Power
WOUT POELS' BESPOKE CRAFT
'Forced laborers of the road' is how French poet and journalist Albert Londres described cyclists fighting against the elements, the course and their primitive equipment in 1924. The modern cyclist is scientifically guided and prepared across all areas, understands the value of a carefully crafted image and races on an aerodynamically designed bicycle made of feather-light carbon. Everything is bespoke these days. Yet the suffering persists. Cyclist Wout Poels knows this well.
'Forced laborers of the road' is how the French poet and journalist Albert Londres called cyclists who fought against the elements, the course and with their primitive equipment in 1924. The modern cyclist is scientifically guided and prepared in all possible areas, knows the value of a carefully sculpted image and races on an aerodynamically shaped bicycle made of feather-light carbon. Everything is custom-made these days. But the suffering continued. Also knows cyclist Wout Poels.
Text: Lex Stolk | Online editor: Natasha Hendriks
Image: Fidel Bagan
Merida
Wout Poels (Venray, October 1, 1987) is used to the best of the best. The Limburg climber and winner of the 2016 edition of the oldest cycling classic on the calendar, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, rode for no fewer than five seasons for Team Sky/Team Ineos of four-time tour winner Chris Froome. Since its founding in 2009, the British team has revolutionized cycling by focusing on... marginal gains. The smallest improvements that led to supreme dominance when it comes to the Tour de France, the biggest and most important cycling race in the world. The team left nothing to chance. Material and nutrition, weight and power of the riders, every element of cycling was analyzed and adjusted and improved where necessary. Even the Jaguar team cars. Everything was taken care of and thought out down to the last detail. This was no ordinary team.
Nevertheless, Poels has managed to find a team for 2020 that can compete with his previous team. When it comes to the team cars, you might think when you hear the name. The team that Poels will drive for in 2020 and 2021 is Team Bahrain McLaren. And when it comes to sprinting, every McLaren beats every Jaguar. But a cyclist is not in a car but on a bicycle. After five seasons on an Italian carbon bike, Poels has now switched to a strikingly painted Merida. The exuberant papaya orange is a reference to McLaren's historic house colour, and the wildly contrasting blue and red are the national colors of the Kingdom of Bahrain. What sounds like a clashing color combination on paper actually looks like an energetic composition. Like the cycling painting Dinamismo di un Ciclista from 1913 by the Italian futurist Umberto Boccioni comes to life.
'Professional with passion'
In earlier times, cyclists rode bicycles made of loose steel tubes. Such a bicycle can easily be welded to size. High-tech carbon is something completely different. Expensive molds are required to produce one-piece carbon monocoque frames. Making a carbon fiber custom bike for each individual rider is simply too expensive. Even for Team Bahrain McLaren. But for Wout Poels this poses no problems: “By playing with the length of the saddle and stem and choosing from seven frame sizes, I still end up with a bicycle that suits me perfectly. I am 1 meter 85, ride with a saddle height of 80,5 centimeters and a Scultura in size L appears to be the most suitable. With a stem of 12 centimeters, the bike fits perfectly. In my previous team we rode with Shimano and fortunately that has remained unchanged. The brake levers feel familiar and I don't have to get used to a new shifting system.”
Image is important in cycling and Team Bahrain McLaren presents itself as a well-oiled machine. And that machine has to shine. Not only are the colors of the competition uniforms, bicycles and team cars perfectly matched, the presentation is also in top order when the team presents itself outside the competition. “Saville Row tailor Cad & The Dandy fitted us with a tailor-made suit,” says Poels. “The buttons are very special. They are made from the drive shaft of a McLaren Formula 1 car. It's nice to wear something other than sportswear. By the way, we visited Woking, where McLaren's headquarters are located. Very impressive. And I'll beat you to it, no, we don't have a McLaren from the company.”
It characterizes the 'professional with passion', as Poels calls himself. “If you don't have a passion for the sport, cycling becomes impossible to do. Suffering during training and competitions, the way of life, the sacrifices and the dedication: that is only possible if you really love it. It's also kind of a mode you get used to. Suffering becomes self-evident. But that is only possible if morals are good.” And one of the ways to maintain morale may be an unexpected one. “I clean my bike twice a week, because a clean bike gives morale,” reveals Poels, who has ambitious plans for the seriously flawed cycling year of 2020. “I have already proven that I can finish high in a race that lasts three weeks. This year I'm driving for my own opportunities. In a grand tour and in the hill classics. Especially in a competition that lasts three weeks, it is all about the big shape and the smallest details. Winning such a competition is indeed tailor-made.”
MASTERS #43
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