This article originally appeared on BikeRadar
The cobbled classics, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, present unique challenges to professional riders, and teams adopt a variety of gear solutions for the two races in early April. Trek's solution, though not inexpensive, is straight-forward: two completely different versions of the Domane endurance bike for each.
Although Flanders has many cobbled sections, it is regarded as less harsh than Paris-Roubaix, and this year we saw standard race bikes and even aero bikes there, often with slightly wider tubulars to take the edge off. Other riders opted for endurance bikes at Flanders, sometimes with steeply angled stems to achieve their preferred low positions. At Paris-Roubaix, however, teams pull out all the stops to soften the beating the rough stones dish out.
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Stijn Devolder, like his Trek Factory Racing teammates, had a Trek Domane Koppenberg for Flanders, which featured straight-ahead race geometry as on the Trek Emonda climbing bike, but built into the bump-absorbing chassis of the Domane, with its IsoSpeed Decoupler that allows for significant seat tube flex. Unlike the standard Trek Domane, the wheelbase is tight, the head tube low and the angles steep.
"Compliance is still beneficial for Flanders, but the geometry for Flanders is very nimble," said Trek team liaison Jordan Roessingh. "The Tour of Flanders requires a lot more handling of the bike, with the narrow, twisty roads with tight corners."
For Paris-Roubaix, Devolder will ride his Trek Domane Classics, which has a low head tube like an Emonda, but with a longer wheelbase, a slacker head angle, and a lower bottom bracket. The configuration there is all about stability.
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