The Special One: a closer look at Alex Colman's Pévèle C
On Sunday 6 October, four riders from Team Flanders - Baloise will compete at the World Gravel Championships in Leuven (BE). Alex Colman is one of them. He will be riding a custom Pévèle C, equipped with a Classified Powershift system. He is again aiming for a good result.
"The past road races I participated in show that the legs are really good. It is an advantage that last year I was able to experience the hectic pace of a gravel race. Such a race is quite different from a road race: it's more of a man-to-man fight where you hope your material holds up to the finish." And there is a lot to say about that material. Time for a brief introduction through four Q&As.
"The past road races I participated in show that the legs are really good. It is an advantage that last year I was able to experience the hectic pace of a gravel race. Such a race is quite different from a road race: it's more of a man-to-man fight where you hope your material holds up to the finish." And there is a lot to say about that material. Time for a brief introduction through four Q&As.
Q: Why did you choose the Pévèle?
Colman: "I chose the Pévèle because it's geometry is close to a road bike, while still having ample tyre clearance. And that's what I was looking for, especially for such a fast course like the World Championships in Leuven."
Q: Over to the paint job: where did you get the inspiration for that?
A: "The white bike, combined with the gold accents and black logo colours are a direct reference to the legendary Eddy Merckx Piste bike of Iljo Keisse, the Emperor of 't Kuipke. The design of that bike is still iconic 16 years on. Even nowadays, the design really pops out!"
Q: Why did you choose for the Classified Powershift system?
"The Powershift system is a wireless electronic 2x shifting system integrated into the rear hub of the bike. As a result, I have 22 gears but no need for a front derailleur. In gravel, this is a huge advantage. The Powershift system is like a virtual 2nd chainring. An additional advantage is that even at peak load, shifting takes only a few hundredths of seconds. Switching is done with Shimano GRX Di2 shifters. Last year at the European Championships I also rode with this system, and I really liked it."
Q: Last but certainly not least, what is your tyre choice for the World Championships?
"The Pévèle has a tyre clearance of 40 mm at the rear. I will ride with a 38 mm Vittoria Terreno Dry. This still leaves some space between the tyre and the rear fork, so dirt is less likely to accumulate when the weather is bad. The front fork has a larger tyre clearance. Depending on the weather conditions, I will ride there with a 38 or a 42 mm Vittoria Terreno Dry."
Colman: "I chose the Pévèle because it's geometry is close to a road bike, while still having ample tyre clearance. And that's what I was looking for, especially for such a fast course like the World Championships in Leuven."
Q: Over to the paint job: where did you get the inspiration for that?
A: "The white bike, combined with the gold accents and black logo colours are a direct reference to the legendary Eddy Merckx Piste bike of Iljo Keisse, the Emperor of 't Kuipke. The design of that bike is still iconic 16 years on. Even nowadays, the design really pops out!"
Q: Why did you choose for the Classified Powershift system?
"The Powershift system is a wireless electronic 2x shifting system integrated into the rear hub of the bike. As a result, I have 22 gears but no need for a front derailleur. In gravel, this is a huge advantage. The Powershift system is like a virtual 2nd chainring. An additional advantage is that even at peak load, shifting takes only a few hundredths of seconds. Switching is done with Shimano GRX Di2 shifters. Last year at the European Championships I also rode with this system, and I really liked it."
Q: Last but certainly not least, what is your tyre choice for the World Championships?
"The Pévèle has a tyre clearance of 40 mm at the rear. I will ride with a 38 mm Vittoria Terreno Dry. This still leaves some space between the tyre and the rear fork, so dirt is less likely to accumulate when the weather is bad. The front fork has a larger tyre clearance. Depending on the weather conditions, I will ride there with a 38 or a 42 mm Vittoria Terreno Dry."
