January 27, 2011 (St. Catharines, ON) – Pedal Magazine had the opportunity to visit the SpiderTech p/b C10 headquarters last week and as one can imagine it was a beehive of activity. SpiderTech powered by C10 is the very first Canadian cycling team to earn a Professional Continental licence from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) – read the official team release here – and the team leaves for their European base in early February and everyone was busy making all the final arrangements.

Steve Bauer’s team has stepped up to the Pro Continental ranks and with that came the signing of some marquee Canadian riders. Current National Champion Will Routley, Svein Tuft, Ryan Anderson, Pat McCartney, Zach Bell and Hugo Houle all bring additional horsepower and experience to a team already chalked full of homegrown talent.

Video Interview with Steve Bauer


With these additional riders comes a need for more staff. Kevin Field, formally of Symmetrics and Trek-Livestrong, has joined the program as an Assistant Director. Bauer commented that he was excited to see Field come on board as he brings both a wealth of directing experience to the team, but is also very talented in communication and marketing. Chad Grochowina, who was previously Head Mechanic for 7up, Health Net and the Canadian National Team will join Rick Barrow in ensuring the team’s bikes run flawlessly all season.

Head Mechanic Rick Barrow took the time to walk us through the 2011 Argon Gallium Pro Team bike. At the heart of each bike is the frame, which for 2011 has seen an optimization of the tubing shapes and diameters in order to yield a stiffer yet more comfortable bike.

Shimano is back on board as a sponsor providing their venerable Dura Ace components and wheels. The team has a selection of different wheels to ensure the riders are ready for any conditions that can be thrown at them. SpidertTech’s Dura Ace wheels are all shod in Hutchinson Carbon Comp tubulars. Barrow tells us the team loves these tires as they perform just as well in the rain as they do on dry roads.

Where team bikes begin to differ is in the selection of stems and bars. The majority of the team ride Pro’s Vibe series bar, but some of the riders prefer the smaller cross section of the Pro PLT series. Anatomic, Classic and Compact drops are all employed by the riders and the majority rides on aluminum as opposed to carbon bars.

Riders requiring a 120mm and longer stem receive an aluminum Vibe 7S and all those with sub-120 stems receive the carbon Vibe stem. Barrow has all the team’s sprinters; Gilbert, Lacombe, Boivin, Cossette and Bell on the beefy Vibe Track Stem.

Saddles are also left up to the rider and a large selection is seen. Many use the Pro Griffon, Pat McCartney rides a Fizik and Martin Gilbert and Mark Batty are both riding the ISM saddle on their road bikes.

2011 Team SpiderTech powered by C10 Roster

– Ryan Anderson
– Mark Batty
– Zach Bell
– David Boily
– Guillaume Boivin
– Flavio De Luna
– Lucas Euser
– Martin Gilbert
– Hugo Houle
– Keven Lacombe
– Bruno Langlois
– Jonathan Pat McCarty
– François Parisien
– Andrew Randell
– Ryan Roth
– Will Routley