Ask most Midwesterners what they think of Illinois’ terrain, and the word you are most likely to hear is flat. After all, us Wisconsinites affectionately refer to our friends to the south as “flatlanders.”

Most of the state is covered by flat cornfields, but travel far enough south along I-57, past Marion and Carbondale, and you are likely to find the terrain—and thus the riding—starts to change

“People not from our area are always surprised by the awesome landscape and topography we have,” Dirty South Roubaix race director Shawn Moore said. “We don’t have 1000-foot-plus climbs, but the 300 to 400-foot climbs we have are steep and make you earn it. The most common comments at our events are about how beautiful the area is and how people had no idea Illinois had stuff like this.”

It is against that backdrop that the Dirty South Roubaix based out of Alto Pass takes place. This year’s event marked the third edition of the southern Illinois race, although as we will learn, the event has been taking place on a not-timed basis for nearly a decade.

Alto Pass is a small town located southwest of Carbondale, which is home to Southern Illinois University and is the largest urban center in that part of Illinois. The Dirty South Roubaix course passes through Shawnee National Forest and also along the Mississippi River floodplain. As the map shows, there are plenty of hills in Shawnee National Forest, thanks to the southern tip of Illinois escaping the wrath of the earth-scraping glaciers during the last Ice Age.

The Dirty South Roubaix is based out of Alto Pass, Illinois. photo: Google Maps

Perhaps not surprisingly, the forest is home to some great roads. “The gravel scene is really great here,” Moore said. “While it isn’t possible to ride big distances without riding some pavement here and there, there are tons of awesome gravel roads scattered throughout the region. The Shawnee National Forest has hundreds of miles of gravel scattered between the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.”

Situated near Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana, the Dirty South Roubaix now draws riders from several states. However, it started as a local ride among some friends based in the Carbondale area.

“The Dirty South rides started about 9 or 10 years ago by just a bunch of friends getting together to ride gravel roads when the trails were too muddy to ride,” Moore said. “We would post the rides ahead of time in an old school forum for our mountain bike group. The rides started growing and once we started posting to Facebook, they started growing faster.”

By that timeline, saying that the ride is in its third year is a misnomer. It started as a ride, but then because bikes—and well, dudes—it became a race.

“Some of the riders started asking for a race. I really didn’t want to deal with the logistics of a race, but once we thought it through, we thought we would go ahead and give it a shot to see what happened,” Moore said. “The first race was March of 2017. We had 98 riders sign up for the race with only 1 no show. In 2018, we had 166 riders sign up. This year, we had 265. We are very happy with the growth of our event.”

The Dirty South Roubaix featued plenty of hills and some late-winter scenery. photo: Marcus Janzow

The Dirty South Roubaix ride is an early-March metric century. For those who do not quite have their midseason legs yet, the event also offers a 50km ride.

The 2019 route had roughly 4,000 feet of climbing, making it certainly not flat. Moore said that there are a couple parts of the course that stand out for riders, for reasons good and bad.

After the first climb, the course rolls along a Mississippi River levee. Flat, for sure. But also exposed. “The route then turns onto a levee road for approximately 10 miles,” Moore said. “The first two are paved, then the last eight are rough chunky gravel and totally exposed to wind. The levee is usually the most brutal part of the course.”

Another highlight is a more scenic and fun section. “You then hit the Trail of Tears State Park that has a great rolling gravel road through dispersed rustic camping on a ridge. People love this section. It’s a bit of a climb to get into the park, but once on top, the ridge has great little rollers and a nice fast downhill out of the park.”

As Moore mentioned, like any gravel event there are some paved sections, but for the most part, the course sticks to gravel roads. Similar to the Texas Chainring Massacre, southern Illinois offers a variety of gravel genera. “We have different types of gravel here,” Moore said. “Small limestone gravel, large limestone gravel, red river gravel through the state park and the big climb on the south end of the course and places that the gravel is packed so tight it rides like smooth asphalt.”

Itasca’s Kae Takeshita made the trip from her flatter Chicago-area home down to Alto Pass for the race. “The course had many steep climbs and some hiking trail riding, as well as some flatter pavement,” she said.

The Dirty South Roubaix course featured a lot of climbing. photo: Marcus Janzow Marcus Janzow

Just as southern Illinois is not like say, Chicago, topographically speaking, it is also different from much of the state weather-wise. Carbondale is much further south than St. Louis and a bit more southern than cities such as Louisville and Lexington. The temperatures are usually much warmer than those in Chicago especially during its pre-spring early March date.

Despite temperatures that were in the 60s the last two years, the weather was a bit more chilly in 2019. Although the race avoided becoming an ice skating rink like CIRREM in Iowa last weekend, temperatures still peaked in the low 40s and snow arrived as Saturday progressed.

Looking at how CIRREM went, things probably could have been a lot worse.

The Race

The Dirty South Roubaix offers several categories—Elite, Masters, Singlespeed and Tandem—for both women and men in the 100km distance. There is also a Junior category for the Half Dirty. There are small overall prizes, with the top two overall women and men getting $200 and $100 for first and second, respectively. Third place finishers get their entries covered for next year.

The top finisher for the Elite Women was Anonymous Participant. Yep, the masked rider. The mystery competitor. The known unknown.

2019 Dirty South Roubaix top five Elite Women finishers.

We did some “journalism” and learned that Anonymous Participant and Elite Women’s winner was, in fact, Kae Takeshita, the Panaracer / Factor pb/ Bicycle X-Change rider who has seemingly been everywhere on gravel roads so far this winter.

“The energy of the host and staff was warm and welcoming from the packet pick up to the start through the finish line, and they warmed us all up with hot chili loaded potato dinner,” Takeshita said about the race. “Yes, the ‘flavor’ of the race was fantastic.”

Molly Vetter-Smith of Missouri finished second, Carrie Bax of Missouri third, Rhona Ehrhardt of Oklahoma fourth and Monica Foltz put another Show-Me Stater in the top five in fifth.

Dirty South Roubaix Open Women’s podium. photo: Daniel-san

For the Men, it was the Volunteer Staters leading the way. Chase Peeler finished first and Justin Lowe second. Scott Williamson of Kansas finished third, Michael Morgan fourth and Maurice Hessel fifth.

Dirty South Roubaix Open Men’s podium. photo: Don Daly

Loreen Mattson and Alice Butler were the lone tandem 100km finishers.

Results for the 100km categories are below. Also see below for a vlog from this year’s event.

Video: 2019 Dirty South Roubaix

Women's Results: 2019 Dirty South Roubaix Gravel Race

Men's Results: 2019 Dirty South Roubaix Gravel Race

The post Gravel Race: Illinois’ Dirty South Roubaix Trades Flat Cornfields for Hills and Gravel appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

Whether you’re a 1x fan or 2x fan, getting the right gearing for your gravel grinds or mixed terrain riding has never been easier.

You can rock an old-school triple on your carbon adventure bike, run a 12-speed electronic double, give a vintage drivetrain new life or relish the single life and spin a 1x crankset with anywhere from 1 to 13 cogs out back.

For some of us, “gravel season” means longer rides, more exploring and less racing and likely, more climbing. And even though it’s impossible to stroll into a good bike shop without tripping over a gravel bike nowadays, the reality is many readers don’t have the luxury of separate cyclocross and gravel bikes.

That means after cyclocross season, the fall season bike might need lower gears and different rubber for certain gravel escapades. As we shift into “gravel season,” we’ll be taking a look at some of these mods.

Today, we’re looking at a wide-range cassette from SunRace.

The SunRace CSMX8 11-speed 11-42 cassette offers wide-range gear options for gravel and adventure, without requiring an XD driver. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

A Third Big S

Shimano and SRAM both have offered wide-range non-XD cassettes aimed at the 1x crowd for several years, and creative folks can even implement them into 2x setups. Perhaps you use an 11-32t or 11-36t for 1x cyclocross racing, maybe even tighter. Swapping that out for an 11-42t for more climbing and time in the saddle makes for more versatility for mixed terrain fun.

Now, there are many more cassette options than the two big S component makers, and SunRace hopes its offerings will place its name in the ring of mainstream gearing options.

It’s doing so with lightweight, affordable cassettes that offer more options and gram savings than competitors. SunRace offers 4 11-speed, wide-range cassette levels, 5 10-speed versions and even a 12-speed SRAM Eagle-like cassette that does not require an XD driver. Each cassette comes in several gearing options and silver or black finishes.

The SunRace CSMX8 11-speed 11-42 cassette relies on two alloy spiders that carry 6 of the 11 cogs. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

All told, there might be 50 permutations of gravel-relevant cassettes available—more than SRAM or Shimano.

We’ve put some miles on SunRace’s CSMX8 11-speed 11-42t cassette, which is the company’s top-end 11-42t 11-speed option. The cassette features six steel cogs on two shiny red anodized aluminum spiders, with alloy spacers and a lockring to match. The biggest cog is alloy.

MSRP is $80, although as with many components, it’s often sold for much less—we’ve seen the 11-42t silver version as low as $56.

Our test cassette tipped the scales at 419g, a tad heavier than the list weight of 401g, but about 10g lighter than a similarly priced Deore XT M8000 model and 119g lighter than the more expensive SRAM Apex 1130 11-42t offering.

The SunRace CSMX8 11-speed 11-42 cassette is competitive in price, and lighter than its competitors. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

People spend $1K or more to save 100g on wheelsets. Sure, that might be rotating weight further from the hub, but $60 or so to save 119g seems like a relative bargain for the weight weenie replacing a SRAM Apex cassette.

The Ride

I swapped in the SunRace CSMX8 for SRAM and Shimano 11-42 cassettes and honestly forgot I was testing a new cassette. The shifts were reliable, the noise level was about the same and thanks to the alloy spiders, removing the cassette off freehub bodies was not a memorable experience. It slipped off without carving its mark badly into alloy freehubs.

While riding, I may not have noticed any performance detriment or improvement and didn’t even notice the 100-plus gram savings while tackling my local trails or late-season cyclocross races. I didn’t think about its performance, appreciated its gear range, and it’s held up just fine—isn’t that all we expect from our gear?

The SunRace CSMX8 11-speed 11-42 cassette features an alloy largest cog. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

When the bike was clean, I did notice the added bling. Red anodization may not be for everyone, but it certainly does not make the component look like a budget, off-brand part.

I spent a decent amount of time crawling up hills in the granny gear, but not enough to put noticeable wear into the largest alloy cog. Based on its performance, it’s a no-brainer replacement over a SRAM Apex or Shimano SLX cassette, and competitive with a Deore XT option.

Some may think of SunRace components to be a budget brand with compromises. After a few thousand perspective-changing shifts on the CXMX8 cassette, I certainly do not.

SunRace CSMX8 Cassette Specs

MSRP: $80
Gearing options: 11-40t, 11-42t, 11-46t
Cogs: (11-42t) 11-13-15-17-19–21-24-28-32-36-4
Color options: Black, silver
Spider: red alloy
Spacers: red alloy
Cogs: Hi-tensile steel, largest is A7075 alloy
Lockring: red alloy
More info: sunrace.com

The post Gravel Gear: SunRace’s Lightweight, Wide-Range CSMX8 Cassette appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

A big part of the appeal of gravel riding is the chance to explore areas that you would not otherwise ride. Essential to this experience is having a good map.

There are still a handful of events such as TransIowa (RIP) that only provide riders with a hard copy map and cue sheet, however, most events provide some kind of GPS file of their routes, even if it is a few days before the event.

Having a good cycling computer to stay on track can be an essential part of having a good gravel experience.

One such GPS cycling computer is the Wahoo Elemnt. Offered by the same company that makes the Kickr smart trainer, the Elemnt is a fully loaded computer designed to help you stay on course, track your ride and measure your progress as an athlete.

Read on to find out if the Wahoo Element is the right navigator for your next adventure afield and a useful tool for doing your next set of intervals.

The $330 Wahoo Elemnt GPS Cycling Computer. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

The Wahoo Elemnt Cycling Computer

The Wahoo Element is the company’s flagship bike computer. Whereas other units such as the Garmin Edge 130 we recently reviewed are built to be compact, the Elemnt is more concerned about providing easy-to-read data and a full array of training features.

The Elemnt package comes with the computer, three different mounts and a USB cable to charge the unit and transfer data, if necessary.

The Elemnt measures 2.3″ x 3.5″ x 0.8,” which is relatively big compared to some other units. As might be expected, weight weenies probably need not apply, with the Elemnt checking in at 103g.

If you are looking for a more compact option from Wahoo, the company offers the Bolt, which offers nearly all the same features, but has a smaller screen and is lighter and more aero. The Bolt costs $250 to the Elemnt’s $330 retail price.

The Elemnt is bigger than more compact computers like the Garmin Edge 500. Wahoo Elemnt GPS Cycling Computer. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

However, if a few extra ounces are no concern, the Elemnt packs a lot into one bike computer.

Displays for the Elemnt unit are controlled via a smartphone and Bluetooth connection. The Wahoo Elemnt app allows you to change preset data pages and customize your own, depending on your training and riding needs. It also offers controls for options such as auto pause, live track and phone and text message display.

The computer has GPS tracking and supports both Ant+ FE-C and Bluetooth connections for sensors such as power meters, heart rate monitors and cadence sensors.

The data fields available for the Elemnt are impressive. It offers all the options you likely need for power, cadence, heart rate, distance, climbing, speed, muscle oxygen and more. There are 77 different options for power, 14 for heart rate and 13 for climbing, as some examples of the options available.

The Elemnt offers a myriad number of data fields to choose from.

The large screen can display up to 11 fields at once. I found the display for 7 fields to be more than adequate for easy reading.

The Elemnt displays up to 11 data fields. Seven fields fit the screen nicely. Wahoo Elemnt GPS Cycling Computer. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Wahoo ships the unit with three mounting options: out front, stem and aero. The stem mount requires zip ties to secure it to the stem, which can be a bit of a pain if you frequently swap the Elemnt between bikes. I prefer Garmin’s mount that uses a removable rubber piece to secure the mount to the stem.

An out front mount is one of three that comes with the Elemnt. Wahoo Elemnt GPS Cycling Computer. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Good battery life is a must for gravel, and the USB rechargeable battery in the Elemnt gets a claimed 17 hours. I found that my unit lasted about 12-14 hours with a heart rate monitor attached.

Data Access

Once your ride is complete, accessing data from your Elemnt is straightforward.

Since the device is fully Bluetooth integrated, it uploads your ride to your smartphone using the Elemnt app. The Elemnt also uploads your activities to external apps such as Strava and MapMyRide.

Upload speeds are fast, and with a good connection, your rides will be ready to view in less than a minute. It is worth noting that upload speeds were much faster than I experienced with the Garmin app connected to the Edge 130.

The Elemnt app also allows you to use wifi to download software and route updates and then transfer them to the unit when connected.

Elemnt Navigation

When I was attended the Almanzo 100 last year with a number of other cycling journalists, many of them were using the Elemnt, thanks in part to the map feature. After reviewing the Elemnt, I saw why it was a popular choice among that savvy crowd.

The Elemnt comes with global maps for five continents and the option to download others. The maps are incredibly detailed with roads, bike paths and even mountain bike singletrack.

Routes via GPS files for gravel rides are easy to sync to the Elemnt with training apps such as Ride with GPS, Strava and Komoot. Ride with GPS and Komoot routes provide the added benefit of turn-by-turn navigation on the screen.

Following a route is a snap with the built-in base map and route tool. Wahoo Elemnt GPS Cycling Computer. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

The routes on the map are easy to follow, and should you get off-course, the built-in maps make it easy to navigate back to your intended route.

The map screen on the Elemnt also allows you to add data fields above the map, allowing you to track your progress and maybe stay within your limits when tempted to hang with the Ted King group at a big gravel event.

Training with the Elemnt

For many, gravel is appealing because it is the opposite of structured training.

However, being on form for cyclocross and road often requires structured workouts. The Elemnt can also help the Type A bike riders out there.

The Elemnt app allows you to control several training options for the Elemnt unit.

The Elemnt allows you to load structured workouts from apps such as TrainingPeaks. If you are riding outside, the unit gives you cues for time and power targets.

Riding inside, the Elemnt connects to the Wahoo Kickr and other trainers with Ant+ FE-C connectivity. If you are doing a workout, the FE-C control will go into erg mode and provide the prescribed amount of resistance.

If the day’s plan calls for less structure, the Elemnt allows you to set the power (erg mode) or resistance of the trainer. It also offers a Passive Mode, which allows you to use the unit to display data while using an app such as Zwift or TrainerRoad.

