we all amateurs, we do that. We ride around, you know, maybe with an Allen key in the back pocket or maybe around the parking lot.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
A guy like Kasper Asgreen, he can be our colleague as a mechanic, you know, he can build a bike and he can... Yeah, I know he builds his bikes, yeah. But then you have other guys, they say like, can you do it because I'm not used to. So but that's why we are there.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, of course. Yeah. But also getting into that whole fine tuning of the rider's position, do you think the mechanic needs to have a bit of psychological know-how, you know, working with riders. I mean, you have a rider showing up saying, hey, can you lower my seat by one millimeter or can you angle my saddle and nose tip of my saddle like one degree further down because I don't feel comfortable.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
For sure you need patience and you have to understand that, yeah, they think differently than what we do, because they just live in their cocoon, you know? So you have to accept, and it's probably strange to say, but if you don't do it, it's not a job that fits with you. So yeah, it's just normal. It's normal, yeah.
SOREN JENSEN
But sometimes maybe then you have a rider saying, you know, can you lower it by one millimeter? And the mechanic will be, yeah, yeah, I'll lower it. And the rider comes back and thinks the mechanic did it. But of course, everyone knows that it's not gonna change anything in the rider's performance. And the rider will just be happy because it's a mental thing.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
You just do it.
SOREN JENSEN
Over the last couple of years, we have seen a greater mix of tires in the pro peloton. What do riders prefer these days riding with tubes, tubular or tubeless? It also depends on the race course of course, I think.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes but you actually can split them in two groups. You have the older generation they were used to tubulars yeah so they always choose tubulars is like gold for them. And then you have the younger generation, they actually don't care. You know, they just want to go fast, as fast as possible. And if it's with a tubular, with just a tire, just with an inner tube or tubeless, for them it doesn't matter. And then you have those guys that think with you, they just push and they go for the new stuff. Because you have to improve. I think on tubulars there was no room to play anymore.
SOREN JENSEN
There's a lot of room to play, you're right when it comes to tubeless for sure, both with the liquid but also with the inserts. Do you then run them tubeless with inserts for wheelbase?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes, in the rear. Only rear. Only rear? Okay. Yeah, because we have a really wide rim, so there is almost no risk on pinch flats. But on the rear, it's a narrow rim, just we call it pinch flats. We got the new tire now, so really strong.
SOREN JENSEN
But also for a couple of races like Roubaix or Flanders, the tire sealant, how much would you add to each tire? 15ml or?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
We add actually 80ml because the insert absorbs a little bit of sealant, so you have to count like 15 or 20 milliliters that just goes or sticks around the inserts that you lose. So you add some weight as well, but it's better to be sure.
SOREN JENSEN
To be sure, yeah, and especially for a race like Roubaix.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, if you get a flat tire, the race is over.
SOREN JENSEN
So then on the front, you do the same, the 80 mils. Yes. So yeah, the chat I had with Tim Merlier and Bert yesterday, Time said, always cotton tires, because I asked him, if he preferred tubes, tubular or tubeless tires. And within a second, Tim said tubes. And then he added, and always cotton tires. Maybe some of the riders coming from cyclocross, they're better used to that technical aspect of playing around with the tire pressure and the grip, the traction.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes, exactly. But that's why if we do a kind of testing or Roubaix testing, we involve for sure a guy like Tim Berlier, because he has the feeling with tire pressure and because he's used to cyclocross. So yeah, that helps us so much. I can imagine.
SOREN JENSEN
On a side note here, talking about tires, how many tubulars have you mounted in your life?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
I cannot put a number on it, but I know that we use like 1,200 tubulars every year. You count like 10 mechanics, you mount for sure 120 tubulars a year for some years.
SOREN JENSEN
So what is an easy trick to get a tubular, glued, super glued tubular off the rim?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
We use a screwdriver, but you don't scratch the rim so you just pull on it and just turn like a turning screwdriver. So you just pull and try to make the wheel rolling a little bit so you go around it's actually yeah how it goes.
SOREN JENSEN
Okay back to this episode so we had a grand tour we got to the hotel, we built the race bikes. Then the race starts, after a few days, maybe on stage one, one of your riders will get one of the leader jerseys. It can be any leader's jersey. It can be the yellow, it can be the Red Vuelta jersey, it can be the Polkadot jersey or the Maglia Rosa in the Giro. Castelli will always make sure that we supply the team with extra yellow, red, pink colors for the GC riders in advance. Coming back to La Vuelta, what happens not only on Soudal Quick-Step but also the other teams, the day after one of the riders got one of the leaders jerseys, you see the rider rolling up to the start line with, like Remco, you know, red wrapped bar tape, sometimes even a red bike. What is happening? Is that a bike that you guys have stored back in the truck or something that's being shipped? How is all that unfolding?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, you know, a Grand Tour you always win at the end. So for us it's like a kind of rule that we start with details. So bar tape, bottle cages, like the KH mounts, whatever, just small details in the right color. And then just at the end of a Grand Tour, so we could only win one for now. And let's hope we can do more. But we get a frame like, let's say on Friday, when the Grand Tour finishes on Sunday. So you can actually not build it before. Some of the teams, they just throw them in the track. It's a little bit different with us.
SOREN JENSEN
And that is of course being coordinated just like we can still even coordinate directly with Specialized. It's then Specialized saying, hey, you know, we want you guys to ride in this bike if the rider takes the overall and we only want to see the red bike or maybe this year a yellow bike at the end of the tour. So it would never be showcased doing the race, like some teams pulling out even a polka dot. Yes.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
You know. We would love to do that, but it's something that we decided to get with Specialized and it's their philosophy, I must say, to just do it at the end.
SOREN JENSEN
Also because it's not just one bike, it's also the spare bikes. And then who knows, maybe that rider will lose the polka dot jersey and then what are you going to do? Then you need to bring the old bikes back. So nowadays almost every world tour team uses disc brakes, right?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes.
SOREN JENSEN
All of them now?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
I think all of them yeah.
SOREN JENSEN
When the change happened, did you and your mechanics go on a training camp to train the wheel changes? How was the swap?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
I think we were one of the first teams, probably the first team on this break or fully this break. We actually played in the training camp in December together with the riders. That's something we did to put tires on and just all together to get it as fast as possible. Just to put a wheel with this break. And then to do it every day you get used to. But in the beginning, yes, you just try to do it faster and find a way that I can do it this way or that way.
