A pro cyclist who was forced to abandon the women’s elite road race at the UCI World Championships in Glasgow on Sunday 13th August has lashed out at Shimano after claiming that she was denied neutral service assistance after puncturing. Through a PR company, Shimano has now responded claiming that the staff in charge of its neutral service car in question “strictly adhered to the race convoy rules.”
Christine Majerus, who was representing Luxembourg in the race, hit out at the company in a post to Instagram, in which she urged her followers, “Don’t buy Shimano.”
The 36 year old, who has won 14 national road titles and 17 in the time trial, said in her post on the social network: “If I knew I would have stayed home. Terrible carbon footprint for only 10kms of racing. 2023 just keeps on being a terrible season with injuries, sickness and bad luck. Yesterday was just one of those days (again).”
She wrote that while in normal circumstances, getting a puncture at the start of a race wouldn’t be a major problem, the nature of yesterday’s race meant that for her, the “race was done before it even started.”
Majerus said that one problem was a “(too) huge peloton” – 203 riders lined up at the start in Loch Lomond – with another being the complications in terms of support vehicles due to it being an event contested by national teams rather than trade teams.
More than 70 countries were represented, with three riders from Luxembourg taking part, and its support vehicle was shared with a trio of riders from Ukraine – one of whom had crashed shortly beforehand, meaning the car was not available to provide help to Majerus when she needed it.
Her main ire, however, was reserved for the Shimano neutral service car, and she claimed that its staff had ignored her request for a wheel change.
The Japan-based components company has provided neutral service in the sport since 2001 at a number of major races including, since 2021, the Tour de France after taking over duties at that race from Mavic, and its blue cars are a distinctive sight in the peloton.
> What the hell is neutral service at the Tour de France?
Besides wheel and bike changes when team cars are not available for whatever reason, its mechanics also provide food and drink to riders when needed.
But in much the same way that you only see insurance covered in the press when a policyholder goes to the media to complain that a claim has been refused, neutral service only seems to attract the headlines when something goes wrong.
One high profile example involving Shimano include Cadel Evans, who was leading the 2009 Vuelta when a painfully slow neutral service wheel change saw him lose time to the eventual winner, Alejandro Valverde.
More recently, in last month’s Tour de France, the Bora-Hansgrohe rider Nils Politt was caught on camera showing his frustration when, after his chain snapped while he was in the break, he tried out three separate bikes offered to him by the neutral service mechanic none of which was suitable due to a combination of the frame sizes being too small for him and the pedal system being incompatible with his shoes. Eventually, he had to wait for his team car to arrive – by which time the main peloton, never mind the break, was way up the road ahead of him.
In her Instagram post regarding her travails yesterday, Majerus wrote: “I usually don’t complain openly when things don’t go the way they could and anyway who knows how things could have turned out and that’s absolutely not my point.
“Mostly I just give my best and I get what I deserve for that. I can live with failing as long as I was able to try. Yesterday just felt extremely unfair because I couldn’t even try.
“I am aware that not everyone can have car number 1 and that no other nation was willing to give me service (thanks Switzerland at least they considered it but then … no) but I always thought that that’s what the ugly blue cars are there for.
“But apparently they are just there for advertising and adding another 5+ cars to the already too long convoy. Why are you there if you don’t help?
“Once I got a bike change I knew it was over,” Majerus continued. “The helicopters were miles away, I was out of the convoy and only coming back to dropped riders. I rode until the jury took us out and that’s it.”
She added a string of apologies including to her team mates and staff members, her coach, and even her niece – “president of my little fan club who now needs to refund its members (only 2 so not too bad)” – before concluding her post with the words, “Don’t buy Shimano.”
Yesterday’s race was won by Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky, who when not representing her country rides for the same SD Worx team as Majerus, who was a member of its line-up at last month’s Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift last month, won by their team-mate Demi Vollering, second yesterday – and which is supplied by SRAM, which at least means that her heartfelt post won’t lead to any awkward conversations with equipment sponsors.
> Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky caps phenomenal season by winning World Championship road race
road.cc contacted Shimano Europe for comment, and while not responding directly, a PR company sent a statement to us on the behalf of a Shimano spokesperson in response to Majerus’ criticisms.
The spokesperson said: “Shimano prides itself on quality and professional services during all levels of competition. As such, Shimano wishes to clarify that the neutral service car in question strictly adhered to the race convoy rules.
“The explicit request of the President of UCI’s Commisaires’ Panel that it should remain in position behind the Jury President’s car at all times was followed, should it be required for the race finale.”