If Strava segment hunting is part of your training, the Elemnt offers easy-to-use Strava Live segments. To select segments to target, “star” them in Strava, and then the next time the unit syncs, they will be uploaded to the Elemnt.

The display for the Strava Live segments is pretty impressive. The Elemnt gives you a warning about 1,000 feet out that the segment is approaching. Then when you hit the segment, it gives you a very emphatic go. It tracks your time within the segment, the distance to the end and how your time compares to either your PR or goal you have set in the Strava app.

The Elemnt gives you all the data you need for Strava Live segments to take the QOM/KOM. Wahoo Elemnt GPS Cycling Computer. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Most of us (all?) will never be the next Phil Gaimon, but it can provide a useful tool for beating PRs and setting targets to go after.

Wahoo Tickr

One of the accessories Wahoo offers for use with its computers is the Tickr chest-strap heart rate monitor. The Tickr easily connected with the bike computer and worked as advertised.

The nice thing about the Tickr compared to some other heart rate monitors is that it is both Ant+ and Bluetooth compatible. The Bluetooth compatibility is especially nice if you are running Strava or a training app off older iPhones that only have Bluetooth capability.

The Tickr retails for $50.

The Tickr is Wahoo’s heart rate monitor. Wahoo Elemnt GPS Cycling Computer. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Ride Impressions

After riding on and off-road with the Elemnt, I have been very happy with its performance.

I have always used a stem mount, so the big computer unit and out front mount took a bit getting used to, but I have adapted pretty quickly. Even with the large size, the Elemnt integrated nicely with the stem mount on my mountain bike during singletrack riding.

The Elemnt is easy to connect to a mount and to a power source or computer via the USB port. Wahoo Elemnt GPS Cycling Computer. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

The customizable display pages provided all the data I was looking for whether outside with a heart rate monitor or inside with my smart trainer. The fields are easy to adjust using a smartphone—although having to get out the phone to make mid-ride changes such as turning auto-pause on or off took a few extra seconds.

Where I expected the Elemnt to shine—the map and route functions—it did. The integration with Ride with GPS and Strava makes creating and uploading preset routes a snap. The map is easy to read and the routes easy to follow, especially with the turn-by-turn directions from Ride with GPS.

When workouts are done, they are easy to quickly upload to the Elemnt app and then Strava. It easy to start analyzing data and collecting those Strava kudos.

Finally, the battery life for the unit was more than adequate. Twelve hours with sensors attached seems like a good battery life for gravel events and long road rides, and the Elemnt achieves that.

If you turn in a DK200-winning time, the Elemnt should have enough battery to get you back to Emporia without a charge, and if you use it for regular riding, you probably only have to charge it about once a week.

The Verdict

The Wahoo Elemnt GPS cycling computer proved to be a great fit for gravel events. The versatile map, easy-to-read display and adequate battery life made it perfect for staying on track on roads less traveled.

The Elemnt also has a number of features that make it a good option for training. A wide range of available data fields, workout mode and Strava Live segments give you all the data you need to crush your workout.

Due to its size, the Elemnt is best suited for gravel rides where weight is not the biggest issue and training. For road and mountain bike races where those extra grams can weigh you down, a more compact unit such as the Garmin Edge 130 or Elemnt Bolt is likely more desirable.

Also, at $330, the Elemnt is not the cheapest cycling computer out there, but if you are planning on doing a lot of long rides or intense training, the unit has features that will likely make the extra premium you paid feel worth it.

For cyclocross, the Elemnt is pretty big and more likely to fall off in a crash than a small unit. It will, however, fit on most stems, so if you are worried about getting lost on the ’cross course, well, I’m not sure if your local cyclocross course will be uploaded to Wahoo’s impressive map library.

For more on the Elemnt, see the specs below.

Wahoo Elemnt Specifications

Price: $330
Weight: 103g
Dimensions: 2.3″ x 3.5″ x 0.8″
Connectivity: Ant+ FE-C, Bluetooth
Battery: USB Rechargeable, 12-14 hours battery life
Accessories: Three mounts, USB cable
More Info: wahoofitness.com

The post Review: Navigate Gravel Roads and Measure Workouts with the Wahoo Elemnt GPS Cycling Computer appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

These days, even though some of us still find ourselves continuing these habits, endless options abound for dedicated gravel-specific bikes. Adventure bikes, all-road bikes, laid-back gravel bikes—riders have lots of choices for rides specifically built for long days in the saddle on mixed terrain.

One cyclist who still keeps the spirit of the cyclogravell crossover alive is Colorado’s Kristen Legan of the new Bitchn Grit cyclocross and gravel team. Legan has been riding a titanium Firefly bike for the past few years, and it centers around a frame that she worked with the company to custom build for both cyclocross and gravel performance.

We saw Legan’s Firefly in action last May at the Almanzo 100 gravel race and again in the Elite Women’s race at Louisville Cyclocross Nationals. While riding with Legan at Almanzo, I told her at about Mile 70 that I would do a profile of her bike if she won the Women’s race. She ended up finishing second behind Dee Dee Winfield, but … here we are anyway.

This cyclogravel profile looks at Legan’s bike as she had it configured at Almanzo last May and for the cyclocross season she completed at Louisville Nationals in December.

[caption id="attachment_132585" align="aligncenter" width="1216"] Kristen Legan’s Titanium Firefly Cyclocross/Gravel Bike. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Kristen Legan’s Custom Titanium Firefly Cyclogravel Bike

Kristen Legan is a cyclist of many talents. The former professional triathlete and avid road racer now turns her attention to gravel and cyclocross.

During the summer, she is best known for her gravel exploits. We saw Legan race at Almanzo last May, and she also took a stab at the first-ever 350-mile DKXL during the Dirty Kanza weekend in Kansas. Legan is also a member of the Shimano Gravel Alliance, a membership that will become apparent in due time.

[caption id="attachment_119380" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Gravel, cyclocross, creek crossings, Legan does it all. 2018 Almanzo 100 Gravel Race. © Eric Wynn[/caption]

When the days get shorter and the days cooler, Legan heads to the cyclocross course, where she is a member of the Tenspeed Hero p/b BitchStix, aka Bitchn Grit, team along with Dani Arman. Legan made one of the biggest splashes of the weekend in the Louisville mud when she donned gold pants and joined Sarah Sturm and others as one of the Glamorous Ladies of Singlespeed.

[caption id="attachment_129923" align="aligncenter" width="1228"] Kristen Legan’s getup was quite glamorous during the Singlespeed race at Louisville Nationals. 2018 Louisville Cyclocross Nationals, Saturday and Sunday. © Drew Coleman[/caption]

Firefly Bicycles is a custom builder of titanium and carbon bikes based in Boston, Massachusetts. Legan opted to have her custom bike built from titanium.

“Building a custom bike from the ground up was an incredible experience with Firefly,” Legan said. “I’m a total bike nerd, so getting to discuss geometry, tire clearance, ride quality, handling and everything else that goes into building a bike was so much fun.”

She picked titanium for some specific reasons. “Titanium is a fantastic material that offers a little more compliance over the bumpy courses. I often struggle with some back issues on bumpy courses, so I’m looking forward to a little more compliance out there. Titanium is such a beautiful material and the ride-feel on and off-road has been great so far.”

[caption id="attachment_132562" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Legan’s bike is highlighted with colorful anodization. Kristen Legan’s Titanium Firefly Cyclocross/Gravel Bike. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

On its website, Firefly says that it does not name its bikes since every frameset it builds is completely custom. Their custom ethos allowed Legan to build her bike to her own cyclogravel needs.

“I wanted to build something that was equally suited for long gravel adventures and for short, dynamic ’cross races,” she said. “Firefly and I decided on a relatively aggressive geometry for the bike with super short chainstays and big tire clearance. This would let me run around 40mm tires for gravel races while keeping the backend snappy and responsive for ’cross.”

Legan’s titanium frame uses Firefly’s Adaptive Butting it developed and is TIG welded. Accents have been added with colorful anodization. Both her and Arman’s bikes are personalized and they also feature the logo of team sponsor Tenspeed Hero.

[caption id="attachment_132572" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Legan’s bike has some subtle, yet colorful personalization. Kristen Legan’s Titanium Firefly Cyclocross/Gravel Bike. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Perhaps the biggest change to Legan’s bike during the gravel to cyclocross switcharoo was a fork swap. This year for gravel, Legan went with the Lauf Grit suspension fork.

“The Lauf Fork is a super interesting piece of equipment for gravel riding, and I believe it really saves your body from the constant vibrations of rocky gravel,” she said. “I did several ultra events this season including the 350-mile DKXL as well as a 3-day gravel bikepacking race in South Dakota where a little extra comfort goes a long way towards preserving the body.”

[caption id="attachment_132587" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Legan opted for the Lauf Grit suspension fork for extra compliance during long gravel rides. Kristen Legan’s Titanium Firefly Cyclocross/Gravel Bike. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Although our reviewer Cliff Lee speculated on the utility of the Lauf Grit for cyclocross in his review, Legan picked weight savings over cush. During cyclocross season, she swapped in an ENVE Carbon Cross Disc fork for less compliance and more control.

[caption id="attachment_132565" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Legan switched to an ENVE Carbon Cross Disc fork for cyclocross season. photo: Kristen Legan[/caption]

The other big swap was changing up her wheels and tires. For gravel, Legan went tubeless with the Shimano Ultegra RS770 carbon tubeless clinchers, and although tubeless is gaining in popularity for cyclocross, she still opted to go the traditional route with Shimano’s Dura-Ace WH-R9170-C40-TU carbon tubulars.

[caption id="attachment_132564" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Legan ran 700c x 37mm WTB Riddlers at Almanzo mounted to Shimano Ultegra carbon tubeless clinchers. Kristen Legan’s Titanium Firefly Cyclocross/Gravel Bike. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

When it comes to tires, Legan’s many gravel travels have helped her find her sweet spot. “I really like the 35 to 37mm range for most gravel races because the tires still feel fast but offer quite a bit of compliance to keep things more comfortable on these long rides,” she said. 

The gravel at Almanzo was hard and fast—Shimano provided us with bikes with 700c x 33mm tires—so Legan hit her sweet spot with 700c x 37mm WTB Riddlers at the Minnesota event. She said her favorite tread is the Donnelly MSO, and at the DKXL, she bumped up to 40mm tires for the extra cushion during the insanely long ride.

During cyclocross season, Bitchn Grit is sponsored by Colorado’s Donnelly, and she was quick to point out that the PDX tubulars definitely came in handy at Louisville Nationals.

[caption id="attachment_132558" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Legan went with 37mm WTB Riddler tires at Almanzo, which is right in her gravel tire sweet spot. Kristen Legan’s Titanium Firefly Cyclocross/Gravel Bike. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

One last bit of gravel flair was the Revelate Designs Mag-Tank top tube bag. Those are not necessarily something we see for cyclocross every day.

[caption id="attachment_132577" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] One gravel touch is this Relevate Designs Mag-Tank top tube bag. Kristen Legan’s Titanium Firefly Cyclocross/Gravel Bike. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Legan is one of the 16 current members of the Shimano Gravel Alliance, a group of brand ambassadors for the Japanese company. We already saw that Legan runs Shimano wheels, and not surprisingly, there is no SRAM or Campy to be found when it comes to the rest of her setup.

When we saw Legan’s bike at Almanzo, she had a Dura-Ace R9100 crankset with 50/34t chain rings controlled by a Dura-Ace R9150 Di2 front derailleur. In the back, she ran the then-new RX805 Di2 clutch derailleur that we were in Minnesota to test out. In the back she had an 11-34t cassette, which no doubt helped with the climbing on the Almanzo 100 course.

[caption id="attachment_132570" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Legan was running the then-new RX805 Di2 clutch rear derailleur at Almanzo. She used it during cyclocross season as well. Kristen Legan’s Titanium Firefly Cyclocross/Gravel Bike. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

As an employee of Shimano’s PR agency, Dispatchco, Legan also had special access to the pro-only Dura-Ace cyclocross rings we see sponsored professionals ride. Legan ordered one of the 46t rings and paired it with the 34t she runs as the little ring during gravel season. During cyclocross season, she allows runs a narrower 11-30t cassette.

Shimano Dura-Ace R9170 shift-brake levers paired with the derailleurs and Ultegra R8070 flat mount hydraulic disc calipers.

[caption id="attachment_132560" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Legan used Ultegra calipers and IceTech Freeza RT99 rotors. Kristen Legan’s Titanium Firefly Cyclocross/Gravel Bike. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

A Pro Vibe alloy stem holds a carbon Pro Vibe handlebar and Wahoo Elemnt GPS computer. In the back, a 20mm-offset titanium seatpost with an ENVE one-bolt clamp holds Legan’s Pro Stealth saddle. Well-worn Shimano XT M8000 pedals rounded out her contact points at Almanzo.

[caption id="attachment_132571" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Legan’s Shimano XT SPD pedals have seen a ride or ten. Kristen Legan’s Titanium Firefly Cyclocross/Gravel Bike. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

For more on Legan’s cyclogravel bike, see the photo gallery and specs below.

Photo Gallery: Kristen Legan’s Titanium Firefly Cyclogravel Bike

Kristen Legan’s Titanium Firefly Cyclocross/Gravel Bike. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

The post Cyclogravel Bike: Kristen Legan’s Custom Titanium Firefly appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

With NAHBS coming up this weekend, we can look back on a titanium cyclocross bike we saw in 2017 and custom gravel builds we saw at Sea Otter last year for a look at how the company’s offerings have changed.

A few years ago we reviewed the Dean Bikes Antero cyclocross/gravel bike and found it to be a high-value, versatile titanium ride with good tire clearance and a comfortable ride. The model has since been given a new, longer geometry, and its production has moved to Boulder. The Made-in-the-USA approach has raised the bike’s price tag, but the more-affordable Asia-built titanium frame is still available under the Wily Cycles brand.

Dean Bikes’ flagship cyclocross/gravel bike has been the Torrey’s Cross bike, and this week, the company unveils its new top-shelf Team Edition.

[caption id="attachment_132686" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross bike features a curved, ovalized top tube, and represents Dean’s top-shelf cyclocross option. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Over the last few months, in wet winter riding, I’ve had a chance to put the new top-of-the-line option from welder Ari Leon to the test. Find out how the Team Edition handled late-season muddy cyclocross races and damp, mixed-terrain adventures.

The Dean Bikes Team Edition Frame

For many of us, just throwing a leg over a titanium frame is a moment of privilege. We’ve long lusted after the wonder rust-proof material and lumped all forms of the material into one seamless material associated with dream bikes to last a lifetime.

[caption id="attachment_132691" align="aligncenter" width="1226"] The Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross, with retro four-color graphics. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Whether it’s a frame made pure titanium or an aerospace alloy built in Russia, China, Europe or the U.S., moving to a titanium frame can feel like the difference between dating and marriage—you’re making a commitment to a bike that will last a lifetime.

Builders will be the first to tell you that not all titanium is the same, and Dean Bikes builds its flagship $2,950 Team Edition frame from 3/2.5 seamless cold-worked stress-relieved titanium.

[caption id="attachment_132704" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross is electronic wire-ready. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

For the Team Edition and Torrey’s Cross frames, the straight gauge tubeset is picked to suit the rider’s weight and style, compared to the “standard,” size-specific tubing used on the Antero gravel frame. The Antero frame, with stock geometry, retails for $1,150 less than the Team Edition, or $600 less than the Torrey’s Cross.

For $2,950, with the Team Edition, you not only get everything the $2,400 Torrey’s Cross offers, but also a curved, ovalized top tube and custom graphics package. That’s on top of a custom tubeset, with your choice from a plethora of options to ensure your Team Edition is the bike or your dreams.

You can pick your preferred dropout (Breezer, sliding or standard thru), bottom bracket shell (BSA, PF30 or T47), internal or external cable/hose routing, seat post diameter and even between pick between stock and custom geometry, without any upcharges.

[caption id="attachment_132707" align="aligncenter" width="1203"] Welded in Boulder, Co. Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Focus more on cyclocross? Dean offers six sizes with its cyclocross geometry. If gravel is more your thing, there are also six stock gravel configurations offered under the Torey’s Cross model, which are also available with the same Team Edition features.

As you might imagine, the cyclocross options feature less bottom bracket drop (3-4mm less), shorter chainstays (5-8mm shorter) and slightly steeper head angles than the gravel options. Find neither stock option to meet your body or riding needs? You can send Dean your measurements or specify your own geo.