SOREN JENSEN
Because I remember the first season, most teams would swap the bike rather than the wheel, just because it was quicker. But now this has also changed.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, you get used to it, because we were a little bit scared that it would take too long and it also depends on the moment in the race. If it's in the final, you just give a bike because it's just faster. You get used to it and you actually don't think anymore like rim brakes, how it was.
SOREN JENSEN
How quick can a mechanic change a rear wheel with a modular disc during a race?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
I think it goes super fast with a true axle with the drill we have it takes like not even 15 seconds.
SOREN JENSEN
Not even 15 seconds. Yeah, that's quick. That's very quick And there are no complaints from the riders. It's difficult to hear of course when you're in a race situation. But maybe sometimes it could happen that the disc is rubbing just a little bit if it's on the wheel?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, in the beginning it was a little bit of an issue we had, but also on those things got some improvement, you know.
SOREN JENSEN
Big improvements, yeah.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
This got solved, so it's not the thing that happens daily anymore.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, what is the, talking about rubbing and talking about disc, for an amateur cyclist, I mean, we're all like, I think 80% now of cyclists today are riding with discs. What is the best way to fine tune a disc that is rubbing and what is the general rule of thumb of maintenance?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
The best thing is when it's rubbing it's because the caliper is not centered. So that means that you just open the pistons in the caliper again, just that you get space enough, then you just screw the caliper himself on the frame and then you just pull on the brake, but don't pull too hard just easy, and then you just screw the two screws against not too tight and then you just lose it double check again just put some white paper on the ground just to see if the rotor is in the middle of the caliper and then tighten a little bit more the two screws and it should be good. It's actually quite easy the moment you know how it goes.
SOREN JENSEN
That's a really good procedure and actually an easy one.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
It's super easy but you need the right tools. It's easy just don't do it with a random screwdriver or whatever, just that you make some scratches in the brake pads. It is like a tool that you can use.
SOREN JENSEN
You can center in your caliper and push the pistons back. You also sometimes need to lube the pistons?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
When the weather is bad, really bad, it can happen that a piston gets a little bit stuck. But really some lube not. You just clean them with some brake cleaner to get everything clean around so there's no dust so it can move.
SOREN JENSEN
Really yeah and it's also important to tell the audience here when you use the brake cleaner try to avoid getting that cleaner liquid onto your discs. It's only for the caliper, the brakes, correct?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
And just use a towel around it, so that it doesn't go everywhere.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, that's a good point. Still talking about brakes, how often should a normal amateur cyclist bleed the brakes? And does it make any difference, you know, if you need to bleed your brakes more often if you mainly ride flat or if you live in the mountains?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, you actually have to replace, let's say if you are just not a professional bike rider, every year, it's not bad to get some new oil in your brakes. But to bleed it, it's actually a closed system. So once it's bleeded and it's well done, there is no air inside, it should be good for a year.
SOREN JENSEN
That's good to know. I mean, I think a lot of people find it super convenient with disc and brake performance and everything, but the maintenance is maybe where most people, they lack a little bit. And it doesn't really take much time. But as you said also earlier, also just changing your cables back in the day, it was also something that people hardly ever did. But it's an easy fix. It's low cost, and it completely changes your riding experience and the same with discs. So and you know, no one wants to have rubbing disc or have a bad braking performance. And it just takes a little bit of cleanness, a little bit of adjustments and then once a year a bleed. Maybe even better bring it to your local bike shop and have them do the professional. Also a clean bike you can save a lot of money if you clean the bike and just give some maintenance. So you can save like, yeah you know chains, cassettes, it goes longer, take care of it.
SOREN JENSEN
You are so right, yeah the whole drive chain system, yeah. What do you prefer, a wax chain or dry loop?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
It depends on the circumstances you need it. So I would say for a TT, for sure a wax chain. It's also a direction that goes now for the road. But back in the days, like Niki Terpstra said, wax is something you put in your hair and it's something you put on a chain. So it's the direction that we go now.
SOREN JENSEN
So wax is getting important as well. I mean, I've waxed my chains as well since many years and it's just I think it's the same thing about keeping your bike clean and the maintenance because I have a rotating both my mountain bike, gravel bike, road bikes, I have a rotation of I think 8-10 chains and I just go through them also with the ones with my wife, go through them and I get when everyone all of them have been used then I clean them, I re-wax everything again, hang them up and then I'm good for almost a year of riding. And they're so easy to clean afterwards. You don't get dirty hands if the chain should pop off of your drive chain. So no, it's true. But it might seem very difficult for the first time if you start reading about it.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
If you're not used to it, yes. But once you know the system, it's...
SOREN JENSEN
And then you're going to... It might also, some people might think, oh, this is too expensive, but I mean, the duration of the cassette, the chain set, the chain, like you said before, everything is...
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
That's again, you save money. You have to make an investment to get it first, but then in the long term, you save money.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, correct. So, Nico, back in the days when I was racing amateur and elite level for a few years. The smallest gear I ever used in the mountains was 39-28 up some of those nasty French and Italian climbs. Today, let's say like the last year's penultimate Giro stage, for example, brutal time trial of that climb. We saw some teams using one by ratio. What was Soudal Quick-Step using and how has the compact gearing changed the way we ride and cadence?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, to make it quite clear if you prepare a bike and you have like a 39 and a 28 cassette on it, I don't think the rider will start that day. So he's gonna say, I cannot make it, you know? Well, many, many years ago, if you look at the gearing it's just those guys were just yeah I don't know another level you know to get on top of the mountain because the mountain didn't change yeah so but now and then that Giro stage they use like a 34 in front and a 34 in the back you know so it's almost mountain bike you know yeah but that's new cycling gear is getting bigger the cassettes you know and it's part of cycling.
SOREN JENSEN
It's part of cycling the evolution that's been over the last decade first with the compact gearing then with tubeless tires discs and everything that we touched on earlier now it's…
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah in five years time it went so fast.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah the evolution has just changed like completely.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, if you look back on the last five years, the changes we made are like it would take 20 years in the past. So it goes like a train, you know?
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, I remember last summer during our family holidays in Belgium, in Flanders. My wife and I went to Oudenaarde for a few days.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
The heart of cycling.
