033: TOC Stage One: Mechanics

Tour of California: Stage One, The Mechanics. from j. dunn on Vimeo.

Here's a little video shot at the end of stage one. Lots of great footage from hanging out with these guys, the team mechanics. In my opinion these are the real unsung hero's of these grand tours. All day they are on the edge of their seats, literally, waiting for something to happen, hoping that nothing goes wrong. Then, as soon as the riders get off their bikes the mechanics pack them into their bus, take them to the hotel and then, amazingly, pull each bike almost completely apart and clean every inch (in an even more amazing display of speed) and put them back together, ready to ride the next day.

I watched BMC head mechanic Ian Sherburne pull all the cassettes off of the wheels and spare wheels and set them up with the predetermined cassettes for the next day. Then he installed a new fork in one bike, then he tuned up the derailleurs...what seemed like a neverending line of team bicycles was quickly slayed by the three mechs. Which is also why they are talking about their beverage choices in the film.

Also interesting to note is the rain falling in the puddle in the background. Not only were these guys waiting all in the rain in case something happened, but they stood around in the thick California drizzle re-assembling the light carbon frames.