A day in the Shimano neutral support car at the women's Tour de France

We were present on the last stage of the Tour de France women with Zwift 2024, aboard one of the Shimano neutral support cars. An essential device in the smooth running of the race to try to ensure sporting fairness between competitors, who are not always lucky enough to be followed by their team car. A unique experience that allowed us to live the suspense around the awarding of the yellow jersey right up to the last meters of the final climb to Alpe d'Huez. Zoom on the crucial importance of these blue cars at the heart of the peloton.

By David Polveroni – Photos: DR

As the peloton prepares to set off from Le Grand-Bornand for this final stage of the women's Tour de France with Zwift towards Alpe d'Huez, the three Shimano cars take up position. The last exchanges between mechanics and drivers, mostly Dutch, resonate with a palpable atmosphere of excitement. A few minutes before the start, the adrenaline is rising. Our car is number 1, just behind that of the general management, where we find in particular Marion Rousse, director of the event, and Bernard Thévenet, former winner of the Tour de France (1975 and 1977).

When the start is given, we are listening to the race radio, waiting for a breakaway to form.. If the gap to the peloton exceeds 40 seconds, we can then position ourselves behind the breakaway group. Otherwise, we stay at the front of the peloton, ready to react. In addition to the race radio, which informs us in real time of the evolution of the competition and gives us various instructions, Shimano has an internal radio to communicate between the three cars and the only motorcycle in the peloton made up of 120 riders this morning. Strategy is essential: one of the cars positions itself behind the peloton to monitor the groups that form, while the other positions itself at the front of the race, ready to change places according to the evolution of the situation.

First pass: Tamié. The head of the peloton is very active and a breakaway is forming. We stop to let her pass, then we set off behind this group of about twenty riders, including the polka dot jersey wearer, Justine Ghekier, who is fighting with courage and determination to defend her jersey. After two kilometers behind the group, I realize that there is a problem with a rider from the UAE team, who seems to be feeling the strain at the back of the breakaway. The agitation intensifies in the car, the radios are shouting in English. I notice that she is having difficulty using her big chainring on the flat part of the pass. The driver (or rather the pilot!) approaches her to find out what the problem is. It turns out that she is indeed having problems with her chainring, but she prefers to wait for her car. Even if it does not intervene in the end, the job of neutral assistance is to be ready to do so, as quickly as possible depending on the race situation.

We then return to our position to continue following the escapees. We now begin the descent. Better to respect the rule of three hours of digestion before getting in the car! Believe me, it's a real sport, pilotagand to follow the competitors of this level in descent. No gap must be left between each car, otherwise the whole harmony of the process can be broken. The pace is sustained and the polka dot jersey is showing signs of fatigue, struggling to maintain its pace amidst speed bumps and speed bumps. In the valley, when the gap reaches almost three minutes, two pee breaks are on the agenda – precious and rare moments in the heat of the action. As for the rider who finally managed to pass her big chainring, The mechanic in the back of the car must be able to handle any unexpected event..

Each new season, Shimano makes an inventory of each team and, before each race, a point is made to ensure that all the equipment is in order to be able to help out any rider. Each car is thus equipped with:

• 3 bikes with Shimano pedals
• 3 bicycles with pedals from competing brands 
• 4 Shimano wheels with rim brakes 
• 8 Shimano wheels with disc brakes (140 and 160 mm discs) – 2 discs of each size (140 and 160 mm) – 4 rear wheels from competing brands 
• 1 pair of pedals from each of the brands present in the race 
• 2 channels 
• 2 batteries for Shimano Di2 
• 20 cans 
• 24 bottles of water of 50 cl 
• 30 energy gels 
• 30 energy bars
• All the tools needed for a race

This is solid preparation to face many eventualities!

The Col du Glandon is approaching, the much-feared ogre of this Tour de France. This high-mountain stagetagdoes not end with the formidable Glandon – Alpe d'Huez sequence. We all remember Lance Armstrong's bluff in 2001, when he seemed to be in trouble before taking off alone at the foot of the Alpe climb. Here, there is no room for bluffing: the leading group is gradually shrinking, with only about ten female riders left halfway up the slope in Saint-Colomban-des-Villards. This confirms my impressions from the start: it goes fast! Whether it's uphill, downhill or in the valley, the Garmin in my hand shows me that we are just a little bit below the best French cyclosportives. Col du Glandon in 1h05'30 for Vollering, one minute more for the rest of the favourites. Connoisseurs can make the comparison…

Now, the Dutchwoman is in the lead, accompanied by her compatriot Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fénix-Deceuninck) and Valentina Cavalar (Arkéa – B&B Hotels). When the gap exceeds 40 seconds at the Grand Maison dam, we position ourselves behind the group during the rapid descent towards the Romanche valley. The Arkéa rider struggles to keep in touch, and the pace imposed by Demi Vollering proves to be high. But, just like in our car, over the course of the tight bends and then the peaks at almost 90 km/h on the straights, she finds the strength to catch up with the two Dutchwomen. An expenditure of energy that could cost her dearly on the final climb.

In the valley, the sports directors of the two respective teams consult at the window. What can they possibly say to each other in this palpable tension? Rooijakkers collaborates little with Vollering, and the group of the yellow jersey Katarzyna Niewiadoma gets closer. The suspense continues until the finish line, as you saw on the screen. Vollering, who nevertheless wins at the top, will be four seconds short of dislodging the Polish. Two kilometers from the finish, while no further intervention is to be reported, we head straight to the technical zone to join the Shimano truck and put away all the cars that have finished with the Tour de France Femmes! Every evening, the bikes are washed carefully, everything must be impeccable, just like Shimano!

The neutral service, which replaced Mavic in 2021 on the Tour de France, is also present on many other events throughout the season. In total, Six neutral breakdown service teams, spread across Europe, are present at the three men's Grand Tours, the world championships, the five cycling monuments, as well as all the one-day spring classics for men and women.Shimano also intervenes in many other races on the UCI calendar, both for the women's and men's circuits, and provides neutral support for junior and espoir competitions, track events and paracycling events. Although Shimano is not directly involved in the performance of the riders, neutral assistance represents an essential link in the smooth running of the race, sometimes contributing decisively to victory!

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