Our stock frame featured a 56.5cm effective top tube, 72-degree head tube, 73-degree seat tube, 42.5cm chainstays and 65mm bottom bracket drop.

[caption id="attachment_132693" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Etched graphics and an ovalized top tube differentiate the Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross from the more-affordable stock options. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Satin finish is standard but a brushed finish and etched graphics are optional for $300. Our Team Edition test frame featured an eye-catching checkerboard etching on the top tube and down tube.

The Build

[caption id="attachment_132705" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The Alchemist Z40 carbon wheels came dressed with non-tubeless Challenge open tubulars, but offered an airtight platform for Specialized Terra 38mm tires. Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Our test bike’s build kit featured a few selections from Dean founder John Siegrist’s Janus Cycle Group, including made-in-Italy 1,390g Alchemist Z30 carbon hoops and a Selle San Marco Mantra saddle.

[caption id="attachment_132694" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Our Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross featured a 31.6mm post, but 27.2mm is also an option. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

A Ritchey WCS cockpit and TRP fork handled steering duties. A SRAM Force 1 drivetrain, with a Force 22 derailleur instead of the clutch-based rear derailleur, helped get the ensemble rolling on Challenge Dune open tubulars.

[caption id="attachment_132703" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Dean offers your pick of rear dropouts. Ours featured Breezer-style thru-axle dropouts for more rear-end stiffness. Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross. The non-clutch Force 22 rear derailleur was an odd pick, but you get to pick your own build with a Dean Bikes frame. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

It’s an eclectic build that partially represents what the Janus Cycle Group has on offer and partially what Dean had available at the time. The company stresses the unusual non-clutch Force derailleur on the 1x drivetrain is not a standard build choice and emphasizes that customers pick their own build kit. While a clutch might help with chain security and noise, it’s worth noting that in all my riding, I dropped the chain once, while racing in heavy mud.

[caption id="attachment_132757" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The wide-narrow X-Sync ring offered chain security in muddy conditions. Dean will build your dream bike with your own dream parts package. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The wheels are definitely a highlight of the parts package. Although a tad narrow at 18.7mm internal, they’re quite light and hold tubeless tires very well.

[caption id="attachment_132754" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The Alchemist Z30 wheels were burp free and did their best to shed mud. The sharper edge accumulates less material than bullet-shape profiles. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The narrow V-shape seems a bit old school than the common bullet profile we see on most carbon rims nowadays, but the sharper edge seems to shed mud and organic material quite well.

The Dean Team Edition Ride

Titanium as a frame material inherits plenty of superlatives and many of them are well-deserved. Yet any skilled builder can create a stereotype-busting frame, and the only consistent trait among titanium frames I’ve found is that they’ve been dent resistant, rustproof and relatively lightweight.

[caption id="attachment_132700" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] You have your options of BB shell, but our test Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross featured a BSA threaded shell. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

As for ride quality, while tires and tire pressure will make a bigger difference in your cyclocross and gravel comfort, on bumpy terrain, the Team Edition really shines.

While I’ve ridden carbon frames that do a better job of absorbing road vibration, the titanium Team Edition is less punishing than most carbon frames with bigger hits. It offers a bit of flex in the rough stuff—think bumpy cyclocross courses or long rides on rutted gravel roads. The flex is not enough to get you off-track in a corner, but enough to help prevent permanent reminders of a bad line. That’s a nice trait, whether you are racing for 45 minutes or for 12 hours through Kansas.

[caption id="attachment_132698" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross features a chainstay bridge but enough room for mud or 40mm tires. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

While the stock Antero has been stretched out since its Asia-built days, the Team Edition/Torrey’s Cross geo leans a few degrees towards more traditional cyclocross geometry, prioritizing pedal clearance and quick steering over adventure riding.

This stock cyclocross geometry should please most cyclocross racers. It’s not so low that you’re clipping pedals on every root or off-camber section, and it offers great agility to ride tape-to-tape while looking for harder surfaces in the mud and carving through hairpins. There’s also ample mud clearance around cyclocross tires, and adequate clearance around high-volume 38mm rubber.

[caption id="attachment_132697" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The underside of the rear flat mount disc brake mount. Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Those looking for more versatility (think riding most of the year on fat tires) might lean towards the gravel geometry. Personally, because I spend much of the year riding 38mm or bigger tires, I’d split the difference, pairing the shorter chainstays of the ’cross geometry with the lower bottom bracket and slacker head angle of the gravel geometry. With this setup, I’d offset the increased toe overlap and higher ride height that comes with higher-volume rubber.

[caption id="attachment_132687" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross featured the retro, four-color graphics. The stock cyclocross geometry serves up a little toe overlap with size 46 feet. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Could I tell the difference in ride quality between the top-shelf Team Edition and the more affordable, made-in-Asia Antero (now Wily Cycle’s Wily Cross) that’s half the price? It’s been almost two years since we’ve tested that model, and while it had similar geometry, it featured quite a different build.

While we didn’t test the two bikes side-by-side, I’d be lying if I said the bikes felt dramatically different. The Team Edition might be a few ounces lighter, boasts an impressive etched finish and of course, has a domestic pedigree. Both feature fine workmanship and harness the best of what titanium have to offer.

[caption id="attachment_100605" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The older made-in-Asia Dean Antero we reviewed two years ago is now called the Wily Cycles Wily Cross, but offers an affordable gateway into titanium for less than half the price of the Team Edition. The current Dean Antero is made in Boulder and features longer, lower geometry. © Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

If you’re torn between models, for $450 less than the Team Edition, the Dean Bikes Torrey’s Cross option, without the upgraded graphics and ovalized, curved top tube, could help you supplement your component budget and perhaps splurge for the unique, reliable Alchemist wheels.

The Verdict

Dean Bikes and its cousins, Wily Cycles and Merlin Bikes, offer plenty of titanium options for every budget and terrain. Within the Dean line, for the drop-bar, offroad rider, the Team Edition and Torrey’s Cross are the obvious options if choice and domestic construction are what you’re after.

[caption id="attachment_132689" align="aligncenter" width="1112"] Team Edition and Torrey’s Cross owners can pick their dropout style, bottom bracket shell and seat post diameter. Flat mount SRAM Force HRD disc brakes are tucked in neatly between the chainstay and seatstay. Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The ability to pick your frame’s features and geometry is what makes it easier to justify the premium of these two models and doing so will increase your chances of being pleased with your investment once the new bike honeymoon is over.

A titanium frame should last a lifetime. Dean Bikes’ Team Edition is ready for the marriage.

Full photo gallery below the specs.

Dean Bike Team Edition Cyclocross Test Bike Spec Highlights:

Frame: Custom 3/2.5 titanium tubeset, rider-specific. BSA bottom bracket, 44mm head tube, 31.6mm seat post, flat mount disc brake.
Fork: TRP cyclocross, thru axle
Headset: Chris King
Wheelset: Alchemist Z30 tubeless disc, thru axle
Tires: Challenge Dune
Drivetrain: SRAM Force 1, with SRAM Force 22 rear derailleur
Brakes: SRAM Force HRD
Cockpit: Ritchey WCS
Saddle: Selle San Marco Mantra
More info: deanbikes.com

Dean Bike Team Edition Cyclocross Photo Gallery:

The Dean Bikes Team Edition titanium cyclocross frame had ample mud clearance and kept this tester rolling forward. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

The post Ridden and Reviewed: Dean Titanium Team Edition Cyclocross Bike appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

With a race named Baitin’ the Shark, one would expect the event to take place on the coast. This is gravel, and despite changes on the landscape in the sport, there are still plenty of events keeping gravel weird.

This past weekend, the weird was the first-year race called Baitin’ the Shark that took place in the decidedly land-locked locale of St. Louisville, Ohio, situated about 40 miles northeast of Columbus.

The reason for the name? An homage to a local landmark.

“There’s actually a giant rock that sticks out of the ground on Rock Run Road that is painted to look like a shark with teeth and all,” Headwind Cycling’s Mike Buckner said. “People who have ground gravel out there for years have always stopped to take pictures with the rock and have fun with it.”

The race got its name from this local landmark. 2019 Baitin’ the Shark Gravel Race, Ohio. © Jen Adams, Limelight Studios

Just as the Pirate Cycling League that hosts Gravel Worlds goes all-in with the theme with winners’ cutlasses and all, Baitin’ the Shark embraces its cartilaginous predator motif.

The race features two distances—a 30-mile route called the Chum Bucket and a 50-mile route called the Bruce, after the famed shark from the silver screen. The theme does not stop there.

“Our trophies are figures being eaten by a toy shark and we are giving away three-foot long stuffed sharks for winners,” Buckner said. “We figured if we are going to dip our toe in the shark theme let’s go all in and make it fun.”

Headwind Cycling leaned into the shark theme. 2019 Baitin’ the Shark Gravel Race, Ohio. © Jen Adams, Limelight Studios

The Event

The rock that inspired the race also plays a role in the overall landscape of the event.

Like the not-flat Dirty South Roubaix in the flat state of Illinois, the Baitin’ the Shark ride is not flat either, even if over half of Ohio is. The race starts and finishes in the town of St. Louisville, which is located on the edge of the Allegheny Plateau. The same Allegheny Plateau that calls the decidedly not-flat city of Pittsburgh home.

All told, this year’s proposed route had nearly 5,000 feet of climbing in 53 miles of riding, and the course was half gravel, half tarmac.

“For both routes, it comes out to 1,000 feet of climbing for every 10 miles of racing. In Ohio, there are a whole lot of gravel roads where it’s either 0-percent gradient or 14-percent.  It’s rare to find a slow, long climb at four to six percent, so you’re either going really slow up a very steep climb or pretty fast on a steep descent with the next steep hill not far off in the distance.”

The race featured plenty of climbing. 2019 Baitin’ the Shark Gravel Race, Ohio. © Randy Liu

With so much climbing and steep hills, there has to be a KOM. The team took a different approach than some others with its KOM. The Col d’ Crush KOM at the Crusher in the Tushar and the one at Gravel Worlds are both located in the back half of the course, rewarding those who stay at the front the longest.

“Our team is all about doing things outside the ordinary. Our KOM is placed four miles after the start at the top of a really gnarly switchback climb that’s the riders’ first experience with what will happen over the rest of the route,” Buckner said. “We considered putting the KOM at the back half of the race, but we wanted to give all riders a chance a glory right out of the gate and see if the podium hopefuls were going to try to make the winning move before they are even warmed up.”

That is a healthy amount of climbing for any race, much less one in March. And March in the Midwest … well, we saw what happened at CIRREM in Iowa.

Even though temps were in the 40s, there was some snow on the ground. 2019 Baitin’ the Shark Gravel Race, Ohio. © Randy Liu

Maybe the early-spring date is because the Baitin’ the Shark organizers did not know any better? They do focus on cyclocross, so riding in ugly conditions should be NBD for them, right?

“There is a decent amount of risk with such an early race in the season and we knew that going in,” Buckner said.

The team knew the risks, it turns out its members thought it was worth it.

“We set goals for the team [in October], and one of those goals was to help promote cycling in Ohio and get more people out on bikes,” Buckner said. “We see gravel racing as a huge opportunity for folks who want to experience racing and be part of that scene but maybe aren’t ready to enter a crit, road or ’cross race.”

The team also has its eye on the Barry-Roubaix held a month from now held in that hated state to the north, Michigan, so the March date allowed the team to ride together before heading into enemy territory. Also, the team is heavily involved with road and cyclocross seasons, thus the early-March date was one of the few clear weekends on the calendar.

Fortunately for Headwind Cycling and all involved, Year 1 was a success. It seems likely the team will roll the dice again in 2020.

Riders had a good time, and the team is likely to roll the dice with the early March date again next year. 2019 Baitin’ the Shark Gravel Race, Ohio. © Jen Adams, Limelight Studios

The Race

Baitin’ the Shark left out of St. Louisville at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. Temperatures were in the 40s, but riders certainly enjoyed the extra hour of morning sunlight to warm up the early March air.

What the sun did not do, the race organizers helped with. “The riders don’t know this but we will be starting the race by shooting off fireworks at the start,” Buckner said last week. “It’s something different and we feel it will add to the excitement and maybe get the adrenaline pumping for an early move towards the KOM.”

A lone rider goes off the front. 2019 Baitin’ the Shark Gravel Race, Ohio. © Jen Adams, Limelight Studios

The race featured Open Women and Open Men’s races for both the Chum Bucket and the Bruce distances. As mentioned above, winners took home stuffed sharks and cute shark trophies.

The final results sheet was not without a little controversy, as some riders missed a turn near the end and ended up cutting their rides short. It happens, but since Baitin’ the Shark was lowkey gravel race, there were still beers, stories and a good early-March half-century for all.

The Women’s Bruce win went to Kristen Arnold (local WesTURDville Bike Plop elite gravel grinding supersquad). Rachel Weaver (JMac Cycling p/b Margie Bars) finished second, Meagan Gehrke (Lady Gnar Shredders third and Jen Malik (RedKite Racing) and Evie Heflin (Queen City FTW) rounded out the wide-angle podium.

The Men’s Bruce was won by Ellis Robinson (MargieBars / J Mac Cycling LLC) (there were no Bruce’s in the Bruce field; that would have just been too perfect). Jimm McElroy (Audi Cycling Team) finished second, and Ben Ortt took third. Brandon Wright (Johnny Velo Racing) and Taylor Kruse (Local WestTURDville bike plop elite gravel grinding supersquad) rounded out the fake wide-angle podium.

Full results are below.

Women’s Chum Bucket podium: Taylor Allen, Peggy Cook and Kimberly Savage. 2019 Baitin’ the Shark Gravel Race, Ohio. © Randy Liu

Photographs are from Jen Adams of Limelight Studios and Randy Liu.

Women's Bruce Results: 2019 Baitin' the Shark Gravel Race

Men's Bruce Results: 2019 Baitin' the Shark Gravel Race

The post Gravel Race: Beware the Bruce at Ohio’s Baitin’ the Shark appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

Although gravel races are largely unsanctioned and spread across the country, some events stand above others as elite-level events.

One of those races is this weekend’s Land Run 100 held on the iconic red dirt roads outside Stillwater, Oklahoma.

First held in 2013, the Land Run 100 has grown from an event with 121 starters to one that sold out 1,000 100-mile spots in just seven minutes for the 2019 race.

Why is the Land Run so popular? Maybe it is those images of the red roads turned to a peanut butter mess. Maybe it is the 38-percent finish rate the first five years the event was held.

“I’d be a liar if I said bad conditions four out of the last six years—with rain the night before or during the race that has made some of the roads impassable—didn’t kind of put us on the map for difficulty,” race director Bobby Wintle said. “I think that has been a big part of why it’s grown, people coming to see if they can do this thing so early in the season.”

That is part of it, but there is, of course, much more to the story of one of the most successful gravel races in the U.S. And with that success, the team behind the race has had to deal with questions about maintaining its grassroots while growing in a way that meets the changing landscape of gravel in the U.S.

The red mud is an iconic part of Land Run 100. 2017 Land Run 100. © 241 Photography / Land Run 100

A Red Gravel Challenge

The difficult conditions that have come to define Land Run are thanks to the race’s unique geologic setting. Stillwater is located on the Red Bed Plains, which get their name in large part to the iron-rich soil.

The Land Run race started with the humble goal of sharing the dirt roads cut into the red soil.

“We’re absolutely dedicated to not letting popularity, growth or money or anything at all to change why we started to do this in the first place,” Wintle said. “And that’s because we felt like these roads were worth inviting a whole bunch of friends to come ride for a hundred something miles.”

Although the race falls under the category of “gravel,” Wintle has half-jokingly considered creating a new category of bike racing for the event.

“The roads are like cut into the earth, they’re not prepared gravel roads. When I say these are B roads anywhere else, or even C roads if those exist, that’s totally true,” Wintle said. “They put gravel on them, but after two roads, the dirt just eats the rocks.”

“I’ve been telling everyone on our team, I kind of want to call it a dirt road race. Every year people say, dude, where’s the gravel?”

Dude, where’s the gravel? © 241 Photography / Land Run 100

Even though the Land Run did not necessarily start as a challenge-style gravel race, it has completed embraced how difficult the annual March ride—and at times, walk—can be.

