Former winner's steed epitomizes the equipment craziness of Paris-Roubaix
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1997 Paris-Roubaix winner Frederic Guesdon (FDJ) might pass over his newer carbon fiber Lapierre in favor of this converted aluminum 'cross bike, which he raced across the cobbles at least as early as 2006.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Frederic Guesdon's (FDJ) tubulars feature an aggressive tread design and an actual casing width of 28mm.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Wow - FDJ mechanics can't be credited for the most elegant solution here but they did come up with a way to attach a long-reach road brake caliper to the front end of Frederic Guesdon's aluminum Lapierre. Unfortunately, the two steel plates that sandwich the crown also reduce much of the radial clearance the fork is intended to provide.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Shimano BR-A550 long-reach brake calipers are installed front and rear.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Given the age of the frame (at least five years by our estimates), it's no surprise to see a standard 1 1/8" head tube on the front end of Frederic Guesdon's (FDJ) Lapierre X-Lite.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
FDJ equipment sponsor Shimano never made threadless headsets so instead of going with another brand, team mechanics modified an old Deore XT headset to fit.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Ignore the wrench flats of Frederic Guesdon's (FDJ) headset - the inner diameter has been milled to work with a threadless steerer.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Frederic Guesdon (FDJ) has Shimano Dura-Ace mechanical levers installed on his old aluminum Lapierre X-Lite.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The rear brake is affixed to the frame in essentially the same manner as the front - with two steel plates and an extra set of bolts sandwiching the stock brake bridge.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Frederic Guesdon's (FDJ) aluminum Lapierre uses a solid rear dropout with no replaceable hanger.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Nothing extraordinary here - just a standard Shimano Dura-Ace rear derailleur on the back of Frederic Guesdon's (FDJ) Lapierre.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The rear end of Frederic Guesdon's (FDJ) Lapierre is decidedly ordinary with S-bend seat stays and medium-sized chain stays.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The Ambrosio Nemesis aluminum box-section rims are laced to standard Shimano Dura-Ace 7800-generation hubs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A fi'zi:k Aliante saddle is mounted atop a PRO PLT Carbon seatpost on Frederic Guesdon's (FDJ) Lapierre X-Lite.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Frederic Guesdon's (FDJ) aluminum Lapierre frame uses a carbon cross for gobs of tire clearance - but how is the long-reach road brake caliper attached?(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
175mm-long Shimano Dura-Ace cranks with 53/41T chainrings are installed on Frederic Guesdon's (FDJ) Lapierre.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Several FDJ riders will be on Lapierre's latest Sensium model with elastomer-damped seat stays.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Frederic Guesdon (FDJ) hasn't yet decided if he'll run one of FDJ's newer Lapierre machines for Paris-Roubaix or the several seasons-old aluminum 'cross rig with which he's already very familiar.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The new Lapierre Sensium WS features a tapered head tube.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Lapierre designed FDJ's Sensium WS specifically for more comfort on bad roads, as evidenced by the slender, curved seat stays.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Several FDJ spare bikes were fitted with Hutchinson Road Tubeless tires.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Frederic Guesdon (FDJ) prefers the anatomic version of PRO's PLT aluminum handlebar.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The bottom bracket of Frederic Guesdon's (FDJ) converted Lapierre aluminum 'cross frame uses a standard threaded shell. Check out the machined driveside chain stay stub for extra clearance.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
No surprises here - Frederic Guesdon (FDJ) has tight-fitting Elite Ciussi Gel cages fitted to keep his bottles from ejecting on the cobbles.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The unused cantilever boss sockets are filled with glue.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Even with obvious tube damage like this, Frederic Guesdon (FDJ) was still seriously considering using his old bike for Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A Deda Dog Fang chain watcher is fitted to the seat tube.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Frederic Guesdon (FDJ) went conservative with stem and handlebar options on his old-school Lapierre X-Lite.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Frederic Guesdon (FDJ) has a PRO wireless computer attached to the stem.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
We've witnessed a stabilizing trend in equipment at Paris-Roubaix in recent years with most teams and riders settling on the same basic formula: slightly modified road framesets that allow more tire clearance without having to resort to long-reach or cantilever brakes, bulbous tubular tires, and carbon frames that are almost specifically engineered just to handle the pavé.
Even as late as the eve of the race, team mechanics said the 1997 Paris-Roubaix winner was still undecided on if he'd use one of the new carbon fiber machines provided by team sponsor Lapierre or the (very) tried-and-true platform that has faithfully carried him to the line before - all the way back from 2006, in fact.
