2022 Tour de France | Tech Talk with SRAM’s Anna Gratis

Imagine this, Stage 4 of the Tour de France Femmes, the dreaded gravel stage, and you’re standing on the side of the road after the day’s gravel section. You’ve heard the chaos on race radio, you’ve got to see the track conditions firsthand, and you know the inevitability of mechanicals and punctures headed your way. A cloud of dust approaches and you can hear the tock-tock of the helicopter overhead. Wheel in hand, you stand there as ready as possible – it’s not your first rodeo, Paris-Roubaix has prepared you for this – but it’s your team leader Kasia Nieiadoma // SRAM who meets you in desperation. New front tire. Every second you waste can affect her overall attitude, but there’s no time to think about that, so you say to yourself, “Okay, here we go!” say And spring into action.

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Well, that was Anna Gratis’ case at TdFF last July. The moment was captured on video and shared on Zip Speed’s Instagram, and while she thought she always had to improve, that quick tire change helped Niwadoma finish third on the day in the same team as Anemic van Vleuten (Movistar). In general, G.C.

Gratis is a 30-year-old bicycle mechanic from Chicago, IL who works as a race technician for SRAM Road Racing. For SRAM-sponsored athletes in North America, Gratis is the go-to person for tech questions, gear and current planning orders. She works with the Legion of LA and Miami Blazers on the US crit scene, and during the cyclocross season she assists the Trek Factory team and Steve Tilford Racing. Plus, a full pool of individual athletes and privateers in the gravel and triathlon scenes.

Courtesy of Michael Zelman

Bicycle mechanics is a passion Gratis shares with her father, an engineer at SRAM. It wasn’t her idea to join her father there, but after years of working in bike shops and perfecting her skills as a mechanic, Gratis began looking for a new challenge. So when the Race Tech role opened up, she couldn’t resist.

Gratis’ father introduced her to cycling early on and she remembers watching the Tour de France with her father as a child. Gratis remembers asking early on, “Why isn’t there a women’s tour? Why can’t I drive this?” This year Gratis has had the opportunity to work for SRAM at the Men’s and Women’s Tour de France events and so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask her about her experience there, what the technology looks like and what it is. Vibrations around the revival of the women’s phenomenon. Here’s what she said.

Cycling: When you look at the people who participated in the Tour de France Femz, did you notice a difference in the crowd that came out for the race?

Greetings. I think it was a great mix of people. It felt like everyone was there and having fun. And maybe it was less than the big guys who grew up in it and were big fans and were there for the bidons [water bottles] And things. And there seemed to be a lot of families and kids there. But it’s hard to compare what I saw on TV to what I experienced in person. There was no feeling of inferiority [event], happiness or performance or something like that. People enjoyed watching racing.

What did the gravel sectors look like in TdFF stage 4?

I’m a total gravel rider, and one of the first things I did was go down the gravel section because we got there early. So I went down the road and checked it out. It was very similar to the gravel I have here at home. [in Illinois] Where the suburbs end, and a little to the west. I could go into those farm roads and cornfields for ages. The gravel we have here is like limestone. They’ve got some nice compacts, but there are some big lumps and bumps that aren’t in the way. And it looks like this [in France,] At least the third sector of gravel per day. There was one more after that, and maybe a few more rocks than I normally see. But it’s the most similar I’ve ever seen. It was your classic little gravel road style that I would happily ride on wide tires, but you were driving this on the road.

Regarding tires, what were the trends you saw among the groups?

It varies from team to team. Basically, all teams were on slightly wider tires than they normally ride. Most of them are just to give them a little extra wiggle room to account for the bumps added to the road so they can get over gravel safely.

Zip Speed ​​posted a video on Instagram for Kasia Niewiadoma of Canyon //SRAM to make a quick wheel change on Stage 4, a big high-pressure moment considering she was the team leader. What was it like?