On the race website, the organizers proudly tout a 54.5-percent finishing rate for the 2,350 riders who have started the 100-mile race since 2013. Take out last year, affectionately known as the “Fast AF Year” thanks to the dry conditions, and the finishing rate drops to 38 percent.

Prior to the 2018 Fast AF Year, the Land Run 100 had three years of wet, muddy conditions that really helped put the race on the map. Event Manager Sally Turner described the first year she put on a number plate and headed out onto the plains.

“I raced in 2016. It had rained the day before and the night of the race. It poured,” she said. “It was not raining in the morning, and when we set out, it was 50 degrees and cloudy. We were wearing arm warmers and stuff. About 30 miles in, I get over a hill and everyone is walking. It was like, ah shoot, alright, here we go.”

“It was like walking through peanut butter or pudding. It was so sticky,” she continued. “It sticks to your shoes and it seeps into your socks. If you ride through it, it splashes up onto your face. I was covered in it. And it’s so red because we have so much iron and clay out here. I got to the finish line and someone thought I had blood on my legs because it was so red.”

The Dirty Kanza 200, another Great Plains gravel race, is famous for requiring riders bring a support crew should they get marooned on the Kansas gravel roads. With DNFs baked into the DNA of the Land Run 100, the organizers have a different approach for taking care of riders bogged down in the red mud.

“We partner with a local Jeep club, the Red Dirt Jeep,” Turner said. “They’re the ones who go rock-hopping with their Jeeps. They’re tricked out with huge tires and crazy suspension and all that stuff.”

With the course covering 103 miles of red-dirt roads, the logistics of getting the Jeeps to where they need to be is obviously challenging. The race organizers fly an employee of Ride with GPS to Stillwater and have him post up in the “command center,” where he helps track the Jeeps and dispatch them to stranded riders.

The fleet of Jeeps came in handy in 2017. Temperatures that were supposed to hit the 40s never materialized, and instead, riders had to plow through the mud with a mist in the air and temperatures maxing out in the mid-30s.

“[The year] 2017 was atrocious. One Jeep picked up 93 people off the course,” Wintle said. “The Jeeps were on full-on emergency notice. I think even Kuat took its van out to a gas station and made up an impromptu drop station. We were just trying to get people off as fast as possible.

“If you watch that Land Run video that Salsa Cycles made from that year, there’s a shot of someone just absolutely trembling. I think we had like 100 cases of near hypothermia at the ER. We had just a handful of people who finished.”

For the 1,800 riders heading to Oklahoma right now, although it rained early in the week, temperatures are forecasted to be in the 50s and high weeks have accompanied a mid-week warm up. Matching the Fast AF Year might be a challenge, but it should still be pretty fast this year.

Booming Growth

The Land Run event’s growth has been nothing short of meteoric. The race now boasts a 100-mile race, 50-mile race, 50-mile run and a 50-mile run / 50-mile ride two-day double. The 121 riders from the first year have grown to over 1,800 participants.

Turner’s presence on the race team is an indicator of how successful Land Run has become. The race was started by Stillwater’s District Bicycles, co-owned by Bobby and Crystal Wintle. With their dual duties of running the shop and a national-level event spreading them then, the Wintles hired Turner to serve as Event Manager.

Turner volunteered at the first three events before grabbing her steel All-City Macho Man (original edition, thank you very much) and plowing through the red mud in 2016.

“Since it started, I’ve kind of been dogging Bobby to let me help organize it more so he’s not running around like a crazy person all the time,” Turner said. “Land Run is put out through District Bicycles, so it got to a point where Bobby couldn’t make Land Run happen at the same time he is running the shop. I feel like it’s almost a match made in heaven.”

In theory, gravel is more egalitarian than some disciplines in cycling—women and men start at the same time and race the same distance and typically have equal prizes, whatever they might be—but most events are still run by men and there is a large gap in participation between the sexes.

Turner is one of the few women in the U.S. working in an event management position. Turner spoke a bit about the experience.

“Occasionally we get someone who wants to run something by Bobby as well. It’s like, whatever. If I let myself get offended by it, I’m not going to be able to do as good a job as I should. It’s about breaking down barriers and showing that I do have a certain level of authority and knowledge, and I’m not just a secretary or something.”

Mat Stephens won the Men’s Open in 2018. 2018 Land Run 100. © 241 Photography / Land Run 100

The background Turner brings to the Land Run team—starting as a volunteer, participating as a rider, living in the community—is symbolic of the team’s goal for the race, even if it has grown in participation numbers and attention.

“We do this in a way that’s celebratory,” Wintle said. “We don’t focus on just the competition or just the race or run it like a fundraising effort. We want this to be an event, not just a bike race. We want it to be an experience, basically a family reunion for all of us to be able to get together, celebrate and push each other to do crazy stuff. To see a place in the country people maybe haven’t seen before.”

All of the Land Run events start and finish in downtown Stillwater on West 7th Street at District Bicycles. The finish line has a bit more of a production than your average gravel race, but like any good gravel event, once the riding stops, the party keeps going.

Highlighting the organizers’ goals for their race, there was a specific rider Wintle really focused on: DFL.

“I’m not interested in just the story of just the fastest person,” Wintle said. “We’re interested in everyone doing the event.”

“We leave the finish line open until the last person finishes. We have communication with the Jeep Club, so we know where they’re at. The finish for the DFL person is as exciting as it is for the first finishers. We’ve gotten longhorns, Industry Nine has sent hubs as a sponsor. Banjo Brothers is actually who gave me the idea for the DFL. Year number two they sent us backpack, and that’s where it started back in 2014.”

Don’t Be Lame

The Land Run 100 started as a few folks sharing their red-dirt roads with 121 friends, but it is now one of the top gravel races in the country. As the event has grown in popularity with your average gravel rider, it has also become a must-do for the top gravel Elites in the U.S.

Even with the most stacked start list in event history, there is no preferential treatment just because you have won the Dirty Kanza 200 or something like that.

“Ted King emailed us,” Turner said about arguably the biggest star in U.S. gravel.

“Ted King was gone and was like, I want to be a part of this. And we made it happen,” Wintle elaborated. “I met Amanda Nauman through work I did at the DK training camp the last few years. Amanda was like, I want to be there.”

As the Land Run team carefully controlled the growth of the event—registrations grew by an average of 40 percent from 2014 to 2017 for the Land Run 100 and the race cap now stands at 1,000 riders—they made a hard and fast decision that has guided its growth.

“It’s our party, and if people want to be part of the story we’re trying to tell, whether it be as a sponsor or participant, the priority is whomever our customer is, the person out on the ride or run, they’re the one we’re thinking about the most,” Wintle said.

Events like Land Run are among those that are likely to be at the forefront of the changing landscape of U.S. gravel. We have already seen Dirty Kanza 200 wins fundamentally changing riders’ careers and a WorldTour team is targeting the event this year. Similar changes for the next level of gravel events are seemingly on the way.

Like many gravel races, the Land Run 100’s rulebook is terse, with just two rules. Number one, don’t be lame. Number two, no support crews allowed.

The Land Run team is 100-percent happy letting those rules stand, even as the prestige of a Land Run win continues to grow. I asked Turner and Wintle about the Don’t Be Lame rule.

“If you have any reservation in your heart or soul or brain that what you’re doing might be lame or cheating, it probably is. Don’t do it. I think that’s how I interpret it,” Wintle said.

Turner was terse, like the rule itself. “Don’t be a dick. You can quote me on that. ”

All joking aside, Wintle and his team think a lot about where the Land Run 100 is going. The TL;DR is the Don’t Be Lame rule is likely to be around for a long time.

“I’ve been toiling in my mind for the last six months about what is going to happen next,” Wintle said. “What is going on with this entire scene. Professionals are starting to take notice. They want to be a part of it. They want to have fun, but they want the playing field to be whatever it needs to be.”

“I’m not stepping in and saying, I’m creating this as a platform for professionals. They’re saying they’re interested in what we’re doing. If they’re interested, we’re not going to change the game just because they’re showing up.”

The 2019 Land Run 100 starts at 8 a.m. CDT in Stillwater.

The post Land Run 100 Red Dirt Gravel Race Balances Growth, Keeping Grass Roots appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

Earlier today, we went inside the rapid growth of the Land Run 100 gravel race and how event organizers are making sure the race does not lose touch with its grass roots.

A section in that story covers how Bobby Wintle, Sally Turner and Land Run team have worked to make it a great experience for all participants, not just the increasing number of gravel Elites who are interested in racing.

That task is becoming a bigger challenge each year, as the 2019 event sports probably the most impressive field in the race’s eight-year history.

Past Land Run champs, Dirty Kanza 200 winners, National Champions, World Record holders, this year’s field includes them all.

Thanks to the iconic red roads and the event’s penchant for ugly conditions, the Land Run 100 is a special event among gravel races in the U.S. Among the notable notables mentioned above, some will be experiencing Land Run for the first time while others are battle-hardened, some in the worst of years.

Will the Land Run vets have an advantage? We will have to wait for Saturday afternoon for the answer to that question, that is why they race the race, after all.

This preview takes a look at some of the riders to watch for and checks in with some newbs and vets as they head to Stillwater. These lists are admittedly incomplete and riders and their supporters are certainly free to use any omissions as motivational bulletin board material.

Elite Women’s Race

The Elite Women’s field at the Land Run 100 is probably the deepest in the race’s history.

Amanda Nauman

In 2018, the Land Run 100 got its first dose of Panda Power when Amanda Nauman (SDG – Muscle Monster) decided to head to Oklahoma thanks in part to some good chats with race director Bobby Wintle.

Nauman’s first Land Run was a successful run ride, as she won the Elite Women’s race. Kae Takeshita (Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change) finished second and the Bitchn Grit duo of Dani Arman and Kristen Legan went 3-4.

Panda Power returns to Land Run in 2019. 2018 Women’s Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Nauman was inspired to attend the event by the same photos from the 2016 and 2017 Land Run events we all saw, but when the cyclocross/gravel crossover star finally made it to Stillwater, she was greeted by the “Fast AF Year.”

“I experienced one of the best-ever years for Land Run but with the caveat that we registered for last year’s event expecting horrendous conditions like the previous years,” Nauman said. “We had no idea we were going to get lucky with the weather! So if that tells you anything it’s that I love to expect the worst and hope for the mud.”

Although right now, the forecast is looking like conditions will be some genus of Fast, Nauman is still hoping for rain.

“Of course I’m hoping for those infamous conditions and looking forward to using cyclocross skills,” she said. “I didn’t win the ‘mud year’ of DK on sheer luck!”

In addition to an early-season gravel reunion, Land Run provides Nauman a chance to start 2019 on a positive note. Nauman got sick at the start of the cyclocross season and never really recovered.

“Feeling great,” Nauman said. “I’ve had one more sinus infection plus a few doctor visits and blood tests in the past few months, but my health is on the upswing. I’m looking forward to seeing how the event goes after this latest training block. It’s been nice to get in solid training without compromising my health the past couple of months.”

“I’m just looking forward to an amazing event. It’s less of a race and more of a family reunion in my opinion. I’ll go out there and give it my best effort, hang on as long as I can, and see where it lands me. After last cyclocross season my expectations are low, so I’ll find the positives anywhere at this point.”

Lauren De Crescenzo

2018 Crusher winner Lauren De Crescenzo is headed to Oklahoma for her first Land Run. 2018 Crusher in the Tushar. © Cathy Fegan-Kim

When Nauman hits the start line in Stillwater, she will see some Land Run vets, but also a number of first-timers. Lauren De Crescenzo is one of those newcomers. A newcomer to Land Run and really a gravel newb as well.

Last September, we told the story of De Crescenzo’s second act in cycling as a gravel racer after a near-fatal crash in 2016. She won the Crusher in the Tushar last July and then raced at Rebecca’s Private Idaho to complete her first gravel campaign.

As she finishes her Master’s degree at Colorado-Denver, the Land Run represents a time-honored college tradition for the graduate student.

“My decision to compete at Land Run was very last minute,” De Crescenzo said. “I’m in graduate school now and it’s during my Spring Break. I’m taking a midterm and driving to Oklahoma immediately thereafter. No other way I’d want to spend my vacation.”

Last minute? You be the judge.

“So far, I’ve looked at the Ride with GPS file that was just published by the race,” she said. “I’ve also been following them on Instagram and have seen some photos. I should probably do some more research!”

At last year’s Crusher, De Crescenzo showed she is a strong “high-altitude climber,” (her words), but this year, the former road racer has her eyes set on the granddaddy of all gravel races that is more of a grind than a climb.

The Land Run 100 will be her first time racing against a number of the women expected to compete for the win in Emporia on June 1.

“This will be my first race of the year and I’m excited to test my 2019 legs,” De Crescenzo said. “I’m not entirely sure what to expect. It will also be good to scope out the Dirty Kanza competition. I need to start mentally preparing myself for those 200 miles! I heard DK is kind of hard.”

Amity Rockwell

Another newcomer to the Land Run is California’s Amity Rockwell.

Last year, Rockwell finished second at Gravel Worlds behind Alison Tetrick, and this year, she has joined the new Easton Overland Gravel Team. Rockwell has already started racing in California and heads to Stillwater as another rider to watch.

Kae Takeshita

Kae Takeshita continues her already busy 2019 at Land Run. 2018 Gravel Worlds © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

One rider who is not new to Land Run is Kae Takeshita.

As a member of the Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change gravel team, Takeshita has already raced in Texas, Colorado and her home state of Illinois, among other places. As a well-traveled gravel racer and top-5 finisher at the Dirty Kanza 200, she is always a rider to watch for.

Another rider to watch, and one who very well may win the Elite Women’s race, is Lauren Stephens (Team TIBCO – SVB). Stephens races on the road for the Team TIBCO – SVB professional team and is now giving Land Run a go.

Stephens kicked off her season at the Tour Down Under in January and has experience at a number of European spring classics. Belgian cobbles are basically the same as Oklahoma’s red dirt roads, right?

Full start lists are available at bikereg.com.

Elite Men’s Race

Like the Elite Women’s field, the Elite Men’s start list is stacked. Riders who sport accomplishments such as “winning the Dirty Kanza 200 and “setting World Records” could find themselves outside the top 5 or even top 10.

Mat Stephens

Mat Stephens won the 2018 Land Run 100. 2018 Land Run 100. © 241 Photography / Land Run 100

Although he is from Texas, gravel standout Mat Stephens (Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change) has taken a liking to the state of Oklahoma and the Land Run 100.

In 2017 at “The Cold Year” race, Stephens went 1-2 with teammate Rob Bell, and last year, Stephens rode away from Michael van den Ham (Easton Overland Gravel Team) to win the “Fast AF Year.”

Stephens is a race favorite at any gravel race he is at—he won the 2017 Dirty Kanza 200—and has already picked up a win earlier this year at the Texas Chainring Massacre in January.

[Ed. Note: We reached out to Stephens for this preview but did not hear back in time for publication.]

Ted King

Ted King hopes to be celebrating on Saturday in Stillwater. 2018 Dirty Kanza 200. © Cyclocross Magazine

Joining Stephens will be the King—maybe that’s a little presumptuous—the Ted King.

The defending King of Kanza heads to Stillwater as a Land Run newb.

“Yup, this is my first go at Land Run,” King said. “Bobby and his crew have done a great job generating a story from Stillwater and over the past two years it really showed up on my radar. From Bobby’s post-ride hugs to the peanut butter mud, those are the two things I know are there. Beyond that, I’m honestly not sure what to expect.”

Land Run kicks off a big year for King. He has declared 2019 “The Year of Gravel,” as the former WorldTour rider prepares for Dirty Kanza knowing that riders from Jonathan Vaughters’ EF Education First team are targeting the race and the discipline continues to reach new levels of prestige and popularity.

King has also moved back home to Vermont from California, making his “Groad to Kanza” a bit different than years past.

“Moving to Vermont has been the best thing to change up my approach to the season,” King said. “Rather than being able to ride a bike 350 days per year, the climate here forces me to be diversified. So whether it’s spending time on alpine skis or skinning up a mountain, fat biking or spending time in the gym, I’m definitely more fit on a broad spectrum of strengths rather than purely the linear motion of being on a bike.”

Included in the Groad to Kanza? The Fat Bike Birkie.

The Fat Bike Birkie?

“The traditional American Birkebeiner is the largest Nordic ski race in America with 15,000 racers. Meanwhile, its sister race, the Fat Bike Birkie runs a similar course with 1,500 hard-charging fat bikers,” King said. “The Upper Midwest welcoming charm comes out in spades—the community up there is as friendly and welcoming as it gets.”