SOREN JENSEN
The heart of cycling, exactly. And it's a beautiful spot, especially there in August in summertime for bike holidays, but also you're easily, in one hour drive, you're out to the coast side, go to the beach.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Ardennes.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, Ardennes, exactly. And go and visit Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges. We rode down to Roubaix. Of course, we had to do a few laps inside of the velodrome. But I was surprised about coming out like now, where I'm not saying I never touch my bike anymore, but I ride a lot less compared to before, of course. We live in the mountains in detail in Dolomites, so she also has some big mountain gearings on her bike. But for myself, when I rode the Koppenberg, and that was the first time back on the Koppenberg in 20 years. Of course, last time I rode it was during a time I stayed in Belgium. It was also a race, of course, but I remember it to be a lot harder. But now going slower with a 33t in the back and a 34t in the front, because we live in the mountains. And I found it like, well, I don't remember it to be between brackets that easy.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, you know, but it's also if you are used to the longer mountains and then it's just like a small hill.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah! But you know, still, yeah. And it was also August, you know, the tarmac was dry. Well, the cobbles were dry and that was...
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Makes a big difference.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, it does. It does. Yeah. Coming back to the tour, when you see, but it could be any race, when you see there's a big crash, like 50 guys going down, of course, the first thing you think of as a cycling fan watching on television is that you hope that all the riders will be okay. And then the next thing that comes into mind is all those broken bikes and spare parts and bar tape etc, power meters and stuff that's being scratched, maybe ruined. I mean you as a mechanic when you're watching this, maybe inside the team car. What goes through your mind, of course, after thinking about changing the wheels, getting the guys, you know, going again?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, it's actually like you switch off electricity. You just switch off your thinking, jump out of the car and just keep the overview and try to handle it as calm as possible. And just, you know, we have a radio, try to be in contact with the radio and just communicate, which is super important. So yeah, and then broken parts, it's also part of cycling, you know? It's a pity, it's a waste of money sometimes.
SOREN JENSEN
It's a lot of money to think about. What is the average price of one of the team bikes? 10,000, 12,000?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Now it went up to 14,000 euros.
SOREN JENSEN
14,000 euros, yeah. So do that by 50. Of course you always have all the spare parts in the truck. But when you see a big crash, maybe you have 4 or 5 guys in there, and you're maybe just at the first stages and dramatic stages of a grand tour, you still have another 18 stages to go.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
You know, broken parts, it's part of what we do. But it's always painful to your heart if you see all those broken parts. Yeah, it's part of it.
SOREN JENSEN
Looking at the weight of the bikes, because the UCI limit is 6.8 kilograms, do you think the UCI could drop it by 500 grams to 6.3 without having any problems with safety issues?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, I'm actually quite happy with what we have now and I should stick to what we have. You can go to 6.6 maybe but I don't think there is a need to go less because I had a really good talk with Michael Mørkøv last year and also on the gearing and whatever he said “maybe there has to come like a limitation on gearing we are using because we are going so fast that it's probably not safe anymore. So you can make everything lighter and faster, but where will it stop?
SOREN JENSEN
So it's better to just draw a line and say, that's what it is. Because that's also one thing that I have spoken to Michael about, since he's more from the older generation, but he's also a guy who has seen it all. He's also one of the most technically skilled professional cyclists in the pro peloton, especially coming with his track background. But we were talking about safety. We didn't discuss weight, but we discussed that all the younger guys now pointing in the levers to have this more like top aerodynamic position where also due to Michael sometimes it could be dangerous you know I mean you could risk a bit of the safety because sometimes we're getting quickly on the levers and the brakes for braking could be an issue maybe.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
But UCI is working on that as well so they will come. It will come. So I got a meeting last week with the UCI so the inclination of the levers they are gonna make a tool and once it's ready they're gonna send it to all the teams and then they're gonna say yeah sorry guys we are on this moment but it's a rule for everybody and I think it's what we need all the crashes we see and yeah something has to change.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, I mean it's all for the riders safety in the end.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, if I look back at the start of the season of 2023, you know we have a big box where we just throw broken parts and it got full after three months, which we almost never get full on a whole season. So now after three months, we said, if we continue like this, we're going to end up just without material, you know? So, yeah, it's good that we get some rules to make it clear for everybody, everybody on the same page.
SOREN JENSEN
Because as we all know, the more you go narrow, also on the handlebars and with the levers pointed in, you don't really have that balance on the bike that you'll be able to steer better.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
If you compare like a mountain bike and then a road bike yeah it makes sense while you have a wider yeah handlebar and I'm fully into aero and yes we need to go as aero and as fast as possible so you need the narrow, but not too narrow.
SOREN JENSEN
I agree. Nico, two last questions. Do you have a favorite tool or bike part?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
A favorite tool, I would say my whole toolbox is like gold for me. I don't like that somebody else is just taking tools from my toolbox. It's like your kids, you know? It's mine. Yeah.
SOREN JENSEN
And you probably can pick whatever tool you are looking for with your eyes closed.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, because you know where they are. So yeah, an allen key that you get in your hands every day.
SOREN JENSEN
How often do you get to ride your bike? Knowing that you are spending all this time on the road, races, in meetings, testing, recons, how often do you get to ride your bike?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, not enough. Because I was a bike rider many years ago. And I still have also on that part the passion of just to ride my bike and enjoy. You know, I have no will to get a number on my back. But just to make some loops and...
SOREN JENSEN
Just get up one hour, spinning your legs, just keep testing your mind.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Just one hour, one and a half hour, just switch off without thinking and just get that good feeling, you know? I don't get it enough anymore, so I'm going to work on that for myself because during the Covid-19 period when we were home, I just picked it again and I did trips from six, seven hours again. And it all came back and I just realized that it's important to be healthy as well.
SOREN JENSEN
It is. It is. And also keeping a healthy life balance, especially when you have a stressful job like yourself, it's very important.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes, it is. It is.
SOREN JENSEN
Nico, thank you so much. It was an honor to have you on and it was super interesting and exciting. You're welcome. Thanks a million for being our guest on today's show and we all learned a lot of things including myself. Thank you so much.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
You're welcome.
SOREN JENSEN
Really and I look forward to see you down the road at the races.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes for sure.
