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Strade Bianche: an 18-hour work day for our mechanics

The Italian block of racing is very varied: there is Strade Bianche with its special equipment needs, a stage race with a time trial in Tirreno Adriatico, new riders coming in for Milano-Torino and then Milan-Sanremo. The mechanics’ team preparing specifically for Strade Bianche but who also work at all these other races, started at the Service Course in the Netherlands ten days before the famous gravel race happened.

13 March 2025

Mechanic Edgar Coso Ferrer takes you on the journey towards Tom Pidcock’s second place in Strade Bianche from the perspective of the mechanics. It takes a team behind the team to get a result like that. A team where everyone counts, and a team of some of the hardest working people you will know.

“There are five mechanics working on Strade Bianche: Luca, Joaquin, Antonio, Cédéric and me,” Edgar starts. “We started ten days before the race at Service Course to get all equipment ready to travel to Italy. We follow the performance plan made by Kurt Bogaerts. Strade is a race like no other with different wheels, set-ups, tires etc. It takes a lot of preparation to get it all right like meetings with Vittoria to get to know all the tire options. After that period working at SC, we travelled to Italy with the truck. We arrived on Monday, five days before the race. It is the start of a very busy work week,” Edgar says with a smile.

“The riders did their first recon on Tuesday. We make sure everything is ready and work with the feedback that comes after their ride. They did the same on Thursday and new adjustments were made. The final decisions on tire pressure, use of wheels and inserts are then made and put into a plan.”

While the riders did a lovely coffee ride with Breitling ambassador Marco Aurelio Fontana on Friday, the mechanics’ team kept radar focused to get everything prepared for the biggest day of the week: race day!

“We take care of the bikes of course,” Edgar continues. “There are three bikes for every rider, and Tom had five ready including two Scott Addict RC for the race and three Scott Foils. Milan Vader also chose the Addict to race while the other five riders chose the Foil. We check all the measurements of every bike very carefully. We tie the bolts, gave the bearings and chains some Cyclon love, get all the race wheels and spare wheels ready and then wash and dry every bike. We also wash the cars and make sure they are refueled.”

“There are three bikes for every rider, and Tom had five ready including two Scott Addict RC for the race and three Scott Foils.” 

Then it’s time to close the truck on Friday night and get some well-deserved rest because Strade Bianche day is a day where the mechanics have an 18-hour work day ahead of them.

“We all woke up at 5am,” Edgar says. “In the morning, we fix the transponders, the numbers and the Velon devices onto the bikes. We pump the tires, do a last big check of every bike and then they go on the roof of the team cars. We then take our tool sets to the race cars. I was in car one and Joaquin in race car two. Kurt makes the plan where each bike goes on the roof but it’s always the rule the bike of the team leader, so in this case Tom, goes above the head of the mechanic. When I need it, I jump out and it’s the fastest to grab.”

Before the start Luca and Cédéric were out on the course on crucial points with spare wheels.

“Luckily we only had one flat tire in the entire race” 

“Luckily we only had one flat tire in the entire race,” Edgar says proudly. “We did have some crashes so that’s where my job starts. When we know who the rider is, I take that bike but when we don’t know, I grab wheels and Tom’s bike. Riders always like to continue on their first bike though, but we are prepared for all scenarios.”

The race itself was a great success for the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. Tom Pidcock finished in second place after some strong and aggressive racing. The white roads of Tuscany make for some amazing scenery, but the really fine dust adds extra work for the mechanics.

“We arrive at the hotel at around 8pm,” Edgar continues. “Our first priority is to wash every bike, so not only the race bikes but also the ones on the roof of the cars. In Strade everything gets dirty, and that fine grain gets into every component of the bikes. Luckily our chef Peter kept morale high and gave us some great food. After we cleaned and dried every bike on Saturday night, we closed the truck at 11.20pm.”

That’s a workday of more than 18 hours but it’s far from over after Strade Bianche. The day after all the bearings are replaced because of that fine dust penetrating every component. With 25 bikes that is a lot of work. And then?

Then the preparation started for Tirreno Adriatico with the first time trial of the year. That comes with its own specific needs. Then it’s Milan-Torino and Milan-Sanremo

To our team mechanics work days are never easy but they do it with a smile and a good playlist to sing along too.