How did the unorthodox race go? “There’s a formal fat bike race series and those guys were flying! You might think of Wisconsin as flat, but it was non-stop punchy climbs, 3,000 feet of climbing over less than 30 miles. What’s fun about the Groad to Kanza is that you never know what it’s going to be paved with. In this case, well-groomed Wisconsin snow.”

Will groomed snow on 4-inch tires translate to the Dirty Kanza? Doubtful, but when you’re on the Groad to Kanza, you never know.

Michael van den Ham

Also returning to Land Run this year is Canadian Cyclocross National Champion Michael van den Ham.

Last year, Van den Ham got off the front at Land Run with Stephens before finishing second. Their duel turned some heads when they found the time to sit down for a few seconds of respite on the Salsa Chase the Chaise sofa.

This year, Van den Ham is formalizing his gravel racing by joining the new Easton Overland Gravel Team along with his new teammate Rockwell. In doing so, he traded in his Lauf True Grit for an Allied Alfa Allroad.

“I’ve obviously been close with Easton for a long time, so when they told me they wanted to put together an adventure gravel based team, it was sort of a no-brainer,” Van den Ham said about his new team. “I do a lot of high-level racing and training for ’cross and I love it, but the idea with the Easton Overland is more along the lines of getting out there, adventuring, doing local events, exploring this other community-based side of racing.”

He continued, “When we’re out there we’ll give everything to win, but at the end of the day, the success of the team isn’t going to be measured along the lines of wins and losses.”

Last time we saw Van den Ham, he was racing for Team Canada at Bogense Cyclocross Worlds and wrapping up his season at Hoogstraten. What has he been up to since then? Part of it involves the Van den Pup.

“I took about three weeks right off the bike after my last race in Hoogstraten and spent some time skiing, running and just doing things I rarely have the opportunity to do in-season. My wife and I also adopted our dog, Odin, a few weeks ago so that’s been taking up a lot of time. I can only imagine what people who have actual children deal with!”

After the break, Van den Ham said he has spent a lot of time on his mountain bike in recent weeks.

“I’ve been back on the bike for a couple of weeks now, but haven’t done any structured training to speak of. I think it’s really important to give both the mind and body a break from the stresses of the season. For some people that might be time completely off the bike, but for me, it’s more about getting just getting out there and back to what made me start riding in the first place.”

Van den Ham’s extended post-Worlds taper worked wonders for him last year when he finished second at Land Run, so there is no doubt it could work again. Worst case, as long as he finishes, Van den Ham will leave Stillwater happy.

“I just really wanted a hug from Bobby at the finish line again,” he said about why he is heading back for year two of the Land Run 100.

Drew Dillman

We are used to seeing Drew Dillman racing cyclocross. This summer? Gravel. Elite Men. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships, Louisville, KY. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

Another rider of interest for cyclocross fans is one Drew Dillman (SDG – Muscle Monster).

Dillman bounced back from a broken hand early in the cyclocross season to finish fourth at U.S. Cyclocross Nationals. Now, with some friendly nudging from his ursid teammate, Dillman is doing a full gravel season, including the Dirty Kanza 200 in June. Stay tuned for more from Dillman next week.

Lane Maher

Lane Maher is among the riders racing at Land Run in 2019. 2018 KMC CrossFest. photo: Eddie Medina

Another cyclocrosser coming off an injury, and one of the youngest riders in the field, is Lane Maher (Foundation CCB). Maher suffered an injury late in the cyclocross season and missed U.S. Nationals in his first year as a U23. He will be racing as part of his road U23 devo team Foundation CCB. Part of his program includes the early-season trip to Oklahoma.

Colin Strickland

Colin Strickland is looking to add a Land Run title to his gravel race palmares. 2018 Gravel Worlds © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Two-time defending Gravel Worlds champion Colin Strickland (Meteor x Giordana) is making the trip north from Texas for Land Run. Strickland kicked off his season at the Texas Chainring Massacre and evidenced by his impressive comeback at Gravel Worlds after an early flat, is a really strong dude worth keeping an eye on.

Ashton Lambie

Another rider with an eclectic background—Strickland dabbles in fixed-gear crits—is noted mustache-haver Ashton Lambie (Speedvagen). The Kansas native got his start racing gravel, but is now known as the man who set a world record in the 4km Individual Pursuit on the track. Lambie recently raced at Track Worlds in Poland with Team USA.

Rob Bell, Matt Acker, Brandon Melott, Payson McElveen

The always colorful Matt Acker is bringing his Warbeard to Stillwater. 2018 Gravel Worlds. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Some other starters of note include some men with fashionable facial hair along with cycling talent. Land Run 2018 third-place finisher, 2018 Reno Nationals Baby Masters National Champion and mustache-possessor Brandon Melott (DNA Racing / Allied Cycleworks), beard-wearer, the Warbeard, Matt Acker (GRBC / Salsa Cycles) and ‘stache-sporter Payson McElveen are all strong riders to watch.

Joining the list as a non-beard-haver is Rob Bell (Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change)—aka the Baby-Faced Assassin—who won the 2017 Land Run 100.

Full start lists are available at bikereg.com.

One Last—But Very Important—Note

Last year, the Salsa Chase the Chaise sofa became a memorable part of Land Run, the Michigan Coast-to-Coast Gravel Grinder and the Dirty Kanza 200, among others.

The 2018 Land Run was the first appearance of the Chaise, and well, Nauman absorbed some gruff for skipping it.

“When we got to the chair, I literally had no idea if [Kae Takeshita] was like 60 seconds behind me or minutes behind me,” she told us in an interview last year. “In that moment of panic, I was like, I’m not going to risk it. Which I regret, because she was like five minutes back at that point, but I didn’t know and didn’t want to risk that.”

Fortunately for everyone, Nauman got some couch redemption at the Michigan Coast-to-Coast Gravel Grinder.

Based on her experiences, Nauman has a message for the Elite Women and Elite Men’s leaders.

“I know one thing is for certain, the pointy end of the event better stop for the Chase the Chaise patch and portrait,” she said. “I learned the hard way that no race within the race is above the Chaise Lounge and caught a lot of flak for not stopping last year. I’ll set the expectation now that there’s no excuse not to stop. The event’s tag line is ‘Don’t be lame’ so let’s stick to that and have a good time.”

The 2019 Land Run 100 starts at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning in Stillwater. Stay tuned for results and more coverage of the race.

The post Gravel Race Preview: Newbs and Vets Head for the Land Run 100 Red Dirt Roads appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

The Crusher in the Tushar based in Beaver has helped put Utah on the U.S. gravel map. However, an hour and a half down I-15, there is a new gravel event with a promising future.

For the past eight years, the True Grit Epic endurance mountain bike race showcased the impressive mountain bike trails outside the hub of St. George. As the mountain bike race thrived, gravel racing has obviously grown a bit as well.

This year, the organizers of the True Grit Epic decided to add the True Grit Gravel Epic to the weekend. True Grit … that sounds familiar.

Wait, let’s try that again. That sounds familiar.

“This event would not have happened without the partnership of Lauf,” GRO Promotions owner Cimarron Chacon said. “The course was designed on a Lauf True Grit bike, with routes that would take advantage of the Lauf fork and unique gravel geometry of the bike. Lauf is the Gravel Race title sponsor.”

Lauf was a fitting sponsor for the True Grit Gravel Epic. photo: GRO Promotions

A Course Worthy of the Name

The longest distance of the True Grit Epic mountain bike race is 100 miles and the event kicks off the National Ultra Endurance Series. The event certainly lives up to the name “epic.”

The same obviously has to go for the True Grit Gravel Epic. You better have a challenging course to live up to the name!

It is tough for a race called the True Grit Gravel Epic to live up to the name. photo: BLM

The route for the True Grit Gravel Epic covered 83 miles with nearly 9,000 feet of climbing. Eighty percent of the route is off-road. One big difference with its Utah cousin the Crusher is the True Grit Gravel Epic never gets above 5,000 feet of elevation, making it more friendly for riders based below the clouds.

“We set out to create a gravel course worthy of the True Grit name and reputation,” Chacon said. “My hope was that the course would have at least the same challenge level as the Crusher but be accessible for training in the spring when the Crusher course is often under snow. Based on social media threads on the Utah Gravel Grinder group we accomplished that.”

2019 True Grit Gravel Epic course map

Riders who opted for the True Grit Gravel Epic over its mountain bike friend were treated to a variety of terrain, including some singletrack early in the race.

“The singletrack in Bear Claw Poppy features fun rollers that are fairly smooth,” Chacon said. “I wanted to create a course that was truly a gravel course and not a road course. So I wanted to connect the start with as much dirt as possible, even if it was singletrack.”

Southwest Utah is noted for the beauty of its landscape, and although the course was incredibly challenging, riders got to chew the scenery a bit during their rides.

“[The route] travels through three different ecotones,” Chacon said. “A portion of the course also goes through the Beaver Dam National Conservation Area. This area has a high density of Joshua Trees. And in a wet year like this one, you can see them blooming.”

The route featured plentiful beautiful vistas. photo: BLM

The True Grit Gravel Epic course traveled to the top of three different peaks, concentrated in the first two-thirds of the route—fortunately, Mile 65 to the end is nearly all downhill, half of it on pavement.

Looking at the course map and the three peaks the route travels up to, the irreverent spirit of gravel was alive and well at the True Grit Gravel Epic. Climb one featured 2,000 feet of elevation gain to Hard Root Beer Hill. The reward for cresting the climb seems straightforward enough.

The second climb features what are affectionately known as the “Rollers of Doon,” and a reward that took a bit more of an explanation.

“Last spring, I rode the course with friends numerous times to dial it in,” Chacon said. “There was always a point during the Rollers of Doom (aka Death Rollers) that you kind of what to quit. When they were over we would stop and eat a giant pickle. This became known as Committing to the Pickle.”

Then after one more big climb, it was time to coast to the finish back in Santa Clara.

The Race

The first-ever True Grit Gravel Epic took place on Saturday, March 9, starting at 7:30 a.m. from Santa Clara and finishing in the same location 83 miles later.

This year’s inaugural event drew 94 starters—the first edition of the True Grit Epic mountain bike race had 140 starters and has now grown to 850, for some perspective on where the event might be able to go.

Across the country, we have seen gravel grow by pulling riders from other disciplines but more importantly, by bringing new people into the sport. Chacon said the True Grit Gravel Epic drew some of both.

“There are definitely new racers on the gravel that do not like the highly technical aspect of the True Grit mountain bike race,” she said. “However, We have had quite a few requests to hold the events on separate days or even make a stage event—a gravel slash mountain bike stage race would be something new.”

With the True Girt Epic mountain bike race holding its ninth year of racing this year and its place on the national ultra-endurance calendar, the race has developed payouts that give $650 to the top woman and man in the 100-mile race and total at least $5,000 total.

For the first running of the True Grit Gravel Epic, organizers kept it in the spirit of many gravel races across the country with no payouts. However, that may change in the future.

“I can see adding a pro purse in the future as we grow,” Chacon said. “I expect to more than double in 2020.”

On Saturday, Eleise Hinton (Zone Five Racing) took the Women’s overall win. Breanne Nadler (Plan 7 DS) finished second and Hannah Dhonou third.

The Men’s race was won by Eric Chizum. David Tinker Juarez (Cannondale) took second and Christoph Heinrich third.

Full results are below.

Women's Results: 2019 True Grit Gravel Epic

Men's Results: 2019 True Grit Gravel Epic

The post Gravel Race: Hard Root Beer, Pickles and Utah Beauty at the 2019 True Grit Gravel Epic appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

If last year’s Land Run 100 gravel race was the “Fast AF Year,” there is a good chance the 2019 edition will be dubbed the “Fast AF AF Year.”

In 2018, Amanda Nauman (SDG – Muscle Monster) won the Women’s race with an average speed of 17.8 mph and Mat Stephens (Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change) won the Men’s race with an average speed of 19.8 mph.

On Saturday on the Red Bed Plains outside Stillwater Oklahoma, those average speeds were up to 18.6 and 20.4 mph for the Women and Men, respectively. In other words, very fast.

The Women’s win went to Nina Laughlin of North Carolina, who finished seven minutes ahead of second place. Kae Takeshita (Panaracer / Factor p/b Bicycle X-Change) edged out Amy Charity (SBT GRVL) in the battle for second. Amity Rockwell (Easton Overland Gravel Team) finished fourth and Lauren De Crescenzo (DNA Professional Cycling Team) fifth.

The Men’s race came down to a battle of three. Payson McElveen took the win, with Ted King (Cannondale / SRAM / Velocio / UnTapped) finishing second and Drew Dillman (SDG – Muscle Monster) third. Brandon Melott (DNA Racing / Allied Cycleworks) took fourth and Thomas Humphreys (Foundation CCB) fifth.

Top 50 results for the Women and Men’s 100-mile race are below. Full results for all races are available here.

Featured image: 241 Photography / Land Run 100

Women's Top 50: 2019 Land Run 100 Gravel Race

Men's Top 50: 2019 Land Run 100 Gravel Race

The post Gravel Results: An Even Faster Year at the 2019 Land Run 100 appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

The one-of-a-kind Seven Cycles Evergreen Pro SL, a bike commissioned by Summer Cycles in Del Mar, California, won the Best Gravel Bike award from the NAHBS judges.

[caption id="attachment_132848" align="aligncenter" width="1274"] 2019 NAHBS judges’ Best Gravel Bike: Seven Cycles’ Evergreen Pro SL. Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Sure, it’s a subjective award, but it’s hard to argue that the bike doesn’t impress, along with its price tag.

The bike is 3Al/2.5V titanium alloy, with tubes that are custom butted by Seven Cycles. Those tubes are melded with a custom USA-made, filament-wound carbon fiber top tube, seat tube and seatstays.

[caption id="attachment_132844" align="aligncenter" width="1119"] Seven Cycles left no detail untouched. 2019 NAHBS judges’ Best Gravel Bike: Seven Cycles’ Evergreen Pro SL. Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The bike is then adorned with custom paint.

[caption id="attachment_132843" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The one-of-one Seven Cycles’ Evergreen Pro SL is a unique bike, but not the only pink/blue show bike in Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The award-winning show bike showcased the company’s exquisite titanium TIG welding and design. A unique element with the T47 bottom bracket was the “Chop Stay” (not to be confused with a “drop stay”) design of the right chainstay to clear the wide tire and chain ring but keep the chainstay length short for responsive ride characteristics.

Seven Cycles welds two tubes to make the Chop Stay, which provides 20mm more clearance than a formed straight chainstay would. Seven can also bend the chainstay into a more traditional drop stay, but we’re told that only offers 6mm more tire clearance.

[caption id="attachment_132849" align="aligncenter" width="1266"] The unique two-tube “Chop Stay” paired with the Cane Creek reincarnation of Sweet Wings crankset. 2019 NAHBS judges’ Best Gravel Bike: Seven Cycles’ Evergreen Pro SL. Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The show bike was equipped with Shimano Di2 in a single ring configuration with an XTR mountain bike rear derailleur. The single Wolf Tooth chain ring is on a Cane Creek eeWings titanium crankset (an updated take on the 90s Sweet Wings crankset).

[caption id="attachment_132847" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Seven built the bike with a Can Creek titanium crankset and Wolf Tooth chain ring. 2019 NAHBS judges’ Best Gravel Bike: Seven Cycles’ Evergreen Pro SL. Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

To dress up the already beautiful bike, the company rolled out Industry 9 Ultralight 235 TRA wheels with alloy spokes colored to match the frame paint scheme. Seven opted for 650B wheels with 47mm Vittoria Terreno Zero tires, and the company claimed 700c x 40mm tires would fit.

[caption id="attachment_132836" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Industry Nine rolled out matching wheels for the ride. 2019 NAHBS judges’ Best Gravel Bike: Seven Cycles’ Evergreen Pro SL. Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

A Chris King headset also adds color to the bike.

[caption id="attachment_132851" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] 2019 NAHBS judges’ Best Gravel Bike: Seven Cycles’ Evergreen Pro SL. Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Since every bike is bespoke, customers can pick their own geometry within reason according to the bike’s use. The bike can be designed around 700c or 650b wheels.

As shown the one-of-a-kind bike is priced like a true show bike: $15,499 on the bike’s show tag—or from $13,875 with a different build, according to Seven Cycles’ John Lewis.

At that range, you will be excused for expecting it to win Best Bike Ever. And it might be—we didn’t get to ride it.