SOREN JENSEN
Okay take care. Thank you again.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Thank you. Bye bye.
(01:50) Nico’s Journey
(07:19) What makes a good mechanic?
(10:01) A Day In The Life Of A Pro-Mechanic
(20:02) Tubes, Tubular or Tubeless?
(21:04) Inserts and Extra Sealant for RBX
(24:55) Grand Tour Custom Paint Job and Bar Wrap
(26:45) Disc Wheel change
(28:58) Maintenance and Evolution of Bike Tech
(38:31) Broken Parts, Crashes
(39:54) UCI Safety Rules
(43:18) Ending
SOREN JENSEN
Mechanics have it tough. Pro level mechanics have it even worse. They are used as the last ones to leave the pits and the first to return in the morning. Their hours stretch out the working day but there is no time to rest in the middle. They have to be on the tools at a moment's notice doing practice and could be faced with needing to make an emergency fix right before the riders start time, or maybe they're living it up doing what they love. In their eyes, they get to wrench on their latest bikes and hang with the world's top riders. They're all part of a traveling circus, hopping from race to race on airplanes or long days of highway driving, living out of a suitcase for weeks on end. They bounce in and out of hotels and up and down mountains across continents. We chatted with Nicolas Coosemans, technical and development manager of Soudal Quick-Step, to find out more about the life of a world tour mechanic, their wireless fixes of all times, the evolution of bike equipment over the last decade and more. So without further ado, Nico, welcome to the show. We are thrilled to have you on the Castelli podcast.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Thank you very much for having me.
SOREN JENSEN
It's a pleasure, man. It's a pleasure. But before we get started with all the technical questions, tell us a little bit about yourself, your journey getting into the sport, and then where you are now.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, it started back in 2007. I was working in a bike shop for three years, and I got the opportunity to work with a continental team, some young guys from Belgium and I could do tour of Belgium with them so that's where it started and it just grew and I did like more and more races and it ended at the end of the 2012 season because I got the opportunity to start in the Quick-Step team, the big team. I got contacted by Kurt, my colleague, and it was like a dream that came true. So that's where it all started. So now 12 years later, quite a lot has happened, I must say. So six years ago I got the opportunity to become the head mechanic and since last year I could take another step and become the technical manager of the team. So I'm super proud to be part of this team and still after all those years it's still a dream.
SOREN JENSEN
Oh that's good too because that is the passion for the sport and for what you do and also the people that you have around you. Let me just rewind back a little bit to the day or the year that you said you started working as a bike mechanic, 2006, correct?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes, correct.
SOREN JENSEN
How old were you back then? In 2006, I was 22 years old. So then be honest with us now, when starting working as a bike mechanic, could you actually glue on a tire and change the chain or did you have to learn everything from scratch?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, the year before I tried to be a cyclist, so even just up to continental level. And I worked on my bike myself all the time. So I learned by myself and I think I did well. So that's where I learned everything and then just to steal with your eyes just go around and just look around and learn from you know the mechanics in those times, so I was watching movies whatever I could pick up so for me it's like since I'm six years old cycling is my life. So I have my family, but that's what they know. It's a passion and it's what I love.
SOREN JENSEN
And you know what? I've heard the exact same phrase from all the WorldTour mechanics. You know, it is your second family.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
It is. You spend more time with the guys at the races than with your own family. I have to miss quite a lot of just random parties or whatever with the family because you're just on the road.
SOREN JENSEN
How many days do you then actually travel during a full season?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
In the beginning I did like 200 days and even more, including days in service courses. I ended up with 120 days. So a little bit more time at home, but also more responsibility.
SOREN JENSEN
Also in the early years, starting out as a bike mechanic, you probably had someone learning you the ropes, like a mentor.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
They are still here in the team. So when I came, the guys like Kurt, Dirk, Frank, Guido, we were still all together and we spoke about it yesterday evening. We had a small meeting with the mechanics and we are so proud. After all those years, we are still just together. And now with the young guys coming in the team, we have a few new guys. I just told them, guys, just look up to those guys because they have like a big backpack, you know, with all the experience. So, yeah, you better listen to what they say.
SOREN JENSEN
And learn some of the best. I like to hear that because, you know, as a professional cyclist, a new pro and up, you always have that one person that gets their foot in that door, that shows them the ropes. They're there to help and succeed rather than, you know, happy that they failed. Someone that always shows you the way and guides you. So that's cool that your network of mechanics have the same sort of support group and the same sort of story.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, but it's also if we have to make a decision, I always go around and ask what they think. I'm not going to make a decision on my own. That's like a kind of respect in both directions.
SOREN JENSEN
And that is teamwork. And I'm sure we're going to get into that a little later when it comes to the evolution of bike equipment over the last decade, because that's probably going to be very exciting. But before, at your level, at the WorldTour level, what makes a good mechanic? Because as you said before, you're on the road a lot of days during the year. You see the team and the riders and the other staff more than you see your own family. What is it that makes a good mechanic?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
It just starts with a passion you need. And from there, the will to learn, to listen, and just to do the best you can, to give what you can. So that's actually, it sounds easy, but it's not always easy.
SOREN JENSEN
I can imagine because you said the word passion a few times already and yeah, you're completely right. A good mechanic doesn't only need to have the skills to be a good mechanic. I think it all boils down to passion. Passion for the sport, passion for the riders, passion for the job. What motivates you to go above and beyond when things are tough on the road?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
It's always hard to travel a lot, just to leave your family.
SOREN JENSEN
When it's your child's birthday maybe, or like yesterday, it was Michel Landa's birthday. He told me yesterday that he always celebrated his birthday apart from the COVID year, but with the teams and the riders he worked with in the past, now with his family.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, but it's something that grows with the years, the experience you have, and you get a little bit used to, I must say, but yeah, still family is priority.
SOREN JENSEN Let's move in a little bit towards bike racing now. Is it mandatory for a mechanic to have a truck license? Does every mechanic need a truck license in these modern days?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
It is, it is. You have to, it's like your tool. You bring it everywhere to the races, so you spend a lot of time in the truck, so it's mandatory. We give them, when they arrive, like a little bit of time to get their license, but if it doesn't go fast enough, you can push a little bit to just wake them up and say, guys, we are also a kind of small truck driver sometimes so yes we do.
