Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) was given a custom BMC Teammachine SLR01 ahead of the Cobbled Classics.
There is no all-gold scheme like he had last year. That bike has been replaced with a chrome-coloured frame, with just accents of gold to remind Van Avermaet of his Olympic success in Rio.
Van Avermaet rides a 54cm frame size, which is fitted with 3T bars and stem, Shimano wheels, Vittoria tyres and the Shimano Dura Ace Di2 groupset and Dura Ace pedals. It’s the same bike that he rides all season long, with just a few special tweaks to help cope with the cobbles.
“We have 25mm or 28mm tyres with a little less pressure for Flanders but I like to stay with my normal bike because the position is totally the same as it is all year,” said Van Avermaet.
“For the gearing it’s 39 small ring and 53 in the big ring. It’s a 30 in the back just to keep it safer when you’re going up Taaienberg or the Kwaremont, you need a really small gear so you don’t break up the chain or the derailleur.”
Van Avermaet first raced on the silver bike at Milan-San Remo and has used it successfully, winning E3 Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem. He hopes to keep up the trend this weekend with victory at his favourite race: Tour of Flanders.
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BMC Racing studied the new route of the Tour of Flanders earlier this week, taking in some of the most important climbs of the race, including the Oude Kwaremont, the Paterberg and the Koppenberg.
Cyclingnews caught up with the team on their day out on the hills around Oudenaarde and spoke to Van Avermaet about his new custom steed and his confidence ahead of the Tour of Flanders on Sunday. He also talked about his prospects at the weekend and what he thinks of the new course.
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