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Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team logistics for AlUla Tour & Tour of Oman

We travelled to the AlUla Tour and the Tour of Oman in the past weeks. The logistics around bike races are never easy but travelling outside of the range of our trucks and Mercedes Benz team cars, adds extra challenges. These challenges begin at the Service Course in the Netherlands.

6 February 2025.

Daan van den Berg has been a mechanic with the team since 2023. Together with Giannis Chatzichristou and Ton de Vaan he was in charge of preparing everything the riders, sports directors, soigneurs, mechanics and team doctor needed onsite in Saudi Arabia and Oman.

“We need to pack everything. It sounds strange but that is what sets these races apart from a race in – let’s say – Spain,” Daan explains. “Our truck always has a large array of standard equipment like tools and wheels, food and coolers ready. Everything has its place in our truck, cars or bus. For a race like the AlUla Tour, we need to pack everything the team staff and riders might possibly need, especially because there is not a bike shop there to buy some spare equipment. We use a checklist made by the mechanic and the soigneur who travel with the team and follow that meticulously.”

Everything the riders and staff might ever need. In total the team shipped around 700 kilos of equipment overseas.

A quick but not exhaustive list: two complete bikes per rider, brake pads, Zipp wheels, Vittoria tyres, sealant, SRAM derailleurs, chains and brake rotors, Synchros handlebars and saddles, air compressor, massage tables, bike tools, coolers, Amacx gels, drinks and bars, race radios, Cyclon maintenance and cleaning products, hundreds of bottles, a Tacx trainer, extra Scott helmets, Q36.5 shoes, rainbags, spare Garmins, bike stands. The riders bring their own clothes but the rest is prepared at Service Course.

“Our mechanics need to be able to build a complete new bike on site so they need everything there we would normally have at hand in our truck” 

“Our mechanics need to be able to build a complete new bike on site so they need everything there we would normally have at hand in our truck,” Daan says. “If a rider crashes you might need to build up a new Scott frame with handlebars, seat post, wheels, tyres, saddle, chain, derailleur etc. Then you need everything in terms of tools to build or repair a bike. All mechanics on the team have their own tool kit they bring to every race as well.”

Daan and Giannis prepared everything to be transported to Saudi Arabia via Paris. The organizers of the race had a cargo plane ready for all the team’s equipment to be flown to the race. These pallets were then unloaded and the mechanics on site, Edgar and Joaquin, unpacked it all and got the bikes ready for the race.

“For Oman we fly on a normal, commercial flight so then you have to deal with baggage allowances,” Daan explains. “Sarah, our logistics wizard, always books the tickets and makes sure we have enough baggage allowance for everything we need. Because every kilo extra costs money, we need to pack efficiently. We have our Scott bike bags. We take out the wheels and seat mast, and take off the handlebars, peddles and derailer. Then we weigh everything and fill up those bags to the maximum weight with bars, gels, tools etc. This flight left from Brussels so a lot closer to our Service Course.”

Daan made that trip to Brussels on the way to Paris where he picked up the pallet from AlUla Tour. The van is never empty and the staff at Service Course never without any work.

“Like all races we check everything that comes back: whether that is from the truck, team cars, bus or in this case a plane. It is always less than what we send because food and bottles for example don’t come back in the same quantities,” Daan smiles.

“We make sure everything is in good order and clean before we put it back in its rightful place. Jean-Pierre and Ricardo, who manage the warehouse, know exactly where everything is and what the level of stock is. Everything should always be ready to go for the next race, like our riders are. Just like the team at the races, we work as a team at Service Course. That Ubuntu spirit is always here,” Daan concludes.