SOREN JENSEN
Because we know that the mechanics well they move the truck they also drive in the team cars they need to be flexible in any matter and especially let's talk about one of the big things now like a grand tour. At a grand tour can you take a listener through what you guys do first, what do you guys do last, what time do you go to bed? You know, just for our listeners to understand, because I know it's some long days for you guys at the bigger races, and it's not just one week. It's a full three weeks from early morning before everyone else gets up, and you're probably also the last ones that are hitting the bed in the evening.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes. So let's say you start the day around six o'clock. It can be 5.30, it can be earlier, a little bit later, but let's say we start at six. So you wake up, get ready. If possible, you get breakfast immediately. If not, you just start your job. So we go to the truck, start to pump all the tires we have, put the bikes on the roof. And actually the main job comes later to prepare the bikes. So in the morning we are actually quite easy just to get some air in the tires. Then if we got breakfast, okay, then we leave, we go to the start. So there our spare bike stays on the roof with the race bikes. We put them in front of the buses and so the riders can get ready. Then we adjust the tire pressure. It depends on the rider, the weight, whatever.
SOREN JENSEN
So you already have a list?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
We have a list, yes.
SOREN JENSEN
Okay, but do also then, sorry for interrupting here, but then also the riders, are they all on the same tire width? Specialized are going 26, 28 and 30mm, I guess.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes.
SOREN JENSEN
Are they all the same tire width or can the riders also choose what tire they want?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
It depends on which race, let's say. If it's a Grand Tour, yes, they are all on the same width, like let's say 26 millimeters every day.
SOREN JENSEN
And then it only depends on the individual tire pressure.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, in the classics, there you have the different width of tire and the pressure you play more with. But yeah, also like the climbers and lightweight guys, they go lower in pressure, which is just normal.
SOREN JENSEN
And that's some of the testing, of course, you do during training camps, you do it during recons and...
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, that's something we do actually always together with specialized tests. We do some rolling resistance tests and whatever on a drum. So yeah, we're quite good on those things with them.
SOREN JENSEN
So that's because of the rolling resistance test, one thing is to do it in a lab. Another thing is when you do it outside and especially on different riding surfaces or faces of pavements like cobbles, gravel, rough tarmac, potholes. I mean, that completely changes everything.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes. But the good thing is we have a few smart guys in the team, let's say smart riders, that they give us the feedback that we actually need to improve or adjust. Then we do it together with specialists, so they have their own test lab and it goes quite smoothly, I must say.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah. No, it's great. But also what we see on the clothing, that the riders' feedback that's then being filtered through you guys and then being brought over to us at Castelli, it's very good, it's spot on, it's very productive in a way that it can help us improve the clothing and the materials, and so that's fantastic.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, no changes, it's like standing still and running behind.
SOREN JENSEN
So we always tell that yourself or partners that there's no negative feedback. I mean, it's constructive, everything, because only positive feedback will never make you take one step further ahead. So talking about the trucks, we all know that you guys have, the whole world to have these fancy trucks and thank goodness for that because they have air conditioning, they have heaters, so you guys aren't working out in the cold like back in the old days. But one thing is also that a big truck has to be moved, that mobile village from hotel to hotel. And what are some of the challenges that you guys face when moving that big truck? Because sometimes you have longer transfers, you have to go through small villages, parking in very narrow and tight spaces. Can you tell us a little bit more about how all that logistics works?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, if we go from hotel to hotel, we are actually with two people in the truck, so it can help if you have a hairpin in the mountains, so you can see one guy on the right side and one on the left side, just that everything goes well. So but yeah, in the mountains, let's say that's the most difficult thing. So long travels we are a little bit used to, so that's okay. And highway, yeah, you're just going straight. But yeah, mountains are for us, like, we are not like a full-time track driver. So often you drive a car, then you drive a truck, so you have to get a feeling sometimes back with but yeah.
SOREN JENSEN
Then the guys get to the hotel, then they need to sort out the parking and they need to make sure that they have access to water, electricity for the high-pressure cleaners and this goes on. What are some of the strangest, most weirdest things or most difficult situations you have ever Experienced in your life when getting to the hotel?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well it happens that you just arrive at the hotel and you ask like can we connect water and you say like it's not possible so we cannot do our job without. It doesn't happen a lot but sometimes it happens so then you have to find a solution and we're always able to find a solution.
SOREN JENSEN
That's what all these years of experience but there are some I assume someone from the team, that have already been in contact with the hotel, but also when it comes to nutrition or cooking, I know you also have your truck here when it comes to the kitchen, but still, you know, there has been some logistics, a list of logistic things or needs that the team will have, but still, these things can surprise.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
They always get in contact months before you go to a hotel. So trying to get the rooms, whatever, they have the space we need so that they can just keep us a parking spot for the vehicles we have to park.
SOREN JENSEN
Is it the same all over like France, Spain, Italy? Is it kind of the same you see everywhere or there's some countries that are more difficult, maybe it's culture wise, you know, to...
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
I won't say difficult. It's just like the hotels you come, they are used to getting bike teams, you know, so they know how it goes or most of them, they know. So no, not really difficult.
SOREN JENSEN
So now we got to the hotel and let's say for next day you need to maybe specialize to have a new bike they want the riders to ride or maybe there's been a crash or you guys need to build up more bikes. How long does it take for a mechanic to build the bike right out of the box, dial it into the exact millimeter of the rider's position? How long does it take to build the bike and then B, get the rider to be 100% happy with that bike?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
To build a bike, it takes, let's say, around, it depends on the person who can build it or just the speed. So let's say two and a half hours and if we just include the positioning, it's three hours for each bike. And then it depends on the rider. So one is more secured and the other one. So yeah, we are trying to put a position as correct as possible. But it's always important to get the feeling on the bike. So the rider is the pilot on the bike. So he decides what he wants. So yeah, let's say, again, half an hour just to adjust small things and just put the seat like..