[caption id="attachment_132851" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] 2019 NAHBS judges’ Best Gravel Bike: Seven Cycles’ Evergreen Pro SL. Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

But if you looked in your wallet and found it doesn’t have that many zeros, there are other options. The Evergreen SL can be built made-to-order entirely of steel starting at $5,500 for a complete bike and $6,200 for all titanium. If you want an Evergreen Pro with carbon tubes, including a carbon down tube, it will cost you $8,500 for a full build or $6,100 for a frameset.

You won’t find the Evergreen Pro SL titanium/carbon combination as a stock option on Seven’s website, but that doesn’t mean they won’t build another for you. Just send the Brink’s truck up to Boston, past a waiting Isiah Thomas and into Watertown.

Seven Cycles will be ready to build another award winner just for you.

For a closer look at the Seven Cycles Evergreen Pro SL, see the photo gallery below.

More info: sevencycles.com

Stay tuned for more eye-catching bikes from 2019 NAHBS. Also check out the top cyclocross bike from the weekend.

2019 NAHBS Photo Gallery: Seven Cycles Evergreen Pro SL

2019 NAHBS judges’ Best Gravel Bike: Seven Cycles’ Evergreen Pro SL. Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

The post NAHBS 2019: Seven Cycles Evergreen Pro SL Best Gravel Bike Winner appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

Arguably the biggest challenge amateur cyclists face is finding time to train in the face of life’s responsibilities.

We have long maintained that cyclocross is a perfect discipline for time-crunched riders since the races are quite short. Gravel, however, is quite the opposite.

Gravel events are defined by long distances and challenging routes. Finding time to train for six-plus hour events is a tough task for the time-crunched.

With that in mind, we reached out to some coaches for some advice on training with limited time—asking for a friend, of course.

Gravel events usually mean long days in the saddle. Our coaches share how to prepare for them with limited training time. 2018 Gravel Worlds © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Our coaches for this installment are our resident coach extraordinaire Chris Mayhew (jbvcoaching.com / @seemayhew), long-time contributor Brandon Davis (wattagecottage.cc / @morefunplease) and newb Michael Seiler (stage22performance.com / @stage22performance).

See our questions and what they had to say below.

Ask the Coaches: Training for Gravel with Limited Time

CXM: If you are targeting a long gravel event (let’s say 100k-plus), how long out should you start doing committed riding?

Brandon Davis: This largely depends on your goal … are you in the “just finish” group or the “shred ’til your dead” group?

If you are the latter then you should look at what you are currently doing first and go from there. For instance, if you’re currently capable of doing three-hour endurance rides with friends on the weekends after easier rides all week, then start doing some harder tempo intervals and ease up to threshold work 8 to 12 weeks out depending on how fast you adapt and your base fitness going in.

If you are newer to the gravel scene, the best advice I can give is to treat it like an adventure and just ride as much as your schedule allows, keep it fun and do rides on easy mountain bike trails or gravel roads if you have them and aim to do 10 percent more volume each week until you get to your event.

Keep it fun and interesting don’t take it so seriously. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be epic.

Chris Mayhew: As soon as you can mail me a check.

Seriously, it’s a continuum. To not die, I’d say six to eight weeks. To excel, I’d say three to six months. That’s definitely the bare minimum. If you’re a slow twitch athlete or have a lot of riding experience to fall back on, you might need less time. If this is your first event the more time the better.

Michael Seiler: This depends a little bit on where the athlete’s fitness level is—i.e. where are we starting from—and what their goal is—finishing or crushing it. In general, I would recommend a minimum of 12 weeks out from your goal event.

CXM: What is the minimum number of hours and/or days per week should an athlete shoot for?

CM: That’s kind of the antithesis of my approach to coaching. If you have one hour a week, I’ll make the most of it and want to talk about realistic expectations. If you have 10 hours, that’s great, as is anything in between.

It’s on me to make the most of what you have to give. I’m sure you’re giving whatever you have to give in this situation, I’m not about to ask you to give more instead of spend time at your job or with your family.

MS: For the longer gravel events, 100k-plus, you need a minimum of 6-8 hours of training time to fully prepare for the demands of the event.

BD: Depends on the goals and level of the rider. An easy week volume-wise for a pro may be 15 hours, whereas to mortals, that might be the biggest week of their lives!

For the vast majority of folks reading this, if you can carve out three to four days a week to get on your bike and do varied intensities or even formats for an hour and a half plus and either up the intensity or volume (not both at once) a little bit each week, you can stay pretty fit and ready for whatever adventure pops up come the weekend.

Personally, in one week I can go from cross-country to gravel to skate park/pump track to road and throw in some yoga and trail running that all that comes to 8 to 10 hours on average. Doing that keeps me fit enough to survive random adventures on two wheels in the Blue Ridge Mountains on any given weekend at age 36.

In the end, it depends on the level of fitness you are seeking and how structured you tend to be as well as the demands placed on you for your event. You can’t be a strong Cat 1 racer on 8 hours, but you can rip it up in the singlespeed class and still enjoy beers after on that!

CXM: Does the 80/20 rule for low/high-intensity apply for time-limited athletes? What mix of intensity and volume is good?

MS: The 80/20 rule still works for the time-limited athletes but as a coach, I need to understand what’s limiting their time to properly design their training program. Often they have other stressors in their lives—family, work demands, travel—that need to be taken into account to balance training load and allow enough recovery.

BD: This largely depends on daily life as well as available time. I personally don’t think the 80/20 rule applies unless you are training 15 hours or more a week, but that’s a very broad sweeping statement with various complications. It also depends on how long you have been riding and training, your years of “base” built up.

If you are a 50-year old Masters athlete racing power-hour style formats, then you are primarily trying to hold on to your top end as long as possible because your VO2Max has been fading since your early 30s. In season, I think the 80/20 rule is fairly effective during a heavy block of racing but still is largely determined by the individual athlete.

CM: For these events, for sure. You don’t need much one-minute power during these events. You do need a lot of long and steady power. I’d want your training to reflect that.

Increases in intensity would primarily be to create adaptations. So, if we had time I’d want to spend a few weeks doing VO2 work once a week but primarily to increase your overall fitness.

CXM: What role do intervals and intensity have in your training for gravel events? How should that increase for weekend warriors with limited weekday training time?

BD: Coming from the endurance mountain bike community (NUE, Leadville, 24hr, etc.) I approach it very similarly to those events. Interval work is largely in the sub-threshold range and should integrate low-cadence work. This is why gravel is so popular with the cyclocross community—athletes are largely doing big rides at varied cadences this time of year anyway, so it fits well into their programs.

Most people who dive head first into gravel without riding much gravel are instantly caught off guard by rolling at 60-70 rpms for the bulk of most courses just to stay stable and in control. I like to do a build, working from say 10-minute intervals up to 20-minute intervals at (insert tag here>> sub-threshold/sweet spot/tempo) over the course of a couple of 4-week training blocks.

CM: Think of training as a dose/response curve (mediated by recovery). Your training dose is duration x intensity. If you’re limited on time, duration is constrainted and ultimately, so is the dose. But hopefully the dose is such that you can do back to back days of training, which has its own benefit. The typical mid-week schedule for any working athlete is going to include intervals. So hopefully you can do three days of training during the week, then another day or two on the weekend to ride longer with less intensely.

MS: For gravel events, I have my athletes focus less on the super high intensities that you would typically need to prepare for road or criterium events. I will typically have them focus on efforts right around their FTP. This will include sub-threshold and just over threshold. There will still be some higher intensity work but it represents a smaller part of the overall volume.

CXM: Long weekend rides are usually a staple of training programs. Why are those important? If you can fit them in, how long should they be?

CM: Long rides mimic the demands of your event. They are also another way to come at the intensity x duration dose. You can only increase intensity so much! Ideally, you’d do a ride that’s about as long as your event, or at least 50-80 percent of it. Obviously, you work up to that, but it would be really nice to have a few training rides that are near or at what you’re planning on for your event. Logistics is a big part of that, saddle time too. I think there’s also a huge mental component to knowing you can go the distance or something close to it.

MS: Long weekend rides are important for a couple of reasons. First, they build the endurance foundation upon which an athlete can handle the higher intensity work. It’s like building a house. A three-story house needs a much broader foundation than a one-story house.

Second, long rides build the psychological confidence to finish a long event like a gravel race. I feel it’s important for an athlete to be confident that they can ride the length of time that the event demands.

BD: In short, most of us have to worry about more than our w/kg because we live in the real world with real struggles like work, family, chores and whatnot, so the weekends are our biggest window of time available to ride. Time in the saddle is important for the 100k+ gravel goal, as you can expect to be out there for at least 3-plus hours and upwards of 10-plus hours, so if your body hasn’t seen that in training, then when you add in adrenaline and 200 people, more or less you are going to bonk hard and take up golf.

Start small by adding 25 to 50 percent to your longest ride each week, so if you ride 2 hours on a Tuesday as your longest spin then, aim for 2.5 to 3 hours on Sunday. Then add 30 minutes each week from there until you have ridden at least the distance of your event on as similar terrain as you can. The closer you can simulate your goal in training the more familiar it will all be on your big day.

There is a reason MMA fighters beat the s##t out of each other in training so they can take a hit when it’s time for the real fight!

Long days in the saddle, on terrain of your choice, are a staple of training for gravel. 2018 Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

CXM: What’s more important for training for endurance events, duration or frequency? Say for mid-week training, which would be better: one two-hour day or two one-hour days?

MS: I would say frequency. I would rather see an athlete be more frequent in their workouts than going for duration.

BD: Whichever fits your schedule. If you can only make a one-hour trainer ride happen Monday through Friday then a mixed diet of fun interval work is fine, just not every day because come the weekend, you need to get the saddle time to build your “callus,” so to speak.

If you can do two-hour rides during the week, then I would pick three days during the week, for example, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, to do longer interval work with maybe Wednesday as an easy ride and then Saturday and Sunday do volume adventures with friends.

CM: You almost have to say frequency because duration is constrained from the jump here. If you have four hours a week, one four-hour ride is not going to cut it. Five 45-minute rides could get you a lot though.

To directly answer your question, I’d vote for two one-hour days.

CXM: Can something like fasted training help you get “more” out of shorter rides?

BD: I don’t buy into it but placebo is still an effect. Starving your body is a recipe for sickness or even worse for female clients regarding cycles. Overall, it does a number on your immune system unless you are monk-like with your nutrition. It’s dangerous territory in my opinion.

CM: Ughhhhhh. The science says yes, they are probably good for you.

As a coach, I’d want to have a very serious talk if you really felt like this was the way to go. Cycling is rife with body image issues and eating disorders (and disordered eating). Not eating your way to fitness is playing with fire on a variety of fronts.

And I really don’t like the mindset of it. What can you eat that is better than what you are currently eating? Should you be eating more? Are your macros even close to right? What healthy choices can we decide to engage in rather than “not eating”.

If you’re so pressed for time it’s limiting your training and your solution is “don’t eat,” I think you’re coming at this all wrong. What can I do in a positive manner to increase the efficacy of my training? More sleep? More protein? Ride before work instead of after?

MS: There is a lot of buzz about fasted training right now. The general consensus is that fasted training helps teach your body to turn to other fuels (e.g. fat) versus the more readily available fuels to power your engine. All of my shorter rides—90 minutes or less—are in a fasted state, but I don’t think you’re getting more out of the ride except teaching your body to burn other fuel sources.

CXM: Are there workouts you’d recommend for maximizing available training time?

CM: The classic 2 sets of 20 minutes at FTP is probably one of the best uses of your time. Or some variation on that, depending on the rider and the training venue (inside vs out). Six efforts of 5 minutes each at VO2 with 2 to 5 minutes recovery is also a great workout, but you can’t go to that well too many times. In general, I’d suggest workouts that are intense enough to stimulate adaptation but not so hard you can’t train the next day and the day after that.

MS: For time-crunched athletes, hiring a coach is the best investment you can make to maximize your limited time. A professional coach will discuss your goals (races, target events), your available training time and what’s going on in your life to then create a program of workouts that will help you achieve your goals.

Each athlete is unique and their training schedule should reflect that. Some workouts work for certain athletes and some don’t, so I create most of my workouts from scratch based on what I know about the athlete.

BD: wattagecottage.cc Be glad to :o)

Sven Nys talks with Lars van der Haar before Sunday’s race. 2017 Jingle Cross World Cup © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine

CXM: What are the biggest mistakes you see time-limited athletes make?

MS: Setting unrealistic goals. I have worked with athletes who will say they only have 6 to 8 hours of training per week but they have goals that require 15 to 20 hours to achieve. That is part of my role as a coach to help them set goals that are a stretch but still achievable.

BD: Mischanneled energy and lack of time management and communication. I don’t believe in time-limited athletes, that’s just another way of saying overscheduled or misguided. If life is that busy, work on making it less busy, keep riding for fun and stress relief until time allows you to chase your athletic pursuits.

This is never more applicable than to the new parent trying to hang onto their race fitness. Time management is key, and if you are married or dating then communication is paramount to everything.

CM: Not focusing on recovery. Sleep and nutrition are the two biggest factors in your training. You can train all you want but if you’re not getting enough sleep it doesn’t allow you to recover and adapt.

CXM: Many pro cyclocrossers and mountain bike racers spend much of their training time on road bikes. How much does this apply to your gravel training?

BD: I think it is a necessary evil to attain and maintain proper base as well as for recovery spins. That said, if you aren’t a pro or local Cat 1/2 hero, then who cares? If you only own a mountain or cyclocross bike, then who am I to tell you what to do? Have fun and have a beer for me!

CM: Road bikes produce a lot less wear and tear on the body and focus more on engine building. I think they’re a great option for that reason. Plus variety is great. Depending on your bike, you can get a lot done on the road with, say, a 650b x 45mm tire setup.

MS: Unless you are fortunate enough to have access to miles and miles of gravel, much of your training will be on the road. I recommend training on the road for cyclocross, mountain biking and gravel, mixing in some skill-specific work to ensure you can handle your bike in those events. Training on the road allows you to get in the volume you need for your event and doesn’t require access to gravel or trails.

CXM: Cyclocrossers often have race-day wheels or race bikes and different setups for training. What if anything do you change for gravel race days?

CM: Nothing new on race day! So yes, feel free to have lighter wheels or something like that, but you should have trained extensively on whatever setup you have come race day. You don’t have to ride that stuff every day but make sure you know exactly how everything is going to work together. For instance the timeless mistake of a mismatched chain and cassette.

MS: While I have typically raced gravel races on my normal cyclocross race setup, there are a couple of tweaks that would make a difference come race day. The first is going with a wider tire. Most cyclocrossers race 33mm tires but moving up to 38 or 40mm will be more comfortable and if there is a lot of descending, more stable.

Second, I would think about gearing. For events like Southern Cross, you want a gearing range that can handle the big climbs while also having a high end for the paved sections, whereas for Barry-Roubaix, you don’t need as wide of a range.

BD: Run as big of tires as your frame can allow because it will make any terrain easier for gravel as well as making cyclocross race days amazing when you shed those big tires for 33mm tubbies and feel like a superhero in every turn and tech section.

Most of all, have fun and remember … if it was easy it wouldn’t be as fun … there’s community found amongst the suffering on dirt roads.

Thank you again to our coaches for contributing their insight.

For more training advice, see our Training Tuesday archives, which includes last week’s entry on why you should probably be lifting weights.

The post Ask the Coaches: Training for Gravel Events with Limited Time appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

Payson McElveen (Orange Seal Off-Road Team) is best known for his endurance mountain biking, but last year, he decided to dip his toes in the gravel waters and the 2018 Dirty Kanza 200.

The experience proved to be a rough one.

“At DK I had just a whole bunch of mechanical issues,” McElveen said. “I actually had really good legs and a really good ride, but no one really knew about it because I was constantly bridging back to the lead group alone, over and over. Finally, I got tired of working on my bike at Mile 100 and decided to fold my cards that day.”

We last saw Payson McElveen at the Dirty Kanza, where he had a tough go of it. 2018 Dirty Kanza 200. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

With the endurance mountain bike races still down the road, McElveen decided to head to Stillwater for Saturday’s Land Run 100 and a shot at some gravel redemption. The race has become one of the top gravel races in the U.S. and accordingly, it attracted the best field to-date.

After an early break and a few technical sections, McElveen made the break with Ted King (Cannondale / SRAM / Velocio / UnTapped) and Drew Dillman (SDG – Muscle Monster) and then outsprinted his breakmates to take the Men’s victory.

