Sep Vanmarcke (Belkin) rode this Bianchi Infinito CV to a fourth-place finish at Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The Miche seatpost post has a rotatable shim to help safeguard carbon seatposts from crimping(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The uniquely shaped seat stays on Sep Vanmarcke's (Belkin) Bianchi Infinito CV the day before Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Bianchi says its Countervail technology squelches vibrations by selectively inserting layers of viscoelastic material into the carbon fiber lay-up(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sep Vanmarcke (Belkin) went with a very tight 11-23T cassette for the flat parcours of Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The tapered head tube sports an hourglass profile - and yes, the front brake cable housing does look a touch short(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A strip of tape keeps the valve stem from rattling inside the rim(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The carbon headset cover is shaved down to yield a few extra millimeters of handlebar drop(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Shimano Dura-Ace bottom bracket cups are threaded into the PF30 adapters(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The cockpits of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2-equipped team bikes are becoming an increasingly busy place these days(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Magnets for the Pioneer power meter are neatly taped to the chain stays(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The Pioneer computer head can display an incredible amount of information - though we doubt Sep Vanmarcke (Belkin) had much opportunity to look at it during the race(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Supplemental sprint shifters neatly poke out of the Lizard Skins DSP handlebar tape(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sep Vanmarcke (Belkin) used a single top-mounted brake lever at Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
As is increasingly common with similar cobbles-focused bikes, the rear end of the Bianchi Infinito CV features heavily shaped stays in an effort to smooth out the bumps(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sep Vanmarcke (Belkin) went with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9070 group at Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The Shimano Dura-Ace crankarms are fitted with Pioneer's latest power meter and 53/44-tooth chainrings(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Tacx Tao aluminum bottle cages were a popular choice at this year's Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sep Vanmarcke (Belkin) would finish his day in fourth place(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A Selle San Marco Regale saddle with Xsilite rails is clamped to an FSA K-Force carbon seatpost(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The traditional-bend bars are set up with the bottom of the drops roughly level with the ground(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Belkin ran huge 30mm-wide Vittoria Pavé CG tubulars mounted to Shimano Dura-Ace 50mm-deep carbon wheels at Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The Shimano Dura-Ace brake calipers are set up with the quick-release levers in the open position in case a neutral wheel with a narrower rim is required(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A simple chain catcher provides a bit of extra security(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Paris-Roubaix's biggest challenge for the bikes used there has always been its brutal pavé – more akin to a dirt field full of haphazardly placed granite blocks than anything resembling a road. Manufacturers continually try to infuse as much vertical flex into the riders' machines as possible but for Sep Vanmarcke of the Belkin squad, it's also now a matter of attenuating vibration via Bianchi's novel Countervail technology.
Bianchi perhaps wisely doesn't reveal too much about Countervail, aside from saying that it incorporates some elastomeric materials that are layered into the carbon fiber in select areas of the frame. Though it doesn't provide lots of movement like any sort of suspension, our experience suggests that it does remove some of the sting of the cobbles, particularly in combination with the flattened chain- and seatstays.
Truth be told, though, Vanmarcke almost certainly got a bigger benefit for his huge 30mm-wide tubulars – the widest we've seen yet from Vitttoria at the Hell of the North. Team mechanics wouldn't disclose Vanmarcke's tire pressures but we observed more than a few riders on race day setting up with just 65psi or so.
Those tires were wrapped around 50mm-deep Shimano Dura-Ace carbon wheels, which teams say actually ride softer than the company's 35mm option.
Shimano also provides much of the rest of Vanmarcke's build kit, including the powerful dual-pivot brake calipers (with blue-compound Shimano carbon-specific pads), carbon-bodied pedals, and Dura-Ace Di2 9070 electronic group outfitted with both climbing and sprinting supplemental shift buttons. The 175mm-long crankarms bear the Dura-Ace logo, too, but it's augmented with power-meter hardware from newcomer Pioneer.
While much of the gear is decidedly high tech, some aspects of Vanmarcke's setup are actually quite traditional. The classic-bend bars are positioned with the bottom of the drops level with the ground, the lever bodies are clamped with the tips even with the drops, and there's just a single layer of tape covering the aluminum bar.
Vanmarcke also went with the big gear ratios typical of Paris-Roubaix, including 53/44-tooth chainrings and a tight 11-23T cassette.
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Total weight for Vanmarcke's bike as pictured is 7.86kg (17.33lb) – a rather remarkable figure when you consider the incredible abuse dished out on the cobbles. Vanmarcke crossed the line on Sunday in fourth place.
Complete bike specifications Frame: Bianchi Infinito CV, 59cm Fork: Bianchi Infinito CV Headset: Integrated, 1 1/8-to-1 1/2in tapered Stem: FSA OS-99, 130mm x -6° Handlebar: FSA Energy T, 42cm (c-c) Tape: Lizard Skins DSP Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace BR-9000 w/ Shimano carbon-specific pads Rear brake: Shimano Dura-Ace BR-9000 w/ Shimano carbon-specific pads Brake levers: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 STI Dual Control ST-9070 w/ right-hand top-mount lever Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 FD-9070 Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 RD-9070 Shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 STI Dual Control ST-9070 with SW-R600 and SW-R610 supplemental shift buttons Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace CS-9000, 11-23T Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace CN-9000 Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace FC-9000, 175mm, 53/44T, w/ Pioneer SGY-PM 900 power meter Bottom bracket: Shimano SM-BB9000 w/ PF30 adapter cups Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SL PD-9000 Wheelset: Shimano Dura-Ace WH-9000-C50-TU Front tire: Vittoria Pavé CG tubular, 30mm Rear tire: Vittoria Pavé CG tubular, 30mm Saddle: Selle San Marco Regale Seatpost: FSA K-Force Light SB20 Bottle cages: Tacx Tao (2) Other accessories: Pioneer computer head, chain catcher
Critical measurements Rider's height: 1.89m (6ft 2in) Rider's weight: 76kg (168lb) Saddle height from BB, c-t: 823mm Saddle setback: 80mm Seat tube length (c-t): 560mm Seat tube length (c-c): 515mm Tip of saddle nose to center of bars (next to stem): 600mm Saddle-to-bar drop: 122mm Head tube length: 200mm Top tube length (effective): 575mm Weight: 7.86kg (17.33lb, with computer and cages)