SOREN JENSEN
So then the rider will take the bike for a spin and then maybe come back and say, can you do this or that. Do you sometimes even give the rider an allen key or a torx wrench in the hand and have them adjust their bike? Like we all amateurs, we do that. We ride around, you know, maybe with an Allen key in the back pocket or maybe around the parking lot.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
A guy like Kasper Asgreen, he can be our colleague as a mechanic, you know, he can build a bike and he can... Yeah, I know he builds his bikes, yeah. But then you have other guys, they say like, can you do it because I'm not used to. So but that's why we are there.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, of course. Yeah. But also getting into that whole fine tuning of the rider's position, do you think the mechanic needs to have a bit of psychological know-how, you know, working with riders. I mean, you have a rider showing up saying, hey, can you lower my seat by one millimeter or can you angle my saddle and nose tip of my saddle like one degree further down because I don't feel comfortable.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
For sure you need patience and you have to understand that, yeah, they think differently than what we do, because they just live in their cocoon, you know? So you have to accept, and it's probably strange to say, but if you don't do it, it's not a job that fits with you. So yeah, it's just normal. It's normal, yeah.
SOREN JENSEN
But sometimes maybe then you have a rider saying, you know, can you lower it by one millimeter? And the mechanic will be, yeah, yeah, I'll lower it. And the rider comes back and thinks the mechanic did it. But of course, everyone knows that it's not gonna change anything in the rider's performance. And the rider will just be happy because it's a mental thing.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
You just do it.
SOREN JENSEN
Over the last couple of years, we have seen a greater mix of tires in the pro peloton. What do riders prefer these days riding with tubes, tubular or tubeless? It also depends on the race course of course, I think.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes but you actually can split them in two groups. You have the older generation they were used to tubulars yeah so they always choose tubulars is like gold for them. And then you have the younger generation, they actually don't care. You know, they just want to go fast, as fast as possible. And if it's with a tubular, with just a tire, just with an inner tube or tubeless, for them it doesn't matter. And then you have those guys that think with you, they just push and they go for the new stuff. Because you have to improve. I think on tubulars there was no room to play anymore.
SOREN JENSEN
There's a lot of room to play, you're right when it comes to tubeless for sure, both with the liquid but also with the inserts. Do you then run them tubeless with inserts for wheelbase?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes, in the rear. Only rear. Only rear? Okay. Yeah, because we have a really wide rim, so there is almost no risk on pinch flats. But on the rear, it's a narrow rim, just we call it pinch flats. We got the new tire now, so really strong.
SOREN JENSEN
But also for a couple of races like Roubaix or Flanders, the tire sealant, how much would you add to each tire? 15ml or?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
We add actually 80ml because the insert absorbs a little bit of sealant, so you have to count like 15 or 20 milliliters that just goes or sticks around the inserts that you lose. So you add some weight as well, but it's better to be sure.
SOREN JENSEN
To be sure, yeah, and especially for a race like Roubaix.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, if you get a flat tire, the race is over.
SOREN JENSEN
So then on the front, you do the same, the 80 mils. Yes. So yeah, the chat I had with Tim Merlier and Bert yesterday, Time said, always cotton tires, because I asked him, if he preferred tubes, tubular or tubeless tires. And within a second, Tim said tubes. And then he added, and always cotton tires. Maybe some of the riders coming from cyclocross, they're better used to that technical aspect of playing around with the tire pressure and the grip, the traction.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes, exactly. But that's why if we do a kind of testing or Roubaix testing, we involve for sure a guy like Tim Berlier, because he has the feeling with tire pressure and because he's used to cyclocross. So yeah, that helps us so much. I can imagine.
SOREN JENSEN
On a side note here, talking about tires, how many tubulars have you mounted in your life?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
I cannot put a number on it, but I know that we use like 1,200 tubulars every year. You count like 10 mechanics, you mount for sure 120 tubulars a year for some years.
SOREN JENSEN
So what is an easy trick to get a tubular, glued, super glued tubular off the rim?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
We use a screwdriver, but you don't scratch the rim so you just pull on it and just turn like a turning screwdriver. So you just pull and try to make the wheel rolling a little bit so you go around it's actually yeah how it goes.
SOREN JENSEN
Okay back to this episode so we had a grand tour we got to the hotel, we built the race bikes. Then the race starts, after a few days, maybe on stage one, one of your riders will get one of the leader jerseys. It can be any leader's jersey. It can be the yellow, it can be the Red Vuelta jersey, it can be the Polkadot jersey or the Maglia Rosa in the Giro. Castelli will always make sure that we supply the team with extra yellow, red, pink colors for the GC riders in advance. Coming back to La Vuelta, what happens not only on Soudal Quick-Step but also the other teams, the day after one of the riders got one of the leaders jerseys, you see the rider rolling up to the start line with, like Remco, you know, red wrapped bar tape, sometimes even a red bike. What is happening? Is that a bike that you guys have stored back in the truck or something that's being shipped? How is all that unfolding?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, you know, a Grand Tour you always win at the end. So for us it's like a kind of rule that we start with details. So bar tape, bottle cages, like the KH mounts, whatever, just small details in the right color. And then just at the end of a Grand Tour, so we could only win one for now. And let's hope we can do more. But we get a frame like, let's say on Friday, when the Grand Tour finishes on Sunday. So you can actually not build it before. Some of the teams, they just throw them in the track. It's a little bit different with us.
SOREN JENSEN
And that is of course being coordinated just like we can still even coordinate directly with Specialized. It's then Specialized saying, hey, you know, we want you guys to ride in this bike if the rider takes the overall and we only want to see the red bike or maybe this year a yellow bike at the end of the tour. So it would never be showcased doing the race, like some teams pulling out even a polka dot. Yes.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
You know. We would love to do that, but it's something that we decided to get with Specialized and it's their philosophy, I must say, to just do it at the end.
SOREN JENSEN
Also because it's not just one bike, it's also the spare bikes. And then who knows, maybe that rider will lose the polka dot jersey and then what are you going to do? Then you need to bring the old bikes back. So nowadays almost every world tour team uses disc brakes, right?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes.
SOREN JENSEN
All of them now?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
I think all of them yeah.
SOREN JENSEN
When the change happened, did you and your mechanics go on a training camp to train the wheel changes? How was the swap?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
I think we were one of the first teams, probably the first team on this break or fully this break. We actually played in the training camp in December together with the riders. That's something we did to put tires on and just all together to get it as fast as possible. Just to put a wheel with this break. And then to do it every day you get used to. But in the beginning, yes, you just try to do it faster and find a way that I can do it this way or that way.