-1024x680.jpg "“Clear anti-cyclist bias”: Lawsuit filed against Toronto police after cop doored cyclist… before ticketing rider over incident")
46 thoughts on “Shimano responds to pro rider who lashed out at its neutral service, claiming she was denied assistance at World Championships road race”
Just makes herself look
Just makes herself look really unprofessional. The comments are clearly motivated by a dislike of Shimano for whatever reason. The field was too big, the service wasn’t good enough, Shimano ignored me etc etc. It’s also slightly ironic going on about the carbon footprint of a 10k race, as this wouldn’t have changed if she had finished, so a carbon footprint is OK as log as you get what you want.
It’s not actually clear how
It’s not actually clear how they ignored her so it’s kinda hard to judge…
Secret_squirrel wrote:
I was wondering the same, on the initial read I thought she was saying they’d ignored her completely but it seems they specifically ‘ignored’ her request for a wheel change. She then says once she had the bike change it was all over so I’m wondering rather than ‘ignore’ her if the Shimano neutral car didn’t have a compatible rear wheel for her bike given she rides Sram which uses the XDR cassette so instead they forced her to change bike which she didn’t want to do? I know you can mix some parts but I don’t know if you could switch in a wheel with a Shimano cassette and different range without adjusting the derailleur.
Shimano may well respond with more information given it doesn’t look good the way she’s badmouthing them although it still comes across as unprofessional as mentioned above. Pro support from my groupset manufacturer doesn’t rank high on my list of priorities so certainly won’t be changing from Shimano
I always thought shimano and
I always thought shimano and Sram cassettes were spaced the same and totally intercompatible. They definitely were up to 11 speed anyway.
I suspect what happened is that she punctured in the bunch, and with the convoy directly behind, the neutral cars are told not to stop as the team car will deal with it.
She was unfortunate that her team car was busy elsewhere. Still not sure why the team car didn’t then bring her back to the bunch once it had finally swapped her wheel.
My understanding is that
My understanding is that while the spacing (pitch and width) are the same, but, especially with the current 12 speed stuff, both Shimano and SRAM have made modifications to the chain/cassette profiles such that they are not really cross-compatible.
The spacing of the 12 speed
The spacing of the 12 speed does match, and it has been proven to at least function, however the chain/cassette profiles do make shifting much less precise and less smooth. This linked with the sprocket size difference at both ends of the cassettes, and therefore derailleur positions, adding on the extra friction the system crossing causes (say about 3 to 5 watts), mixing systems is a marginal disadvantage no matter which way round it’s done. For the average person it will make little difference unless the wear rate of components is increased (I haven’t found any long term studies on the 12sp systems to say whether lifespan is affected or not) but to the pros every gain counts, regardless of sponsors.
That was my understanding too
That was my understanding too and the reason Switzerland considered assistance, but didn’t because its against the rules, is Chabbey and Reuser would have been riding the same SRAM setups. Plus note Van Vleueten waited for the team car for her puncture.
But no ones asking where was Christine’s SD Work Luxembourg teammate Marie Schreiber in this ? How did she lose contact so quickly, they could have swapped wheels. Her other Luxembourg teammate would have been on Shimano dura ace.
They work great going back
They work great going back and forth. Been doing it for over 15k miles
Jimmy Ray Will wrote:
I think the spacing is still the same with 12 speed and the parts can be mixed but I don’t know if it can be done without any adjustment on the derailleur since the Sram cassette would have a 10 tooth cog vs the 11 tooth on the Shimano. Going by people swapping bikes onto direct drive trainers the general recommendation is to keep the cassette as close as possible otherwise they may need to adjust the derailleur when swapping the bike to the trainer.
The spacing between sprockets
The spacing between sprockets are still the same on 12 speed but the manufacturers have diverged in design philosophy enough for there to be compatibility issues. The design of the shifting ramps are different and the chain profiles are also further apart. Whilst you could get a mixed system to function it will be very inferior to running one or the other, especially with the divergence in smallest sprocket size.
The main issue is that with so many riders having different trade teams in each nation, and the variety of equipment also being extremely wide, there is no way a Neutral Service vehicle could carry enough variations for everyone. Especially when you consider tyre sponsors as well, the car may have only had one or two SRAM casette wheels, but none were fitted with an S-Works Turbo tyre, instead they only had Pirelli, Michelin or Continental. Would that be considered breach of contract leaving her subject to fines?
