Monday 11 July 2016 20:25, UK
Ahead of the Tour de France our friends at Ford visited our operational hub to see how our pre-race preparations were going.
While our riders fine-tuned themselves ahead of the Tour de France at the Criterium du Dauphine and the Tour de Suisse, our service course in Deinze, Belgium, was a hive of activity.
The busiest and most important time of the year for our cyclists is naturally the busiest and most important time of the year for our backroom staff too and, with 50 bikes, countless items of kit, thousands of bidons and so much more to prep for the Tour, it was all hands to the pump in the run up to the Grand Depart.
Our friends at Ford visited the service course last Monday as preparations continued and they got a great glimpse into how our operational hub works.
Click here to watch the video.
"Everything happens here," explained Service Course Manager Peter Verbeken. "Deinze is truly the heart of the team. Between each race the team comes back here to rest and recharge, and the cars and trucks get stocked and supplied with the necessary equipment for the next race."
Around 200 bikes are stored in the building, of which 50 are packed up and driven to the Tour - keeping all of our mechanics busy, including Thomas Kousgaard. "The closer we get to the start of the Tour de France, the more the pressure becomes intense," he said. Each rider in France has one main bike, two spare bikes, and two time-trial bikes.
Naturally, the organisational task is colossal. Verbeken gave an idea of the scale: "For each race, we make a list of the equipment required, and this list depends on the race profile and duration. Obviously, what we need to take is different if we leave for a day, five days, or three weeks. We have to be thorough and exact, because it's very important that nothing is overlooked."
With so much to transport - and so many crucial staff to get around - we have ten Fords in France to cater for our wide ranging needs, as well as the kitchen truck and the all important team bus.
Two Mondeo estates are at the heart of the action every day, driven by our two Sport Directors Nicolas Portal and Servais Knaven, carrying mechanics, carers, doctors and countless bidons, food and bikes. There's a further five-door Mondeo used by the mechanics then three S-MAXs. Two are used by carers to get to feed zones or transport luggage from hotel to hotel and the final one is used by our communications team to get around France.
The jewel in our Ford crown, the Mustang, is driven by our Head of Performance Operations Rod Ellingworth and used as a recon car; the Ford Edge is used to transport our VIPs around the race; and finally two Transits are crucial in ferrying around all of the remaining equipment.
The Mondeo estates have had to be modified in order to handle the extra weight of three team members and the 400 kilograms of equipment they have on board day after day. On top of the suspension being stiffened, they have also had a communications overhaul - an internal radio has been fitted allowing the Sport Directors to speak to the riders and each other, in different vehicles.
It's a busy time but there's no room for error, as mechanic Gary Blem explains. The work is vital.
"When preparing the bikes on which Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas will spend six hours a day on average, we must do our very best," he said. "We must ensure that the riders can give 100% without ever having to worry about their equipment."
There are 30 areas that the mechanics must check on each bike, and then there's the added complication that each rider has their own preferred set-up.
Blem continues: "Every bike must be the right bike, with the right wheels, the right tyres and the right set-up for the right rider.
"Everything must be perfect."
