MattTuck
04-13-2017, 09:20 PM
Not sure how I missed this, but apparently Terpstra's steering tube, after requesting a special one off non-suspension version, snapped during Paris-Roubaix.
https://cyclingtips.com/2017/04/communication-breakdown-full-story-behind-niki-terpstras-mystery-crash-paris-roubaix/
Niki Terpstra (Quick-Step Floors) suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure last weekend at Paris-Roubaix while riding in support of team leader Tom Boonen. In an episode that recalled George Hincapie’s broken steerer tube on the Mons-en-Pévèle secteur in 2006, Terpstra’s steerer tube broke unexpectedly on the Maing à Monchaux-sur-Écaillon sector, sending the 2014 Roubaix champion tumbling to the ground, ending his hopes for the day. Team sponsor Specialized has assumed full responsibility for the mechanical failure — but what exactly went wrong?
Specialized fielded sixteen riders on its new Roubaix frameset in this year’s Paris-Roubaix, and according to Specialized head of global marketing Mark Cote, fifteen of those riders opted for the stock Future Shock suspended front end (albeit with a team-only progressive spring rate that got stiffer as the fork moved through its travel).
Terpstra, however, wanted to go with a more traditional front end, with no suspension, that let him feel more of the road surface beneath him.
To accommodate that request, Specialized provided the team with a special aluminum plug to take the place of the standard Future Shock cartridge. According to Cote, that initial part was only intended to generate initial feedback for the concept.
https://cyclingtips.com/2017/04/communication-breakdown-full-story-behind-niki-terpstras-mystery-crash-paris-roubaix/
Niki Terpstra (Quick-Step Floors) suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure last weekend at Paris-Roubaix while riding in support of team leader Tom Boonen. In an episode that recalled George Hincapie’s broken steerer tube on the Mons-en-Pévèle secteur in 2006, Terpstra’s steerer tube broke unexpectedly on the Maing à Monchaux-sur-Écaillon sector, sending the 2014 Roubaix champion tumbling to the ground, ending his hopes for the day. Team sponsor Specialized has assumed full responsibility for the mechanical failure — but what exactly went wrong?
Specialized fielded sixteen riders on its new Roubaix frameset in this year’s Paris-Roubaix, and according to Specialized head of global marketing Mark Cote, fifteen of those riders opted for the stock Future Shock suspended front end (albeit with a team-only progressive spring rate that got stiffer as the fork moved through its travel).
Terpstra, however, wanted to go with a more traditional front end, with no suspension, that let him feel more of the road surface beneath him.
To accommodate that request, Specialized provided the team with a special aluminum plug to take the place of the standard Future Shock cartridge. According to Cote, that initial part was only intended to generate initial feedback for the concept.