SOREN JENSEN
Because I remember the first season, most teams would swap the bike rather than the wheel, just because it was quicker. But now this has also changed.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, you get used to it, because we were a little bit scared that it would take too long and it also depends on the moment in the race. If it's in the final, you just give a bike because it's just faster. You get used to it and you actually don't think anymore like rim brakes, how it was.
SOREN JENSEN
How quick can a mechanic change a rear wheel with a modular disc during a race?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
I think it goes super fast with a true axle with the drill we have it takes like not even 15 seconds.
SOREN JENSEN
Not even 15 seconds. Yeah, that's quick. That's very quick And there are no complaints from the riders. It's difficult to hear of course when you're in a race situation. But maybe sometimes it could happen that the disc is rubbing just a little bit if it's on the wheel?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, in the beginning it was a little bit of an issue we had, but also on those things got some improvement, you know.
SOREN JENSEN
Big improvements, yeah.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
This got solved, so it's not the thing that happens daily anymore.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, what is the, talking about rubbing and talking about disc, for an amateur cyclist, I mean, we're all like, I think 80% now of cyclists today are riding with discs. What is the best way to fine tune a disc that is rubbing and what is the general rule of thumb of maintenance?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
The best thing is when it's rubbing it's because the caliper is not centered. So that means that you just open the pistons in the caliper again, just that you get space enough, then you just screw the caliper himself on the frame and then you just pull on the brake, but don't pull too hard just easy, and then you just screw the two screws against not too tight and then you just lose it double check again just put some white paper on the ground just to see if the rotor is in the middle of the caliper and then tighten a little bit more the two screws and it should be good. It's actually quite easy the moment you know how it goes.
SOREN JENSEN
That's a really good procedure and actually an easy one.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
It's super easy but you need the right tools. It's easy just don't do it with a random screwdriver or whatever, just that you make some scratches in the brake pads. It is like a tool that you can use.
SOREN JENSEN
You can center in your caliper and push the pistons back. You also sometimes need to lube the pistons?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
When the weather is bad, really bad, it can happen that a piston gets a little bit stuck. But really some lube not. You just clean them with some brake cleaner to get everything clean around so there's no dust so it can move.
SOREN JENSEN
Really yeah and it's also important to tell the audience here when you use the brake cleaner try to avoid getting that cleaner liquid onto your discs. It's only for the caliper, the brakes, correct?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
And just use a towel around it, so that it doesn't go everywhere.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, that's a good point. Still talking about brakes, how often should a normal amateur cyclist bleed the brakes? And does it make any difference, you know, if you need to bleed your brakes more often if you mainly ride flat or if you live in the mountains?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, you actually have to replace, let's say if you are just not a professional bike rider, every year, it's not bad to get some new oil in your brakes. But to bleed it, it's actually a closed system. So once it's bleeded and it's well done, there is no air inside, it should be good for a year.
SOREN JENSEN
That's good to know. I mean, I think a lot of people find it super convenient with disc and brake performance and everything, but the maintenance is maybe where most people, they lack a little bit. And it doesn't really take much time. But as you said also earlier, also just changing your cables back in the day, it was also something that people hardly ever did. But it's an easy fix. It's low cost, and it completely changes your riding experience and the same with discs. So and you know, no one wants to have rubbing disc or have a bad braking performance. And it just takes a little bit of cleanness, a little bit of adjustments and then once a year a bleed. Maybe even better bring it to your local bike shop and have them do the professional. Also a clean bike you can save a lot of money if you clean the bike and just give some maintenance. So you can save like, yeah you know chains, cassettes, it goes longer, take care of it.
SOREN JENSEN
You are so right, yeah the whole drive chain system, yeah. What do you prefer, a wax chain or dry loop?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
It depends on the circumstances you need it. So I would say for a TT, for sure a wax chain. It's also a direction that goes now for the road. But back in the days, like Niki Terpstra said, wax is something you put in your hair and it's something you put on a chain. So it's the direction that we go now.
SOREN JENSEN
So wax is getting important as well. I mean, I've waxed my chains as well since many years and it's just I think it's the same thing about keeping your bike clean and the maintenance because I have a rotating both my mountain bike, gravel bike, road bikes, I have a rotation of I think 8-10 chains and I just go through them also with the ones with my wife, go through them and I get when everyone all of them have been used then I clean them, I re-wax everything again, hang them up and then I'm good for almost a year of riding. And they're so easy to clean afterwards. You don't get dirty hands if the chain should pop off of your drive chain. So no, it's true. But it might seem very difficult for the first time if you start reading about it.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
If you're not used to it, yes. But once you know the system, it's...
SOREN JENSEN
And then you're going to... It might also, some people might think, oh, this is too expensive, but I mean, the duration of the cassette, the chain set, the chain, like you said before, everything is...
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
That's again, you save money. You have to make an investment to get it first, but then in the long term, you save money.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, correct. So, Nico, back in the days when I was racing amateur and elite level for a few years. The smallest gear I ever used in the mountains was 39-28 up some of those nasty French and Italian climbs. Today, let's say like the last year's penultimate Giro stage, for example, brutal time trial of that climb. We saw some teams using one by ratio. What was Soudal Quick-Step using and how has the compact gearing changed the way we ride and cadence?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, to make it quite clear if you prepare a bike and you have like a 39 and a 28 cassette on it, I don't think the rider will start that day. So he's gonna say, I cannot make it, you know? Well, many, many years ago, if you look at the gearing it's just those guys were just yeah I don't know another level you know to get on top of the mountain because the mountain didn't change yeah so but now and then that Giro stage they use like a 34 in front and a 34 in the back you know so it's almost mountain bike you know yeah but that's new cycling gear is getting bigger the cassettes you know and it's part of cycling.
SOREN JENSEN
It's part of cycling the evolution that's been over the last decade first with the compact gearing then with tubeless tires discs and everything that we touched on earlier now it's…
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah in five years time it went so fast.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah the evolution has just changed like completely.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, if you look back on the last five years, the changes we made are like it would take 20 years in the past. So it goes like a train, you know?
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, I remember last summer during our family holidays in Belgium, in Flanders. My wife and I went to Oudenaarde for a few days.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
The heart of cycling.