“The sprint was pretty ugly. We were all cramping pretty hard,” McElveen said. “I don’t think it was a particularly pretty one. I was able to hold them off. I tried to post up at the line, but all the photographers were very very near on the other side of the finish line. Got some champagne in the face, so that was celebration enough.”

How did he find that extra gear during the waning miles of the 103-mile race? A little self-motivation.

“I kept telling myself ‘Do your job, do your job.’ Even though you’re not necessarily getting a prize paycheck today, my sponsors support me really well and I’m paid to win races. It doesn’t really matter what the prize money is, you still have a job to do. They’re supporting you to do that. I wanted to come through for that reason. And also because we race to win.”

When he hits the start line, McElveen stands out because of the colors of his Red Bull helmet and because everyone knows the endurance skills he has, but also because of the moustache. Getting called out in race previews as a skilled ‘stache-sporter is not necessarily by accident.

“It was sort of a bet a couple years ago right before the Iceman Cometh race. And for whatever reason, people just really latched onto it,” McElveen said. “I’ve sort of been stuck with it, and now I’ve really embraced it. You’ll see some fun kind of projects coming out in the next couple of months.”

McElveen’s win on the red dirt roads of Oklahoma gave him some gravel redemption and a nice boost heading into his mountain bike season and try 2 at the Dirty Kanza 200 this June.

I chatted with McElveen during his drive home to Colorado on Monday. See below for a transcript of our conversation.

Stay tuned for an interview with Women’s winner Nina Laughlin.

Land Run 100 Winner Interview: Payson McElveen

Cyclocross Magazine: A couple of days later, how are you feeling about the race?

Payson McElveen: Good, good. Honestly, I’m impressed by the amount of attention it’s gotten. I knew it was one of the bigger gravel races, but it sort of reinforced my understanding of how big a deal gravel is getting. It’s cool. It’s motivating.

CXM: For whatever reason, it seemed like you had an off day at DK last year, but you seemed to me to be a rider to watch. What is your background and how have you been transitioning into gravel?

PM: It’s funny. This was kind of my third try at one of these more renowned gravel events. I did DK last year and did Rebecca’s Private Idaho and then Land Run this year, obviously.

At DK I had just a whole bunch of mechanical issues. I actually had really good legs and a really good ride, but no one really knew about it because I was constantly bridging back to the lead group alone, over and over. Finally, I got tired of working on my bike at Mile 100 and decided to fold my cards that day. And then at Rebecca’s Private Idaho, I had a pretty nasty cold and probably shouldn’t have raced.

It was good to finally get a clean run at one of these things. It was a heck of a lot of fun.

Kind of the longer stuff is what I’ve been focusing on the last couple of years because that’s kind of a booming area of our sport, with events like the Epic Rides, the Leadville 100, all that sort of thing. I certainly still race some cross-country here and there. I took bronze at XC Nationals in 2017, I want to say, so I certainly still enjoy the shorter mountain bike stuff, but in terms of where sponsors would like to see us is where there’s a lot of energy and prize money these days. That’s in that longer endurance mountain bike stuff.

I think I’m a little more naturally suited to it anyway, so for the time being that’s what I’m focusing on right now.

CXM: An event like Land Run doesn’t have a payout, but we’re covering it and it’s obviously gained some prestige. Are you finding value for your sponsors in doing events like Land Run?

PM: For sure. It’s funny, I had this conversation with a couple people the day after the event. Not many of the payouts have prize money at this point. If you look at the Leadville 100, it doesn’t have prize money right now. But there’s so much prestige, if you win it there’s bonuses and incentives involved from sponsors. Obviously, it can create more opportunities down the line.

It sounds funny, but my mantra in the last 10 or 15 miles, Ted [King] was really throwing down attacks, I kept telling myself “Do your job, do your job.” Even though you’re not necessarily getting a prize paycheck today, my sponsors support me really well and I’m paid to win races. It doesn’t really matter what the prize money is, you still have a job to do. They’re supporting you to do that. I wanted to come through for that reason.

And also because we race to win.

CXM: I’m sure your glorious mustache would get a shout-out from us, but it’s probably better that you won.

PM: Haha. It’s funny how culturally how much more value a win has over even and second or third, even if it’s just a bike length like it was on Saturday. It’s fun in that these grassroots events have so much more going on other than the racing, but at the end of the day, there is a lot of motivation that comes from chasing wins. Winning is fun.

CXM: What team are you on? In Bikereg, you didn’t have a team listed.

PM: It’s called the Orange Seal Off-Road team. It’s the second year of the program.

CXM: The race itself, it looked like there was kind of an early break, based on my looking at the time splits on the internet, and then things came back together. How did the race play out to get to that final group of three?

PM: It was a pretty dynamic event. Especially these Midwestern-style gravel races really play out like a Belgian Classic in that there are down periods that are not particularly challenging and then fairly tricky bits that really blow the race apart. There are a lot of tactics involved. As gravel gets more professionalized, we’re seeing bigger and bigger teams. There are teams of five to seven riders now, and that’s absolutely a dynamic to juggle, especially for a rider like me who’s an individual at the front of that race.

Two riders rolled away pretty early. Ted and I were the ones who were kind of marking moves in the first 10 or 15 miles because it seemed like no one else really wanted to do anything. It was pretty clear how marked we were from the get-go. A couple times we tried to bridge across to that two-man group, and we would get like zero leash.

Honestly, the first 50 miles were pretty frustrating in that regard. The racing was incredibly negative. The bigger teams really did not want to do anything. I guess that’s because we were kind of looked at, which created that sort of dynamic. I think we did a decent job of staying somewhat patient.

At Mile 20 there was a pretty challenging quote-unquote rustic doubletrack section, what I mean by that is it was kind of grassy with some small rocks and it was tight and twisty. That went into about a two-minute climb. The pace didn’t necessarily get forced there, but I sort of rode my own pace, and the front got blown apart. It went from about 100 people to about 20.

The lead group of two, because there was no cooperation in our group, I think their lead ballooned out to two and a half minutes at the halfway point, which certainly was worrisome. Then again at Mile 60ish, there was this pretty challenging two-minute, three-minute climb that was really soft and kind of rutted. I went to the front and rode it, and I don’t think many others in our group rode it. I didn’t attack, I sort of rode up it, and all of a sudden, I was with those two leaders. It seemed like they didn’t have a good time going up it.

I found myself leading with these two breakaway guys. Then I was kind of thinking in the back of my head, ‘Ted is really strong and he’s got those aero bars. It’s wide open road and we’ve got 45 miles to go.’ Going for it at that point, I decided to wait up. Ted and Drew [Dillman] came across, and then at Mile 75 maybe, a rider kind of got messed up in a muddy rut and crashed a couple of us out. Luckily, it wasn’t too major for me. That splinted the group even more. That’s kind of what solidified out final group of three.

And then honestly, we rolled pretty mellow. We were not pushing the pace and kept looking over our shoulders to make sure the gap was being maintained for that last 30 miles. Then with about 10 miles to go, I threw the first attack to kind of test the legs. Then Ted threw four or five others that would kind of drop Dillman, but he was able to fight back. It just became super cat-and-mousey, to the point we were almost track standing at points. Keeping an eye on each other.

Again, the nature of gravel where there are very few rules, Ted was able to still run those aero bars. It created an interesting dynamic. If he was able to get just 50 yards, he could get in those aero bars and roll 2 or 3 miles per hour faster, probably. I had to be really on top of covering those moves.

And then the sprint was pretty ugly. We were all cramping pretty hard. I don’t think it was a particularly pretty one. I was able to hold them off. I tried to post up at the line, but all the photographers were very very near on the other side of the finish line. Got some champagne in the face, so that was celebration enough.

CXM: That seems to be a tradition. The champagne to the face. Happened at DK too. One thing I think is really interesting about that last group is you had Drew, who is known for cyclocross, you’re known for your mountain biking, Ted obviously for his road racing. What is it like sizing up guys with different backgrounds.

PM: That’s one thing that’s so cool about gravel. It brings together folks from different backgrounds. I know Drew decently well from racing Collegiate against each other. We were always kind of the anchors in the team relays for our respective schools, so we had some good battles back in the Collegiate days. He’s just a great guy and a good friend.

After all the riff-raff of negative racing, it was so refreshing to have the three of us who know each other well, who trust each other professionally, who know how to roll a move together. We were kind of chatting and catching up.

Another cool component of this gravel world is you get a little bit of everything from these gravel courses. There was this one section that was kind of this off-camber grass with really no dirt road or trail or anything. Ted and I were like, “Oh boy Drew, this is where you make your move.” Then there were some good dismount and run sections, and obviously Drew looked very pro through there.

Then the trickier climbs suited me really well. Like I mentioned earlier, gaps seemed to fall into my lap in those sections. I think part of that is bike choice is such an interesting dynamic in these things.

CXM: Yeah, what did you ride?

PM: The courses are so diverse. You’ve got pavement, you’ve got practically mountain biking, you’ve got everything in between, so you can’t have the perfect bike for everything. I’ve got a good amount of trust in my fitness right now, so I’ve been gravitating toward a more aggressive, more capable setup.

I was on my Trek Checkpoint, and I was running 40c Maxxis Ramblers. Which were definitely higher volume and knobbier than other folks were running. What that meant though is I was able to ride the more technical sections quite a bit faster than some of the other folks, it seemed like.

I was a little bit nervous as it was coming down to the line because Ted had a very fast, very slick tire set up, and I knew that was going to roll a little bit faster in a sprint. But you kind of just have to make those choices and hope that it works out.

I had the sections that suited me. Drew had the sections that suited him. And then when it was these wide open paved or dirt roads, Ted has quite a few pounds on us, he’s quite a bit bigger, he’s got more raw watts, that sort of terrain is what he specialized in when he was racing on the WorldTour. And he has those dang nerdy aero bars on his bike. When the road opened up, Drew and I were like, “Ok Ted, this is where you shine. Pull us through.”

It’s just cool how there are decisions to be made, equipment-wise. There are decisions to be made tactically. Different parts of the course suit different rides, so you always have to be on your toes, playing out the various situations.

CXM: What did you think overall of the Land Run event? Was it worth the trip? Obviously, you won, but even if you didn’t?

PM: Oh yeah. Absolutely worth the trip. The race promoter Bobby [Wintle] is about the most enthusiastic race promoter I’ve ever seen. His level of energy is kind of ridiculous. It was from sunup until I think midnight when the last rider rolled through. He gives everyone a hug.

That energy permeated the whole event. It was very well run. The passion for cycling that the Midwest has is really impressive. But when you look at the start list, it was incredibly diverse. There were people from all over. It wasn’t just centralized to the Midwest. It sold out super fast, and the wait list they had was really long.

It’s really good to see racing thriving like this. It’s really encouraging as a professional to know there’s a healthy ecosystem to support a career. There’s live music and lots of events going on. Just so much going on other than the race itself, which I think is really key. It’s a celebration of bikes and living a healthy life.

CXM: Coming up, what other events should we look for you and your mustache at? It’s iconic.

PM: That was a funny thing. It was sort of a bet a couple years ago right before the Iceman Cometh race. And for whatever reason, people just really latched onto it. I’ve sort of been stuck with it, and now I’ve really embraced it. You’ll see some fun kind of projects coming out in the next couple of months.

I’ve got a pretty packed schedule. The next major goal isn’t a sanctioned race. It’s a Red Bull Project. It’s a Fastest Known Time project. I’m trying to set a new White Rim record in Moab, Utah, which is a really iconic 100-mile loop in Canyonlands National Park.

And then it’s a really traditional schedule on the mountain bike side. I’m really focusing on the Epic Rides series. I’ll be at the Sea Otter Classic, as much for the off-the-bike stuff as the racing. I have my Marathon Mountain Bike Nationals title to defend. I’m going to add a couple stage races this year. I’m going to do the BC Bike Race, and there’s a pretty big UCI stage race in Israel. It’s a pretty packed schedule, probably 90 percent mountain bike stuff.

I think theoretically I am going to try to do Kanza again, and there might be a couple of other gravel events in there.

McElveen has embraced the ‘stache. photo: Instagram

CXM: I was listening to that list waiting to hear Dirty Kanza. You’ve got some unfinished business to take care of there.

PM: To be totally honest, it’s funny because I am kind of known as more of an endurance guy these days, but boy, an 11-hour race is just so daunting. And it puts such a hole in your season, both from a training standpoint and a recovery standpoint. The difference between a three-hour relatively high-intensity mountain bike race and an 11-hour race is just so big.

But yeah, I’m gonna give it a shot. It’s a very important race on the North American schedule, and I get asked about it as frequently as much as any other.

CXM: Awesome. That’s good to hear. Hopefully, I will see you at Kanza, but we’ll also be following what you’re up to the rest of the season. It’s cool that there are so many bike racers like you who can do a bit of everything.

PM: At like I said, gravel is the perfect neutral playing field, sort of. I think it’s cool that riders from so many different backgrounds come together to test themselves against each other. I really enjoy that aspect.

CXM: Thanks for your time. I really appreciate it. Have a great rest of your drive home.

PM: I appreciate that time. Thanks.

The post Land Run 100 Winner Interview: Payson McElveen Gets Gravel Redemption in Oklahoma appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

Now, bicycles are the primary focus of the company led by lead designer Romolo Stanco.

T Red bikes are mostly custom, with the company applying laser body mapping software to begin the bike design process. If you are not close to the factory in Garda or one of the other two stores in Italy (Province of Lucca and Rome), the company can figure out your measurements via email and phone.

T Red has several models that the buyer can choose from to customize, or buyers can order something completely different if they want to.

T Red fabricates its bikes with titanium, steel, aluminum or carbon for any model, although Stanco said certain materials will be recommended for specific applications of each model.

[caption id="attachment_132883" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] TRed makes its bikes one-by-one in Italy. T Red Muur titanium monster cross / gravel bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

For example, Scandium alloy aluminum is a recommendation for the cyclocross race bike for maximum performance. Stanco likes titanium or steel for gravel bikes. However, in the end it is up to the buyer. TRed’s goal is for the cyclist to have the best bike of his or her dreams.

The bikes are entirely built by hand in Italy with frame materials also manufactured in Italy whether it be scandium aluminum, titanium or carbon-fiber tubing. Delivery time is presently eight weeks from the order date. The price will vary amongst models based on material and features.

A bike T Red brought to NAHBS 2019 that caught our eye is a titanium monster cross / gravel bike called the Muur.

[caption id="attachment_132876" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] T Red Muur titanium monster cross / gravel bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

We stopped by the T Red booth at NAHBS for a closer look at the monster crosser.

A Handbuilt Monster Crosser

T Red builds the Muur using different grades of titanium for different tubes based on the stresses each tube receives and the ride quality they offer.

The main tubes use grade 9 Ti, which is a 3Al/2.5V alloy common to titanium bikes. The seatstays use grade 2, a commercially pure titanium that has ductility to add some compliance to the rear end. Within the seatstays is a nickel-titanium insert (a patented design) that tunes the flexibility and damping qualities of the grade 2 titanium stays, affecting the ride compliance.

[caption id="attachment_132879" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Pure titanium seatstays add compliance and are welded to 3/2.5 titanium main tubes. T Red Muur titanium monster cross / gravel bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The Muur geometry is similar to other bikes of its kind, and the bike has a fork with 495mm of axle-to-crown distance. With the T47 bottom bracket, 43cm stays allow 700c wheels with 55mm-wide Compass Antelope Valley tires to clear.

[caption id="attachment_132886" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] All the clearance you want or need, and then some. T Red Muur titanium monster cross / gravel bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

T Red built its display Muur as a top-of-the-line build, with a 42t Rotor chain ring mounted to an Ingrid crankset in the front and the new SRAM 1x RED 1 eTAP AXS electronic derailleur in the back.

[caption id="attachment_132882" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The Ingrid crankset paired to a Rotor ring certainly was eye-catching. T Red Muur titanium monster cross / gravel bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The bike on display at NAHBS costs 11,000€, which includes an upcharge for the 1x RED 1 eTAP AXS groupset. Otherwise you’re looking at 9,500€ for a complete bike or 3600€ for the frameset.

For a closer look at the Muur, see the gallery below.

More info: tredbikes.com

Stay tuned for more handbuilt bikes from 2019 NAHBS show in Sacramento.

