- Teams cars are the nerve centre of a professional
cycling team on a Grand Tour
so let's have a closer look at the Orica Scott Team Car.
(light music)
First up let's have a look at the outside of the car
on the roof rack.
Now Orica Scott's got eight bikes on top,
four complete bikes and four bikes
with the front wheel removed.
Now if you look a little bit closer
these bikes aren't put on the roof in any particular order.
Oh no, there is actually a strategy for putting bikes
on the roof so all of the protected GC riders
will have their bikes on the outside.
Now on this side of the car we have Roman Kreuziger's bike
also have Estaban Chaves'.
As you can notice Chaves' bike is just that little bit more
accessible being on the outside of Roman Kreuziger's.
Now if you just head around the back here
as well as the eight bikes we have three front wheels
and three back wheels as well.
And moving around to the other side,
Simon Yates, unsurprisingly,
on the outside, easiest to get to as I mentioned before
and then we Daryl Impey's complete bike as well.
And on the inside that need the front wheels
we've got Matt Hayman's and Michael Albasini's.
As well as accessibility of the bike being vitally important
as you can see gears have been preselected
for nice easy gear for the rider to pull away in
so this one on Simon Yate's bike, big ring,
third at the back so it's like 53x19.
Nice and easy to accelerate.
No worries about selecting gears
and thus losing vital seconds.
As with most team cars at this level
they've also got a full on satellite system
so they can watch the race as it unfolds
on the TV inside the car.
Another couple areas as well,
we got race radio and of course,
rider radios for talking between the teams themselves.
(soft music)
Well we've had a look outside the car
let's have a little look inside.
This of course is where the directeur sportif will sit.
Quite often there will be another directeur sportif
sat just here whilst the mechanic sits in the back.
It's focus on this,
essentially the nerve centre of the car.
Now interestingly,
right in the centre of the steering wheel here
is the profile for yesterday's stage
and that was actually Stage 9.
It's not only where the climbs are but they've actually
got the points on the road where the soigneurs
are going to be strategically placed
so at 16K there's a soigneur at the side of the road
giving bottles also at 67K after the climbs,
feed, sprint
then another two places on the road where they're bottles.
And quite often if there's any spares that can be picked up
from the side of the road after the rider has gone past
the team car will pick those up to make sure
they give them to the riders who've missed out
through those extra little feeds.
So a little bit of a strategy marked on the middle
of the steering well there.
All teams of course, will have race radio.
I think this is the race radio.
Then they'll also have this one as well
and this is the intercom that basically
the directeur sportif or whoever decides
to speak to the riders will actually communicate
with the riders and they can actually talk back.
And quite often cars or some team cars will have
a third radio system as well
just to talk between team cars.
Let's have a closer look at what is in the side
of the door here.
Unsurprisingly lots of suntan cream
and then really easy access,
loads of gels, Etixx gels here.
There's also lots of bars and stuff.
Also little packets of sport gummies.
So obviously easy access the directeur sportif can wind
the window down, rider comes along side,
hand them straight out the window.
Let's have a look in the centre console here.
We've got some breath mints in there.
Now, I wonder what these are?
These are numerous pairs of women's stockings.
Now basically what these are used for
they'll take them out,
they'll have a cool box in the back,
fill these with ice on really hot stages
of which we've seen several already
on this year's Tour de France,
fill them up with ice, tie a know in them
hand them through the window and the riders will stick
them down the back of their jersey and it will slowly melt
and cool them down as they ride along.
Got some more suntan cream and energy products
on the side there,
a race manual.
So now let's head into the back where the mechanic lives.
So we're in the back where the mechanic sits.
Now one thing that is absent because we are on
a rest day today is two sets of wheels.
They'll generally have two fronts and two back wheels here.
What we do have is
(zipping)
first off a full, portable mechanics tool set as well.
So everything they would need out on the road.
That's just there.
A couple of towels,
some spare radios as well.
Next up on the head rest directly in front
of where the mechanic sits is firstly
a TV screen so they can watch the race unfold.
Now they'll learn a lot of information from that as well.
And secondly, just on top of the headrest itself
is a map of where the bikes are situated on the roof
so basically the mechanic can jump out of the car
and know exactly where the bike is of the rider
that's just suffered a mechanical or a puncture.
Just in the foot well to the back of the driver here
there's another cool box
it's absolutely jam packed full of energy products
to hand out to the riders
and of course the people in the car if they get
particularly hungry on a long stage.
And just down here we have,
well an oily rag.
No mechanic's area is complete
without of course an oily rag.
We've got the spare bin liners for the rubbish
to keep the car nice and tidy.
We've got some chain lube as well.
Often see bikes needing lubrication especially midway
through a wet stage when things dry out.
You don't want a squeaking chain out on the road.
And some more tights to put some ice in.
And finally, or in French, en finalement,
let's have a look in the boot.
Okay well straight away inside we've got
all of the wet bags.
There'll be two team cars in a race convoy,
Team Car #1 and Team Car #2
but in both of the team cars
will be a wet bag for every rider.
Now this is Team Car #2 so unsurprisingly
they're all marked 2.
So this is the wet bag of Roman Kreuziger.
Of course, pretty hefty.
Clearly marked out wet bag so if Roman Kreuziger
were to ride alongside and want some gloves
who's ever in the back can have a look
go straight to the glove section
and get out a nice pair of thick gloves to keep him warm.
Again one of the main things about the team car
is easy and rapid access to all of the things
that the riders need whilst out on the road.
I love these.
Super cool.
Let's have a look at what else Roman's got in there.
Here we've got spare glasses in there,
overshoes, gloves,
even spare socks and importantly as well
the riders generally in these bags
will also have a spare pair of cycling shoes.
They'll have two pairs of shoes whilst out on the road.
All you need is a nasty tumble,
break the cleats off your shoe.
Unless you've got a spare pair of shoes it's game over.
Now whilst noseying around the back in the boot
I've spotted this.
Now believe it or not,
I think this is a hank or is it a bodge.
It's a towel taped together with some electrical tape
and I think it's a lumbar support for the mechanic
on those long days sat in the back seat.
Also back here,
if we just move some of these wet bags out of the way,
we've got another fully fledged mechanic's toolbox as well.
And also, although it isn't here today,
there generally will be an enormous cool box filled
with ice and filled with cold drinks,
generally cans of Coke and beat ons
for the riders on the long stage as well.
Also just to my left in this webbing
got a couple of spare Scott helmets.
Two in there.
Again you just never know
what's going to happen out on the road
and of course, the ubiquitous musette.
So there you go.
A look at what makes and helps a team tick
on a Grand Tour Stage.
Now if you don't want to miss
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Now for another team car tour
how about clicking just down here.
For team car tour at this year's Giro d'Italia
of the Team Sunweb Mini
or if you click just down here
you can see me going along on a rest day ride
at last year's Giro d'Italia with Orica Scott.