They’re spaced the same with
They’re spaced the same with 12sp but the SRAM rollers are larger. They still interchange extremely well though
JohnMcL7 wrote:
“I was going to buy Shimano, but I’m worried their pro support car won’t help me if I don’t” No one, ever
It’s more likely she’s
It’s more likely she’s talking about her own carbon footprint for 10km of racing given that it was over before it even began.
Rapha Nadal wrote:
That’s how I read it.
Was she waiting on the wrong
Was she waiting on the wrong side of the road, and the Shimano car didn’t see her?
I guess it’s hard when so many of your (trade) team-mates are on the podium.
I know weight is at a premium
I know weight is at a premium, but in a race where you must know it’s going to be hard to get service (even if they don’t allegedly ignore you) wouldn’t it be worth strapping a combined inflator/sealant like Vittoria Pitstop under the saddle? An extra 200g vs risking being ruled out of the race for a flat…
I bet she was already using
I bet she was already using sealant. Once in a blue moon, it doesn’t work and Pittstop won’t help in that scenario. Tire plugs would though
“Don’t buy Shimano”… says
“Don’t buy Shimano”… says pro rider, who probably doesn’t buy any of their own kit…
#cynical
Why can’t the “Neutral”
Why can’t the “Neutral” service be truly neutral?
Surely the UCI, ASO, RCS etc can afford to provide truly neutral service vehicles?
Shimano literally pays them
Shimano literally pays them to be neutral support just as Mavic did. Hard times lead to Mavic pulling out
Do Shimano neutral service
Do Shimano neutral service carry wheels with cassettes compatible with a SRAM Red AXS 12-speed flat-top chain as a rule ?
because I suspect they dont, unless theyve sourced some from aliexpress.
If they can’t cope with all
If they can’t cope with all the different kit the riders might be using then they’re not neutral service, they’re just shimano advertising like she says!
Yes but I’m sure if you
Yes but I’m sure if you presented them with a bike that had a Sturmey Archer hub setup, they’d struggle to offer you a replacement.
Neutral service only works when there is cross compatibility of componets across manufacturers.
It wasn’t an issue in the men’s race because the men’s peloton is dominated by Shimano, in the women’s its more like 50/50 split and with all the top ranked teams on SRAM.
Awavey wrote:
Clearly in that case they’d just give you a bike because what’s the point of spending however long plumbing in a new hub gear at the side of the road. Notwithstanding though, yes, if a top level professional team was running {insert random niche drivetrain here} then Shimano neutral service would carry compatible wheels for it.
They really all work well
They really all work well together now. Different story when Campy was 10sp. But from 11 and to 12 now, it’s solid. Soon someone will be first to 2x13sp though(probably Campy)and that may mean they’ll need to carry 2-3 rear wheels with Campy cassettes
I think Campag won’t
I think Campag won’t introduce 2×13 any time soon, they had an opportunity with the new WRL group and chose not to go that way. One issue is the current 142mm hub width used on road. The 13sp Ekar cassette fits on 142mm hubs but the largest Ekar sprocket sits further inboard than with a 10/11/12 sp cassette. That only works because the largest Ekar sprocket is very big, 36t and up. Smaller sprockets would be too close to the wheel spokes.
So you think Sram would be
So you think Sram would be any different 1 rider out of 100 complain not that bad
Does the flat top actually
Does the flat top actually touch the cassette? No so why would it matter.
Also, from my admittedly N = 1 sample, Shimano 12 speed cassettes work fine with SRAM chains (I actually found the shifting on my force to be better with the Shimano cassette than the SRAM one).
The whole “my chain won’t work with their cassette” is a load of bollocks – as long as the ring spacings are the same (p.s. there aren’t too many ways you can squeeze 12 cogs onto the same sized freewheel) then the chains work fine!
Aiui the only thing that
Aiui the only thing that works with SRAM axs & the flat top chain, which is the default equip for SD worx bikes, is something specifically designed to handle SRAM axs, because the sizing isn’t quite the same.
Carior wrote:
The Sram flat top chain has a slightly larger roller diameter so it would not normally fit fully into the hollows between the teeth of a Shimano cassette.If you had a slightly worn Shimano cassette then it might work better but its not something I would want to try.
It actually works great,
It actually works great, been doing it for about 15k miles without issue
Brand spanking new shimano
Brand spanking new shimano cassette works fine – and as I said, shifting was better than with the Force cassette the bike came with. All this not-compatible is just marketing bollocks from whatever brand to flog you their “proprietary” tech.
Even if it’s not perfect
Even if it’s not perfect compatability, accept the wheel & get back in the race. Change to desired wheel if/when opportunity arises.
Sh#t happens; don’t whinge.
