Cadex has released a statement in response to Team Jayco-AlUla rider Amaury Capiot’s wheel-tyre system failure at Omloop het Nieuwsblad, suggesting the cause was a result of repeated use over the cobbles after the initial deflation.
The Giant-owned brand, which has for a number of years produced hookless rims, says the “tire separation in this incident was not caused by hookless rim design”, with its assessment carried out with the team revealing that “prolonged riding” over cobblestones with a flat and damaged rear Cadex Aero Cotton tyre caused the rim to crack.
This structural rim failure is suggested to be the cause of the spokes displacing from the hub, and the resulting “collapse” of the wheel, leading to the tyre being unseated completely from the rim.
The statement comes following a team spokesperson claiming the failure occurred as “the result of riding for too long on the cobbles with a flat tyre after puncturing”, as reported initially by Cyclingnews.
Tyre liner disconnect, but not to blame
Images from the incident clearly show a tyre liner being used by the Jayco-AlUla rider, still in place around the Cadex Ultra 50 rim. This is a common addition to a tubeless tyre setup for teams, especially during the cobbled classics, in theory offering improved ‘run-flat’ riding in the event of a deflation, with a degree of protection for the rim.
Capiot presumably attempted to take advantage of this, with Cadex claiming the “team support car was far behind” in its statement.
However, while tyre liners are designed to protect a rim in this context (in the event of a deflation, the liner foam will expand into the unpressurised space and cushion the rim edge from impacts), it wasn’t enough to stop the rim failing in this instance.
It’s worth noting that, according to a brand representative, neither Giant or Cadex recommend the use of tyre liners with their products and, in this instance, the team was operating outside these guidelines. However, there’s no suggestion that the liner was a contributing factor to the failure.
Cadex says the initial impact occurred at “approximately 47-48kph”. Capiot then continued riding on cobbled sections of the race course until the wheel collapsed. The brand says that “even when the wheel ultimately yielded to the extreme forces, it remained stable enough to prevent a crash”.
