"The days of Chris Froome running up Mont Ventoux are over" - Shimano neutral service hope to rebuild trust of riders with ex-Sky/INEOS DS Servais Knaven
Cycling
The neutral service are unpopular among peloton for various reasons, yet it's often thanks to them that riders can save minutes in an event of mechanical problem. Especially at times when the peloton is blown apart into pieces, the two team cars are often simply not enough to immediately attend their riders with punctures, broken chains and whatnot. And that's when the men of Shimano step in.
For this season, they have brought a star signing of their own with former Sky/INEOS sports director Servais Knaven. How does the experience compare to that of driving a team car? "It's different," Knaven tells In de Leiderstrui. "You have to think ahead and know what's going to happen. You have to anticipate that. Often nothing happens, until you get to the final and suddenly there's work to be done."
"We are neutral, so our car is full of all kinds of different wheels. We have three cars and six bikes on them, with different types of pedals and modified tires. We really tackled that this year and want to make progress."
"You don't really think about what the neutral service does until you're in it yourself. As a rider and team manager, I always thought they were in the way. As a rider, I'd rather not have a wheel from them, because you don't know what you're going to get."
The men in blue Shimano cars need to respond to any situation that may arise on the course. With so many different suppliers in the professional peloton, it's not always easy to match the needs of each rider, but Knaven assures that Shimano is putting in their best effort to meet all the demands. After all, it's not a good advertisement for the large brand when a rider needs to run to the line because the neutral bikes don't fit them...
"We definitely want to respond to that, with the best material Shimano has. And that's what I tell the people I know: they don't have to worry that it's not a good wheel. In that respect, it's improved enormously. We all know what happened to Chris Froome on the Mont Ventoux, that he got a bike with toe clips that didn't fit him. Those days are over."
"For Shimano it is an important part and we want to provide the best service. The few times that we have to take action, it has to be good."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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