Awavey wrote:
Yes. Yes they do. Quite obviously, I would have thought. They are contracted to be neutral service for the race, not to be neutral service for Shimano teams only. They absolutely, positively do carry spares for everything the stakeholders have deemed necessary for neutral service to carry. That’s why they also carry full bikes with Look and Speedplay pedals fitted, not just SPD-SL.
From this very website interviewing Shimano neutral at the Tour. “Shimano’s mechanics carry up to nine pairs of wheels, with two pairs for use with rim brakes, four pairs for use with Shimano’s disc brakes, including 140mm and 160mm rotors, as well two to three sets made for use with other manufacturers’ drivetrains,” says Shimano.”
I prefer to believe in occams
I prefer to believe in occams razor, the simplest explanation is the most likely, it seems the simplest & most likely explanation to me they just didnt have a compatible wheel for her to use with her bike setup, hence her complaining about what use were they, not why didnt they pay any attention to help her, not why didnt they stop.
but feel free to believe whatever you like.
Awavey wrote:
You believe the simplest explanation is that a company contracted to provide neutral service at a major race does not carry any spares for other companies’ drivetrains, and would somehow be unable to purchase them even if they wanted to without resorting to knockoffs from AliExpress?
Ok sure, that sounds likely.
Wingguy wrote:
I read that as a tongue-in-cheek dig at the general availability of SRAM parts.
You’d like to think that was
You’d like to think that was obvious…but I guess not
No I haven’t said that,
No I haven’t said that, theyll carry compatible spares that work across sram/shimano setups, thats a given, but the setup on her bike required something thats specific to sram, that sram says only works with sram spares no matter how many people claim its compatible, how do they have the space to carry enough spares for all the compatible setups & the non compatible setups too? They have to decide up front how many wheels of each type theyve got.
So maybe all the sram specific wheels in the car that passed her had already been used helping Ukraine riders out, maybe the sram specific wheels were all in the cars up front where all the main sram riders were and couldn’t divert back to help, which might tie in with Shimanos odd statement, maybe they just forgot and assumed proper team car assistance would always be there as the smaller nations who shared cars would be unlikely to ride on such tech given its high end expense and limited availability.
Awavey wrote:
Then I have bad news for you – someone has clearly hacked your account!
“Do Shimano neutral service carry wheels with cassettes compatible with a SRAM Red AXS 12-speed flat-top chain as a rule ?
because I suspect they dont, unless theyve sourced some from aliexpress.“
If you’ve now changed your mind to say “maybe Shimano neutral service had already run out of Sram wheels” then I’m not going to disagree. But your original point was very clearly “obviously Shimano service doesn’t carry anything compatible with Sram” which I do disagree with because it’s completely wrong, which it sounds like you now understand.
“suspect” – has an idea or
“suspect” – has an idea or impression of the existence, presence, or truth of (something) without certain proof.
RAM Red AXS 12-speed flat-top chain – a very specific cassette and drivetrain made by SRAM, that SRAM themselves claim is only compatible with SRAM Red AXS 12-speed flat-top chain components.
but as I said earlier, and you dont have to quote me on that Ill save you the trouble and repeat, but feel free to believe whatever you like.
Awavey wrote:
Which, regardless of your unfounded and uninformed suspicions, Shimano neutral service do carry. A) because of course they do, B) because they say they do and C) you’ve already accepted that they do so why are you still trying to argue the point that they don’t?
I regularly swap between
I regularly swap between Shimano and SRAM cassettes with my flat top chained bikes without issue
So I must not buy Shimano
So I must not buy Shimano because she was denied service? And she throws the carbon footprint card when she loses, like it is very meaningful the other times she flies to cycle in colorful lycra?
I don’t care about races, racing etc. If there was a groupset Shitano Durex Ace that its riders finished last in the last kids race while its team drivers were lasering the others riders eyes, but it was Sora quality in Sora prices before inflation, I would be perfectly happy to go for it.
Most people don’t care about the racing circus, they just want to go efficiently to their work.
sram changed their 12 speed
sram changed their 12 speed cassette/chain/chainrings to a sram patented system to stop others selling sram compatible 12 speed aftermarket parts, so sram can make all the money. Shimano stayed with the tried and tested chain/cassette/chainring “standards” – save me replying to everyone who says you can fit a shimano 12speed cassette on a Sram 12 speed system
I regularly switch between
I regularly switch between Shimano and SRAM cassettes with my flat top chained bikes without issue and run a Shimano chain on my 1×12 TT bike with a SRAM 10-36 cassette for training and an 11-32 for racing with great shifting.