A Caja Rural-Seguros RGA mechanic at work. Cool as ice
The Caja Rural-Seguros RGA mechanics’ bus
Quick adjustments before a final pre-race training ride
Caja-Rural doesn’t have an offical shoe sponsor so the riders wear a variety of shoes. Omar Fraile seems to have a friend at Giro
There’s no sense of panic as one of Basque rider Amets Txurruka’s bikes gets some attention
This mechanic seems to have a lot of faith in the strength of Rotor’s chainring teeth
Another stand, another bike, with fresh tape half-applied
According to Portuguese rider Ricardo Vilela’s Garmin, it’s 31.6 degrees C. At 10am!
Here, another bike gets a fresh gear cable
We know you love tools – here are some tools!
“Handwaschpaste” seems fairly self-explanatory
More tasty tools from our favourite blue tool company
This steerer cutting guide suggests someone’s been building fresh framesets up
More tools, and a discarded chain to boot
Part of looking pro is always riding a clean bike – must be nice?
While we were loitering, the mechanics rigged up a scale in this doorway to check bike weights. The new SL is so light it’s been causing some head scratching?
These weights were being considered to bring bikes up to the 6.8kg mininum. It was noticeable that many were already fitted with relatively heavy alloy finishing kit
Inside the bus, one side is devoted to Fuji Norcom TT bikes
The other side is Transonics, Altamiras, and the new SL
This Ultegra training clincher looked a little lonely
Fresh tubulars are stuffed in this shelf space
A wall rack holds every Rotor ring permutation a pro needs
No big deal, just a holdall full of Dura-Ace cassettes
Fuji’s wheel brand Oval uses Reynolds rims, and when the supply doesn’t come through, sometimes they simply re-sticker Reynolds own wheels
If something doesn’t fit right, you can always grind it
A selection of wheels fills one end of the bus, some with tyres glued, some without
Turbo trainers for warming up line the wall
In a separate compartment, one of the team staff is making rice cakes for the riders…
…perfect for starving cyclists
An essential appliance for all that filthy Lycra
The bus’s cargo space is mostly filled with drinks
Next to the bus, the bike setup jig is ready
We switch bikes constantly at BikeRadar – one of these would be so useful
In the riders’ own bus, the team green is everywhere.
This aero helmet cover wouldn’t be our choice for Spain’s sweltering heat
Even the towels are green!
Like many teams, Caja Rural is sponsored by Skoda
The final Grand Tour of 2015 is about to get under way and it’s got the makings of a good one, with some heavy hitters out to prove themselves. It’s the last chance at glory for those who’ve had a disappointing season so far, and it’s also a hugely important opportunity for the five wildcard entries that will race alongside the 17 World Tour teams over the next three weeks.
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Spanish Pro Continental team Caja Rural-Seguros RGA is one of those five, and we had a nose round the outfit’s vehicles as the team was preparing to roll out for one last training ride the morning before the Vuelta begins. Faced with the immense logistical challenge that supporting nine pros over 3357km of racing presents, there was no particular sense of tension or anxiety – despite our best efforts to get in the way.
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Take a look at the huge gallery above for an insight into what keeps a pro team on the road.
