Derek Gee of Israel Premier had a front tire puncture and come off the rim as he entered the Arenberg Forest in a breakaway group, but managed to stop his car and avoid crashing.
Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), however, was not so lucky. While racing at high speed in Allenberg, Wright's front tire came off and he crashed hard. Right behind Wright were the 2022 Paris-Roubaix winner Dylan Van Baar (Jumbo Visma) and Caspar Asgreen (Soudal-Quick Step).
Both Gee and Wright apparently raced without the foam inserts and liners used by some teams to soften the impact of a puncture and reduce the risk of crashing at high speed.
Neither Israel Premier Tech nor Bahrain Victorious explained the reasons for their respective crashes after Paris-Roubaix. Israel Premier Tech declined to comment on specific questions regarding the use of tubeless tires and inserts, and Bahrain Victorious had not responded at the time of publication.
Rowe shared his theory about the Paris-Roubaix crash and the importance of tubeless inserts in a "Watts Occuring" podcast with teammate and fellow Welshman Geraint Thomas.
"I have a little theory as to why there were so many crashes in Roubaix this year," Lowe said.
"The year before last it was probably 50-50, and the year before that everyone was riding tubulars. Now they're all riding tubeless, and if you get a flat, you instantly lose air pressure."
"I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.
"I don't think a lot of teams use liners, but they are putting their lives at risk. I think that's a big part of what caused so many crashes in Roubaix."
"I'm not going to name the teams or names, but we [Ineos Grenadiers] use liners [inserts]. [But] we're two or three watts faster without the liner. So I think people are desperate to race without liners, but if they fall over, the tire comes off the rim.
Lowe revealed that they also use foam inserts in regular road racing.
"They [Ineos Grenadiers] asked about it.
The standards for tubeless tires and rims are guided by the European Tire and Rim Technology Organization (E.T.R.T.O.), which issues guidelines on engineering, dimensions, load and pressure characteristics. Their work has helped to avoid an endless variety of tire types, shapes, and rim sizes, and in turn, incompatible matching and potential crash and injury risks. However, all ETRTO-compliant tires and rims are within the specified range of real-world acceptable sizes, and some wheel/tire combinations may increase the likelihood of a tire coming off the rim.
Nibali has been known for his bike handling skills and passion for bike mechanics during his long professional career. He posted his doubts about tubeless tires on Instagram, taking screenshots of a crashed Wright tire coming off the rim.
"Tubeless are not as safe as tubulars. You should know that." Nibali wrote.
Nibali then joined several other Italian riders, including Alberto Bettiol, on the Twitch show "Lo Squalo" to question the use of tubeless in Paris-Roubaix.
"In a race like Paris-Roubaix, tubulars remain the safest choice because the tire does not come off in the event of a puncture. Because the tire does not come off in the event of a puncture, it reduces the risk of a crash," he argued.
"With tubulars, there is a risk of the tire coming off if it does not fit perfectly with the wheel or if the air pressure is incorrect. There is no comparison in terms of safety.
"We know that tubeless performs better, just as Colbrelli won Roubaix by sealing off slow punctures.
Bettiol explained the performance advantages of tubeless tires. However, his EF Education-EasyPost team is working with Vittoria and using their green foam air liners.
"If teams aren't using tubeless, it's because they're not getting them," Bettiol said. [My team mechanic and team staff have been explaining how tubeless is better. Ten watts at 45 km/h is the same as the speeds of Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de Flanders."
.
Comments