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Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to the UAE Team Emirates winter training camp, ostensibly for the launch of the new Colnago V4R and to write a first review for it after bombing around the hills behind the Costa Blanca constantly overtaken by WorldTour pros. The team also organized a media day where journalists could ask the players about their ambitions for the upcoming season, how they are settling into the new team.
I decided not to stick around during the rider interviews and instead, as the sun dipped below the horizon, I meandered up the road a few hundred meters to the entrance to an underground car park that the team had taken over to create a makeshift service course. Here I was lucky enough to photograph Pogacar’s bike for the upcoming season, but while I was there I also took some photos of the service course itself and spoke to Pogacar’s mechanic, Boštjan Kavcnik, about the team’s new bikes, what they’re like to work on and who the pickers are riders in the group.
WJ: Hi Boštjan, if you could introduce yourself please that would be great.
BK: Hi, I’m Boštjan Kavčnik, a mechanic in the UAE.
WJ: Are you Pogačar’s personal mechanic or do you work with the other riders as well?
BK: All mechanics work for him [and all the other riders]. I come from Slovenia, from Pogacar’s first team and I made all the bikes for his team when he started. He asked me if I would go with him to the UAE.
WJ: Easy choice?
BK: Huh, yeah. Then I talked to my wife first to find a solution and now I’m here for the second year.
Thaddeus is not complicated. It is easy to work with.
WJ: Last year you obviously had Campagnolo for the groupset and wheels, so there were a lot of challenges with swapping in new parts; is there anything particularly difficult?
BC: Of course. We have all new handlebars, spokes and all equipment is now Shimano. Just the saddle and frame are the same really, but V4R. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow: We have two rides with the riders and the new gear, but so far so good. Looks good.
WJ: Do you like it better?
BK: For now, when it works, it’s good for mechanics.
WJ: Is there anything easier on the bike given the new fork design?
BK: It’s easier to make bikes now. Shimano has no cables at the shifters and for us it’s easier. Brakes are average compared to Campagnolo.
We are changing [the headsets] after two months of racing.
WJ: The new bike launch made a big deal about the longevity of the CeramicSpeed headset. How often do you change your headphones?
BK: We need an hour to change the headphones. However, we have CeramicSpeed on call. They say “If you have a problem just call us” but that’s only for the camps. We change after two months of competitions. We have a lot to do with [setting the new bikes up]but it’s over now.
WJ: Have you been busy?
BK: We have thirteen riders, all riders have three bikes, plus two TT bikes and other bikes at home. Much work!
WJ: So who is the pickiest rider?
BK: Unregistered only!
WJ: I won’t tell anyone… Well, we will. Are they all perfect?
BK: With some riders we always have problems with saddle angle and saddle height, but Thaddeus is not complicated. It is easy to work with.
WJ: What’s your favorite thing about the new bike to work on then?
BK: Favorite is the new color. Thaddeus tells us that the bike is faster after the corner. After the turn is when he pedals and goes out faster. For me, it’s the color.
WJ: So you can crush it and no one will see it?
BK: Huh! No I do not know. We also change the electricity meter. Last year we had a lot of problems with the computers. Now we need to see the new computers [Wahoo Elemnt] and how they work.
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