{"id":190022,"date":"2022-07-12T09:42:23","date_gmt":"2022-07-12T09:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=190022"},"modified":"2022-07-12T09:42:23","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T09:42:23","slug":"inside-tour-de-france-team-cars-with-canyon-sram-racings-ronny-lauke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2022\/07\/12\/inside-tour-de-france-team-cars-with-canyon-sram-racings-ronny-lauke\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Tour de France Team Cars with CANYON\/\/SRAM Racing\u2019s Ronny Lauke"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the La Grande Boucle, many TV and social media sports channels are eager to get the riders\u2019 and mainly the winners\u2019 points of view, but let\u2019s focus on every team\u2019s backbone for a change \u2013 the team cars and their crew. This year, the fleet will be joined by even more \u0160koda vehicles to support the highly anticipated addition of the Tour de France Femmes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The cabin of a Tour de France team car becomes a tightly packed world of its own during the race, containing a repair workshop, an assistance headquarters, a first-aid station, a refreshment point, and more. To get a proper grasp of the importance of it all, you have to go to the source. Ronny Lauke, Co-Founder and Team Manager of CANYON\/\/SRAM Racing and Sports Director for Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, was kind enough to sit down with We Love Cycling and offer his insider view on what takes place in a team car.<\/p>\n

\"\u0160koda<\/a>
Being a team car\u2019s driver is a hard drill \u2013 but one fuelled by love for the sport and full of thrill. \u00a9 Thomas Maheux<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Starting with the team\u2019s setup, he described it: \u201cAt the moment, we have eight team cars for various reasons. We use the race cars to carry spare bikes and equipment, the mechanic, sports director and sometimes a coach. Depending on the number of athletes, each vehicle in the race is usually loaded with six complete spare bikes, five sets of wheels, a cooler box with the bidons, raincoats, a toolbox, and other equipment.\u201d Regarding the cars, the team uses \u0160koda SUPERBs<\/a> and OCTAVIAs,<\/a> either iV, hybrids or diesel. They\u2019ve been satisfied with all of them.<\/p>\n

When a rider is in trouble during a race, the team car gets permission from the race organisers to break the assigned rank and speed ahead. That\u2019s easier said than done. \u201cIt all depends on the traffic and road width and conditions. We have radio communication with the riders, and they notify us when they have a problem. If the comm is not 100% reliable, they give a sign to a race marshal who calls us, and we immediately try to find our way up to the peloton to help the rider.\u201d When asked about the driver\u2019s necessary qualities, he noted: \u201cIt\u2019s extremely important that the person driving the car is extremely careful, observant, and has a 360-degree view during the race. You are responsible for the athletes\u2019 health and wellbeing \u2013 they are the most vulnerable link in our traffic chain.\u201d<\/p>\n