This machine is decidedly basic, comprising a TIG-welded aluminum cyclo-cross frame and full-carbon 'cross fork but with more modern Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 running gear. Brakes clearly posed a tougher challenge, though, as while Guesdon opted for cantilevers back in 2006, he's decided to use long-reach road calipers instead. Much to the chagrin of the mechanics, Guesdon's frame and fork have no provisions for doing so.
So instead, they devised a crude looking setup of steel plates that sandwich the fork crown and rear brake bridge with a long nut and bolt and then the caliper is mounted to another set of holes beneath. Though seemingly effective, the solution also greatly reduces the radial tire clearance that the 'cross frame is intended to supply in the first place - interesting to say the least.
Mechanics also had to come up with a sponsor-correct solution for the headset as Shimano has never made one to work with a 1 1/8" threadless steerer. Out came the machine tools again, this time milling a threaded Deore XT headset to work with a tapered compression ring.
Guesdon has taken an expectedly conservative approach to the rest of the build, which includes traditional box-section Ambrosio Nemesis aluminum rim laced with straight-gauge DT Swiss Champion spokes and brass nipples to Dura-Ace 7800 hubs (three-cross, of course), aggressively treaded 28mm-wide tubulars, a PRO aluminum bar and stem, a PRO carbon-and-aluminum seatpost, a k:ium-railed fi'zi:k Aliante saddle, and sturdy Elite Ciussi Gel bottle cages.
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Lest we state the obvious, such a setup is also heavy, weighing a relatively substantial 8.64kg (19.05lb) as pictured.
Guesdon is one of the oldest riders competing in this year's Paris-Roubaix and with no disrespect to the Frenchman's talents, few people are expecting him to win. Nevertheless, team manager Marc Madiot - himself a Paris-Roubaix champion in 1991 - still thinks the 39-year-old rider can make an impressive showing.
"There's always Frédéric Guesdon," he said. "He's indestructible. He's always there in this race but honestly, I don't think he can still win it but a top-10 result is possible. The warm and dry weather conditions are good for him."
UPDATE: This article was written before the start of the race and we’ve only managed to find one image of Guesdon from Sunday since then and he’s on the carbon bike. Even so, that he would even strongly consider racing something like this is quite the testament to how different Paris-Roubaix is from other road events and still a good example of the lengths teams and mechanics will go to create something that will survive.
Frame Lapierre X Lite CX Fork carbon cyclo-cross Headset Shimano Deore XT 1 1/8", modified to threadless Stem PRO Vibe 7S, 130mm x -6° Handlebars PRO PLT Anatomic, 42cm (c-c) Tape/grips Bike Ribbon cork Front brake Shimano BR-A550 Rear brake Shimano BR-A550 Brake levers Shimano Dura-Ace STI Dual Control ST-7900 Front derailleur Shimano Dura-Ace FD-7900-F Rear derailleur Shimano Dura-Ace RD-7900 Shift levers Shimano Dura-Ace STI Dual Control ST-7900 Cassette Shimano Dura-Ace CS-7900, 11-23T Chain Shimano Dura-Ace CS-7900 Crankset Shimano Dura-Ace FC-7900, 175mm, 53/41T w/ Spécialités TA Alize 41T inner ring Bottom bracket Shimano Dura-Ace SM-BB7900 Pedals Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SL PD-7900 Rims Ambrosio Nemesis tubular, 32-hole Front hub Shimano Dura-Ace HB-7800 Rear hub Shimano Dura-Ace FH-7800 Spokes DT Swiss Champion w/ brass nipples, 3-cross Front tire "Hutchinson" (Dugast Paris-Roubaix tubular, 27mm?) Rear tire "Hutchinson" (Dugast Paris-Roubaix tubular, 27mm?) Saddle fi'zi:k Aliante TwinFlex w/ k:ium rails Seat post PRO PLT Carbon Composite Bottle cages Elite Ciussi Gel (2) Computer PRO SX4-W Other accessories Deda Dog Fang chain watcher
Critical measurements
Rider's height 1.85m (6' 1") Rider's weight 73kg (161lb) Saddle height, from BB (c-t) 785mm Saddle setback 83mm Seat tube length, c-t 550mm Seat tube length, c-c 490mm Tip of saddle nose to C of bars (next to stem) 592mm Saddle-to-bar drop (vertical) 95mm Head tube length 142mm Top tube length 570mm Total bicycle weight 8.64kg (19.05lb)
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