SOREN JENSEN
The heart of cycling, exactly. And it's a beautiful spot, especially there in August in summertime for bike holidays, but also you're easily, in one hour drive, you're out to the coast side, go to the beach.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Ardennes.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, Ardennes, exactly. And go and visit Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges. We rode down to Roubaix. Of course, we had to do a few laps inside of the velodrome. But I was surprised about coming out like now, where I'm not saying I never touch my bike anymore, but I ride a lot less compared to before, of course. We live in the mountains in detail in Dolomites, so she also has some big mountain gearings on her bike. But for myself, when I rode the Koppenberg, and that was the first time back on the Koppenberg in 20 years. Of course, last time I rode it was during a time I stayed in Belgium. It was also a race, of course, but I remember it to be a lot harder. But now going slower with a 33t in the back and a 34t in the front, because we live in the mountains. And I found it like, well, I don't remember it to be between brackets that easy.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, you know, but it's also if you are used to the longer mountains and then it's just like a small hill.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah! But you know, still, yeah. And it was also August, you know, the tarmac was dry. Well, the cobbles were dry and that was...
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Makes a big difference.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, it does. It does. Yeah. Coming back to the tour, when you see, but it could be any race, when you see there's a big crash, like 50 guys going down, of course, the first thing you think of as a cycling fan watching on television is that you hope that all the riders will be okay. And then the next thing that comes into mind is all those broken bikes and spare parts and bar tape etc, power meters and stuff that's being scratched, maybe ruined. I mean you as a mechanic when you're watching this, maybe inside the team car. What goes through your mind, of course, after thinking about changing the wheels, getting the guys, you know, going again?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, it's actually like you switch off electricity. You just switch off your thinking, jump out of the car and just keep the overview and try to handle it as calm as possible. And just, you know, we have a radio, try to be in contact with the radio and just communicate, which is super important. So yeah, and then broken parts, it's also part of cycling, you know? It's a pity, it's a waste of money sometimes.
SOREN JENSEN
It's a lot of money to think about. What is the average price of one of the team bikes? 10,000, 12,000?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Now it went up to 14,000 euros.
SOREN JENSEN
14,000 euros, yeah. So do that by 50. Of course you always have all the spare parts in the truck. But when you see a big crash, maybe you have 4 or 5 guys in there, and you're maybe just at the first stages and dramatic stages of a grand tour, you still have another 18 stages to go.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
You know, broken parts, it's part of what we do. But it's always painful to your heart if you see all those broken parts. Yeah, it's part of it.
SOREN JENSEN
Looking at the weight of the bikes, because the UCI limit is 6.8 kilograms, do you think the UCI could drop it by 500 grams to 6.3 without having any problems with safety issues?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, I'm actually quite happy with what we have now and I should stick to what we have. You can go to 6.6 maybe but I don't think there is a need to go less because I had a really good talk with Michael Mørkøv last year and also on the gearing and whatever he said “maybe there has to come like a limitation on gearing we are using because we are going so fast that it's probably not safe anymore. So you can make everything lighter and faster, but where will it stop?
SOREN JENSEN
So it's better to just draw a line and say, that's what it is. Because that's also one thing that I have spoken to Michael about, since he's more from the older generation, but he's also a guy who has seen it all. He's also one of the most technically skilled professional cyclists in the pro peloton, especially coming with his track background. But we were talking about safety. We didn't discuss weight, but we discussed that all the younger guys now pointing in the levers to have this more like top aerodynamic position where also due to Michael sometimes it could be dangerous you know I mean you could risk a bit of the safety because sometimes we're getting quickly on the levers and the brakes for braking could be an issue maybe.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
But UCI is working on that as well so they will come. It will come. So I got a meeting last week with the UCI so the inclination of the levers they are gonna make a tool and once it's ready they're gonna send it to all the teams and then they're gonna say yeah sorry guys we are on this moment but it's a rule for everybody and I think it's what we need all the crashes we see and yeah something has to change.
SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, I mean it's all for the riders safety in the end.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, if I look back at the start of the season of 2023, you know we have a big box where we just throw broken parts and it got full after three months, which we almost never get full on a whole season. So now after three months, we said, if we continue like this, we're going to end up just without material, you know? So, yeah, it's good that we get some rules to make it clear for everybody, everybody on the same page.
SOREN JENSEN
Because as we all know, the more you go narrow, also on the handlebars and with the levers pointed in, you don't really have that balance on the bike that you'll be able to steer better.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
If you compare like a mountain bike and then a road bike yeah it makes sense while you have a wider yeah handlebar and I'm fully into aero and yes we need to go as aero and as fast as possible so you need the narrow, but not too narrow.
SOREN JENSEN
I agree. Nico, two last questions. Do you have a favorite tool or bike part?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
A favorite tool, I would say my whole toolbox is like gold for me. I don't like that somebody else is just taking tools from my toolbox. It's like your kids, you know? It's mine. Yeah.
SOREN JENSEN
And you probably can pick whatever tool you are looking for with your eyes closed.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yeah, because you know where they are. So yeah, an allen key that you get in your hands every day.
SOREN JENSEN
How often do you get to ride your bike? Knowing that you are spending all this time on the road, races, in meetings, testing, recons, how often do you get to ride your bike?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Well, not enough. Because I was a bike rider many years ago. And I still have also on that part the passion of just to ride my bike and enjoy. You know, I have no will to get a number on my back. But just to make some loops and...
SOREN JENSEN
Just get up one hour, spinning your legs, just keep testing your mind.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Just one hour, one and a half hour, just switch off without thinking and just get that good feeling, you know? I don't get it enough anymore, so I'm going to work on that for myself because during the Covid-19 period when we were home, I just picked it again and I did trips from six, seven hours again. And it all came back and I just realized that it's important to be healthy as well.
SOREN JENSEN
It is. It is. And also keeping a healthy life balance, especially when you have a stressful job like yourself, it's very important.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes, it is. It is.
SOREN JENSEN
Nico, thank you so much. It was an honor to have you on and it was super interesting and exciting. You're welcome. Thanks a million for being our guest on today's show and we all learned a lot of things including myself. Thank you so much.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
You're welcome.
SOREN JENSEN
Really and I look forward to see you down the road at the races.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Yes for sure.
SOREN JENSEN
Okay take care. Thank you again.
NICOLAS COOSEMANS
Thank you. Bye bye.
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