Pierre Rolland celebrated victory on stage 11 of the Tour de France by hoisting his Colnago M10 S Team Edition above his head. Here’s a closer look at the machine that helped the Frenchman to his second Tour stage win.
Rolland was riding the Colnago M10 S Team Edition, which is part of the Italian company’s 2013 range. Colnago are renowned for their vibrant colour schemes – maserati blue is one of next year’s options – so the Team Edition’s matt black and white finish is decidedly understated.
Also note the Campagnolo Hyperon Ultra 2 wheelset. Europcar are one of one of three teams at the Tour de France sponsored by Campagnolo (Lotto-Belisol and Movistar are the others; Shimano sponsor ten teams and SRAM five) and the lightweight Hyperon Ultra 2 hoops are the climbing wheels of choice. They have a claimed weight of 1,230g, with 20mm carbon tubular rims laced to a carbon Campagnolo hub shell, running on ceramic CULT bearings.
Many of Europcar’s riders have switched to Campagnolo’s electronic Super Record EPS groupset, but Rolland prefers the mechanical group. The same M10 S frame is compatible with both electronic and mechanical groupsets. Rolland uses Deda’s Alanera integrated handlebar and stem (see below).
Europcar riders can opt for either the Colnago C59 Italia or the M10 S. The team has two leaders at the Tour de France and while Thomas Voeckler rode the C59 to victory on stage ten, the M10 S was Rolland’s machine of choice (as it was when he won atop Alpe d’Huez at last year’s Tour) on stage 11.
The C59 uses a lugged construction (so each tube is joined individually), while the M10 S is a monocoque frame. The M10 S is designed to be stiff, thanks to an oversized bottom bracket, yet comfortable, with increased vertical absorption. Colnago’s website claims the M10’s tapered headtube and new fork make for a bike which is “precise on descents and smoother through corners,” although that did little to help Rolland, who crashed on the descent of the Col du Mollard, before picking himself up of the tarmac to ride to glory.
Rolland’s race number. The 25-year-old revealed after the stage that he had targetted victory on the slops of La Toussuire since the route announcement: “This stage had become a nightmare for me,” said Rolland, who is now tenth overall. “I’ve been dreaming about it for six months. I really went for it but I didn’t have the legs and only won because of my mental strength. Last year I won the stage to Alpe d’Huez thanks to my tactics. But this time I was the favourite in the breakaway. I’ve been so unlucky in this Tour de France [due to a previous crash] but I didn’t let it get to me and was determined to win.”
Here’s Rolland’s M10 S lined up next to his Colnago K-Zero time trial bike. You can read more about Rolland’s TT machine here.
