In a flamboyant reaction after the European Cyclo-cross Championships, Sven Nys, the Baloise Trek Lions’ manager, took on SRAM’s chains for major bike failures at the event. Broken chains threw the team off balance, and his son Thibau won the race, but equipment reliability at the highest level of competition was also in dispute.
In pro cycling, reliability of equipment is a given. But in the European Cyclo-cross Championships, Baloise Trek Lions had their surprise in SRAM’s derailleur team with two chain failures that ruined many riders in various races. This wasn’t an accident, said team manager Sven Nys, but a trajectories. He’s getting mad and he’s making a huge point about what he thinks is a major problem with SRAM’s recent release. ‘Chains aren’t supposed to break when the rider puts all his/her weight on the pedals,’ Nys said, emphasising the importance of reliable hardware.
Such mechanical problems were not merely cosmetic. The junior men’s race – Arthur van den Boer’s snapped chain – sent him 21st – a place far from where he would have preferred to be. The same happened to David Haverdings, who was disqualified from the under-23 event, yet another example of how equipment affects an athlete’s success. Nys’s words also signal a bigger problem: when the pro cycling is being driven by the athlete, the equipment has to be able to match.
SRAM’s response? Silence. The latest Red AXS and Red XPLR AXS groupsets from the US brand were supposed to be top tier, but this event takes that out of reach. Nys even told his son Thibau to ride lightly lest there be another accident, a sign of the equipment’s lack of faith in people. Thibau won the European title but the incident has left some questioning SRAM’s products in the pro cycling world.
SRAM’s silence speaks volumes. In a game where all gains come from the margin, even the slightest equipment mismatch is toxic. And it’s up to companies such as SRAM to make their products do what they can, in the most extreme situations. When the answer comes, fans and the industry will not be waiting too long: can SRAM restore the confidence of riders who trust their machines in the world’s toughest competition?
For now, Baloise Trek Lions European Championship performance is warning sign. Pro athletes rely on brands such as SRAM to deliver and when they fail, it’s the riders who are hurt. Until brands pay attention to durability and consistency instead of innovation as a whole, we may see more scandals such as this in cycling on race day.
