Defending Paris-Roubaix Femmes champion, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot will ride tubeless tyres that have been glued to the rim on her Cervélo S5 at this year’s race.
The team ran the same setup at last year's event. At the time, many speculated it was to prevent the tyre from coming free from the rim in the event of a puncture, but according to the team, the real reason is rooted in the unique demands of racing over Roubaix’s brutal cobbles.
Speaking to Cyclingnews, Visma-Lease a Bike’s head of performance equipment, Jenco Drost explained that his teams were experiencing noticeable air pressure loss due to burping when riding over cobbled sectors.
Burping refers to the momentary instances when the seal between the rim and tyre is broken by a sudden compressive or lateral force in the event of an impact, typically when running lower pressures.
Though the tyre doesn't unseat, air escapes briefly, lowering pressure, in turn making further losses more likely.
Visma-Lease a Bike says its riders had seen this result in small rim cracks in the rim, which sealant was sometimes unable to plug.
The flexible glue is said to mitigate this problem, helping to provide a reliable seal that sealant can easily plug any gaps.
This is even more important for the likes of Ferrand-Prévot and Wout Van Aert in 2026, who will be without the now-banned Gravaa Kaps tyre inflation system. This enabled riders to raise tyre pressures as needed after a cobbled section.
In a further bid to reduce the chances of punctures, the team confirmed Ferrand-Prevot will be using Vittoria Air-Liner tyre inserts inside her 32mm-wide Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR tyres.
Scroll on to see everything else we spotted on the bike Ferrand-Prévot will ride on her way to defending her Paris-Roubaix Femmes title.