I did Paris-Roubaix in the spring for men and women. And that’s another. [bike race] Where drivers punish their bikes and wheels. This felt very similar; Where you go out there, you have your wheels, you find a good place to set things up, and then you just hang out.

But while you’re walking around and waiting, you can feel that energy building. And I knew they were coming your way. You see a cloud of light in the distance and the helicopter approaching. So, you feel that adrenaline rush, and that’s the moment of, “Okay, here we go.” I had a feeling something was going to happen, and I had to be ready. And I would have felt the same whether something had happened or not, but you know, it was just planted this time. At the end of the day, what you’re there to do is support that driver. So that’s the main focus.

Now that’s on video, where do you direct the wheel change?

I think it was great. But there’s always room for improvement, right? A perfect wheel change is not possible; There is always a little something.

Let’s talk technology. What did you see on the tour? And how many teams still use tubular vs. Are you using tubeless tire setups?

There are a few teams in the peloton that are still on the tube, and I think a lot of it has to do with the mentality of the cyclists and the transition. [into a new technology]. SRAM, as a company, wants to know what is better and what is faster. Change is key. But change is always difficult… You will see some people who are willing to accept that change, but also people who are less willing to do so.

I think the men’s peloton is the place for that spice, right? You have people who don’t like disc brakes and prefer rim brakes. And you have the same thing with tires and tires, with tubeless and tubular. And change is scary.

A lot of us [SRAM-sponsored] Groups are accepted [tubeless] Technology. And I think a lot of them have good data to back that up. “Feel” is a big part of cycling, and it’s important. But it’s also worth looking at the data. And it’s a matter of combining the two. Just because something feels right doesn’t mean it’s right. Just because we have [raced in the past] It felt normal, which doesn’t mean it’s the most effective. We are seeing the same thing with this technology.

Now the big thing is the wheels, the tires and that combination. I personally run tubeless; I like it very much. And my father could not adapt to it, but we are working on it. You’ll get mad at me for saying this, maybe. But that’s part of it. It is a new technology, and it is different. You don’t necessarily know all the ins and outs and intricacies. So you don’t have that comfort. And there’s such a degree, well, why should I change? And for something like that, this is a good example of it, isn’t it? You can handle things well. But you know, everything always has its pros and cons.

What gear ratios did the TdF riders use on the mountain stages?

In the mountain stages, we had many riders on 10×36 [range cassettes]. But it varies a lot. We have some teams that like to use a smaller combination of chainring sizes because they can have front-end consistency a little longer and use more of the range. And we have some drivers who prefer those larger combinations. A lot depends on the rider’s riding style and finding what is comfortable for them. 48×35 [chainring sizes] It is very popular for women, and we were definitely limited to 50×37.

Normally, we had a maximum of 33 World Tour riders. [tooth size] or 32’s; 32’s [10-32 tooth cassettes] They are very popular because of the series of steps along the way. But we got a lot of people looking at 36 [10-36 tooth cassette] Because having a little more room for pain in there is life-changing, especially when you’re on a hill like the last stage, especially, a typical 24% grade.

Did you spot any clever indoor cycling gear at TdFF?

yes. As mechanics, we have a natural sense of, OK, how can I do it better? One of his favorite tools is a sharp-edge for working on integrated cockpits. Sometimes you just need that little finger to get into those places and grab whatever you need or direct the tubes where you need them.

Do you have any tips and tricks to get faster at wheel changes?

Do you practice? I think that will happen. Do it over and over again.

I remember when I first got into bikes, and before I worked in the shop, even the idea of ​​changing a tube was very difficult. Then I worked at a shop for a few years, and the number of flat tires and tubes I changed was ridiculous. It gets to the point where you get bored of it over and over again…it becomes second nature to you.

I think it’s the same for a change of vehicle. Everything has its own uniqueness. If you do it often, that muscle memory comes into play, and that’s what helped me. Sometimes you’ll have someone on the side of the road waiting for the wheel change, but you have to try to stay calm and get through the process because once you start losing, there’s no going back.