NAHBS Bike: T Red Muur Titanium Monster Cross Bike

T Red Muur titanium monster cross / gravel bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

The post 2019 NAHBS: T Red Muur Made-in-Italy Titanium Monster Cross / Gravel Bike appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

Sometimes just getting to the start line at a race is a victory. Winning the race, well that’s just gravy.

After a promising start to her road racing career, two years ago, North Carolina’s Nina Laughlin came down with an illness that left her wondering when she would be able to race again.

This year, after a long road back to health, Laughlin has found a home on gravel roads. Earlier this month, she won the Southern Cross gravel race in Georgia, and last weekend, she headed for Stillwater, Oklahoma and the 2019 Land Run 100.

The latter event was not necessarily in her 2019 plans.

“My fiancé Reid randomly perked up one morning and was like, Let’s register for Land Run! Registration opens in 5 minutes!’ True story,” Laughlin said. “To be honest, I hadn’t heard of the race and was a little apprehensive because at the time of registration, I had only been back to riding for a handful of months, and I had no idea what kind of racing I wanted to get into for 2019. I’m always up for a challenge, so I agreed.”

Despite a snub from the horrible person who wrote Cyclocross Magazine‘s race preview, Laughlin knew she had a good shot at being successful against one of the most talented groups of women gravel riders we have seen.

Laughlin did her best to stay forward, even through the first really technical section, and halfway through the race, she saw that she was in first.

“At that point, I knew I was in the lead,” Laughlin said about the halfway marker. “I saw Amy [Charity] and Kae [Takeshita] in a huge group not too far behind us, which made me a little nervous because I was only in a group of three. From there, the group I was in worked well together and ended up picking up some riders that had been dropped from the lead group. Going into the finish, we had a group of six or seven.”

“In town, we got stopped by a red light, but I turned around and couldn’t see anyone behind us, so I was pretty sure by that point that I was going to win.”

For Laughlin, after everything she has been through, the feeling was indescribable.

“I can’t really describe it,” she said. “I’ve been through so much in the last two years, and when I was sick I truly didn’t know if I would ever be able to race or train again. This is definitely my biggest win, and it feels surreal and incredible.”

“Last March, if you would have told me that I would be winning a prestigious gravel race a year later, I wouldn’t have believed it. I still don’t really believe it, but I have been working very hard to get back in shape, and I knew if I rode my best race there was a chance I could win.”

Nina Laughlin leads the way in her small group. 2019 Land Run 100. photo: Dustin Michelson / Gravel Guru

We interviewed Laughlin about her win at Land Run. See below for our conversation.

For more Land Run 100 coverage, see our interview with Men’s winner Payson McElveen and a look at the race’s meteoric growth.

2019 Land Run 100 Winner Interview: Nina Laughlin

Cyclocross Magazine: Looking in our archives, it looks like we saw you win a gravel race in North Carolina a few years ago. What is your background in cycling?

Nina Laughlin: I went into college thinking I would try to walk onto the cross country team. I trained with them for a while but didn’t make the cut, so I bought a road bike my freshman year of college and started joining random group rides. My second semester, I joined the cycling team at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. I really fell in love with the sport and started out mainly racing Collegiate road and cyclocross races. I started doing some local gravel racing in addition to the Collegiate racing around my Sophomore or Junior year.

After school, I started working as a cycling coach and made my way to a few bigger stage races to see if I would enjoy racing at a higher level. I got picked up by Visit Dallas DNA Pro Cycling Team in late 2015 and rode with them again in 2016. I signed with Twenty20 Pro Cycling in 2017, but I only did one race with them because I was forced to take a break from cycling due to illness.

CXM: (I think) I saw Cathy Fegan-Kim joke about you being “back” on social media. What kind of racing have you been up to lately?

NL: Land Run was my second race in over two years, so not a whole lot. I raced professionally on the road from mid-2015 to the beginning of 2017, but then I got really sick in early 2017. My last race was Cadel’s Great Ocean Road Race in January of that year. After that, I couldn’t ride or exercise much at all until June of 2018.

Since then, I’ve just been slowly building back up my fitness and trying to figure out the direction I want to take with racing. I started my season this year with Southern Cross in Georgia the first weekend in March, so that’s the extent of my racing recently. I don’t blame you guys for leaving me out of your race preview article

CXM: Why did you decide to make the trip for Land Run?

NL: My fiancé Reid randomly perked up one morning and was like, “Let’s register for Land Run! Registration opens in 5 minutes!” True story.

To be honest, I hadn’t heard of the race and was a little apprehensive because at the time of registration, I had only been back to riding for a handful of months, and I had no idea what kind of racing I wanted to get into for 2019. I’m always up for a challenge, so I agreed … but I made him buy registration insurance in case I didn’t feel up to it by the time the race rolled around. Turns out we didn’t need it.

CXM: What were your thoughts when you saw the conditions—fast and dry versus the famed red mud?

NL: I was stoked for dry and fast! The idea of that 103-mile course covered in mud and a 30-percent finisher rate terrified me. Thank you weather gods!

CXM: What was your plan for the race? Did you have an idea of the women you had to keep an eye on?

NL: I was pretty nervous because Land Run was my first gravel race with a huge, super strong field, and I had no idea what to expect. I wanted to make sure I got a good start position near the front, and my plan was just to surf wheels and hang on to the lead group as long as I could without completely imploding. I had no idea where my fitness was at for a 100-mile race, so my main goal was just to race smart and do the best I could on the day.

I have only raced a couple of the women in the field in the past—Lauren De Crescenzo was my teammate in 2016. I knew to look out for Lauren, Amy Charity, Amanda Nauman and Scotti Lechuga, but I wasn’t super familiar with Kae [Takeshita] and Amity [Rockwell], whom you mentioned in your race preview article.

CXM: How did the race play out for you? What was the key to getting such a large gap on the other women?

NL: I stayed with the lead group until we hit the technical doubletrack section around Mile 20. We didn’t get that far in our pre-ride, so I had no idea it was coming. The race pretty much exploded there, and I just tried my best to ride that section as hard as I could and then find a good group to ride with after that to keep the momentum going. I thought that I might’ve been first at that point, but I wasn’t completely sure.

When we got to the aid station halfway through the race, the race doubled back on itself, so you could see the groups that were in front of you and behind you. At that point, I knew I was in the lead. I saw Amy and Kae in a huge group not too far behind us, which made me a little nervous because I was only in a group of three.

From there, the group I was in worked well together and ended up picking up some riders that had been dropped from the lead group. Going into the finish, we had a group of six or seven. In town, we got stopped by a red light, but I turned around and couldn’t see anyone behind us, so I was pretty sure by that point that I was going to win.

CXM: How did it feel to win, especially knowing how big of a deal Land Run has become?

NL: I can’t really describe it. I’ve been through so much in the last two years, and when I was sick I truly didn’t know if I would ever be able to race or train again. This is definitely my biggest win, and it feels surreal and incredible.

Last March, if you would have told me that I would be winning a prestigious gravel race a year later, I wouldn’t have believed it. I still don’t really believe it, but I have been working very hard to get back in shape, and I knew if I rode my best race there was a chance I could win.

I was really anxious the week before the race because I’ve still been struggling with some lingering issues from my illness, and I didn’t know how that would affect me, but it all worked out. I’m really grateful that Reid talked me into registering, and I’m grateful to Bobby [Wintle] and Sally [Turner] for putting on an epic event. I’m so stoked on gravel racing and I’m really motivated for whatever comes next!

CXM: What bike did you ride? Tires? Aero bars?

NL: I rode a Grava Maple Sally with i9 Ultralite wheels. I rode a Specialized Trigger Pro (38mm) in the rear and a Donnelly X’plor MSO (40mm) in the rear, which seemed to work well. No aero bars, because I left my TT bike at home. I also have a dropper post because I like to ride trails on my gravel bike, and you never know when you may want to get a little sendy.

CXM: Do you have plans to do more gravel this year? Where should we look for you?

NL: Yes! The next big one for me is SBT GVL. Leading up to that, I’m racing a lot of the NC gravel races—Bootlegger 100, Wilson’s Revenge and Pisgah Monster Cross are definitely on my calendar and maybe some others. Our local gravel scene has some incredible races, but they don’t really get the coverage or notoriety they deserve because they are limited to 200 participants due to NC Forest Service rules. I’m sure I may add some more races in as the season progresses, but those are my plans as of right now.

CXM: Do you coach yourself? Have a coach? Is your program designed for gravel racing?

NL: I coach myself. I am a coach at Carmichael Training Systems, so I kind of use myself as a guinea pig for a lot of the training that I give to my athletes. I used to be super rigid with my training and get upset if I missed a workout, but not being able to ride my bike for a year and a half really shifted my perspective on training and racing, so now my training is a little bit more relaxed with more room for fun and impromptu days off.

For my personal training, I usually start with more general workouts to target different energy systems, and then I’ll work in more gravel riding or specificity leading into a race.

Nina Laughlin was all smiles after winning the Land Run 100. photo: Jon Cartwright / Industry Nine

CXM: Anything else we should know?

NL: Just getting to the start line of the race was a victory for me. I almost didn’t make the trip at the last minute because I have been dealing with some hormonal imbalance complications from when I was sick, and it’s been causing some bad anxiety and depression lately. I didn’t know if it was worth it to throw myself into a stressful race situation where there were so many unknowns when I haven’t been feeling like myself at all.

I ultimately decided to make the trip because I knew I would regret it if I missed it, and I had heard so many good things about Land Run 100. I had to use pretty much every sports psychology trick in the book to get myself to commit to driving all the way out to Oklahoma but in the end, it was worth it.

Even though I wasn’t really on anybody’s radar as a contender, I knew I had it in me to have a great race, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could overcome the obstacles in my way and make it happen.

I wanted to mention this because Land Run was the weekend after a very heavy week for the cycling community—we lost Kelly Catlin and Tate Meintjes—and I think it’s important to share the mental health struggles that a lot of athletes face.

I don’t want to paint the picture that I came out of nowhere and this is some incredible comeback story. Sometimes just showing up is a victory, and sometimes people who are struggling can still win races and seem like they have it all together.

CXM: Thank you for your time and thank you for sharing your story. Excited to see what’s next for you.

NL: Thank you as well.

The post Land Run 100 Winner Interview: A Win is More Than Just a Win for Nina Laughlin appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

[caption id="attachment_132900" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] This titanium cyclocross bike from Enigma was on display at the 2019 NAHBS show. Enigma titanium cyclocross bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The paintwork is done in-house and the company offers stock and custom paintwork. To complete the Enigma bike line, some bike designs are manufactured by hand at a partner factory in Asia, but all finish work is done in Sussex. However, any titanium or steel bike can be made to order in Sussex.

Enigma is represented in the U.S. by British Cycle Imports with a small dealer network. If a dealer is not close to you, British Cycle Imports will handle your custom order via email or phone. If you happen to be in Sussex, drop on into the factory showroom where you will be measured and complete your order like a tailored suit.

Little Mystery at NAHBS

At the 2019 NAHBS show in Sacramento, Enigma had several bikes to show, including the Escape titanium all-road model.

Most eye-catching was a custom titanium cyclocross bike made for a shop owner in Philadelphia who was coming to take possession of the bike at the show.

[caption id="attachment_132898" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] It’s an enigma… Enigma titanium cyclocross bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

It was designed with modern cyclocross geometry with a 7.0cm bottom bracket drop and 72-degree head tube angle. The 3Al/2.5V titanium frame is polished and then painted with an iridescent paint leaving the polished titanium stays exposed, much like the chromed stays of bikes from the mid to late 1980s

[caption id="attachment_132901" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The titanium cyclocross bike was built with 3Al/2.5V titanium. Enigma titanium cyclocross bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Unlike the Ecroix ST we saw at Interbike in 2016, this titanium bike has internal cable routing through the downtube.

[caption id="attachment_132904" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Cable ports were built into this red metallic titanium frame. Enigma titanium cyclocross bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

Michael Musil of British Cycle Imports told us that the bike built with SRAM Force 1 and Zipp Course 30 aluminum components came in at 18 pounds even. The complete custom titanium cyclocross bike as shown is $7,500. Custom titanium framesets start at $3,200. Lead time is 10-12 weeks depending on the paint option.

Enigma showed other custom bikes highlighting what else it can create. The collection included a titanium Escape model with polished Campagnolo groupset including Campagnolo disc brakes made for journalist James Huang.

[caption id="attachment_132911" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] A titanium Engima Escape with polished Campagnolo components made for James Huang. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

As well as a frame with lustrous deep metallic red paint and polished titanium graphics, specially ported for a Rotor 13-speed hydraulic group.

[caption id="attachment_132912" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Enigma builds its titanium and steel frames both in Asia and England. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

To solve the riddle of Enigma’s bikes, see the photo gallery below.

More info: enigmabikes.com

Stay tuned for more handbuilt bikes from 2019 NAHBS show in Sacramento.

Photo Gallery: Enigma Bikes at 2019 NAHBS

It’s an enigma… Enigma titanium cyclocross bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

The post NAHBS 2019: England’s Enigma Bikes Solves the Riddle of Custom Titanium and Steel appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

It never hurts to remember from whence you came.

Two decades ago when Oregon’s Mike DeSalvo got the opportunity to purchase the tools of the trade for a frame builder he had one problem, he did not have the cash to pay for the gear.

Fortunately, what he did have was a 1968 VW crew cab he called “Curley.” DeSalvo sold Curley, bought the welder, jig, torches and the rest of the gear and the rest is history.

Now based in Ashland, Oregon, the one-man DeSalvo Cycles shop has been building custom steel and titanium frames for 20 years now.

20 years of framebuilding. DeSalvo’s 20th-anniversary gravel bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

Seeing DeSalvo at NAHBS is de rigueur for Cyclocross Magazine at this point. We saw a custom titanium cyclocross bike in 2012 and a titanium gravel racer in 2016.

This year at NAHSB in Sac-Town, DeSalvo Cycles showed off a 20th-anniversary steel gravel bike dedicated to the memory of Curley and how DeSalvo got his start.

DeSalvo’s 20th-anniversary steel gravel bike pays homage to the 1968 VW crew cab truck/bus he sold to acquire his framebuilding equipment. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

Curley, the 20th-Anniversary Steel Gravel Bike

Last weekend’s show marked the 15th time Mike DeSalvo has attended the annual gathering of hand builders. DeSalvo does not just share his craft through his steel and titanium bikes, he is also a guest teacher at the United Bicycle Institute.

He officially unveiled the 20th-anniversary steel gravel bike at NAHBS. He is doing a limited run of 20 for the bike, so if you are interested in getting one for yourself, contact DeSalvo like yesterday.

The 20th-anniversary bike has a limited run. DeSalvo’s 20th-anniversary gravel bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

The Curley gravel bike comes in two colorways—white and blue and silver and black. In recent years, DeSalvo has taken a minimalist approach with his display bikes at NAHBS, so he only had the white and blue one on display at the show.

White and blue is one of the two colorways offered for the Curley bike. DeSalvo’s 20th-anniversary gravel bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

The Curley frameset is priced at $2,500 ($2,600 with a carbon ENVE stem) and also has some stock builds available as well.

DeSalvo’s 20th-anniversary gravel frameset also has an extra $100 ENVE stem option that’s painted to match. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

The bike as shown at NAHBS had a Chris King headset, Shimano Ultegra build (with the RX800 clutch derailleur) and Stan’s Grail tubeless clinchers with Donnelly X-Plor MSO 700c x 40mm tires. The stock build is also available with 650b wheels.

The complete bike stock build features an Ultegra mechanical hydraulic group and the RX800 rear derailleur for $4500. DeSalvo’s 20th anniversary gravel bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

Complete builds start at $4,500.

Handmade in Ashland, Oregon. DeSalvo’s 20th-anniversary gravel bike. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

For a closer look at Curley, see the photo gallery below.

More info: desalvocycles.com

Stay tuned for more handbuilt bikes from 2019 NAHBS show in Sacramento.

The post NAHBS 2019: DeSalvo Cycles’ Curley, the 20th Anniversary Steel Gravel Bike appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

Handmade frames weren’t the only wares to show off pretty colors at NAHBS 2019.

After a successful run of three limited colors unveiled at Interbike, Panaracer has continued its march to the end of the rainbow with three new colors of its popular GravelKing and GravelKing SK tires.

The almost-sold-out first colorful GravelKings first came in a cool palette of Nile Blue, Military Green and Ivory White.

New Panaracer gravel tires come in three new tread colors and two sidewall colors, in limited quantities, shipping soon. 2018 Interbike. © Cyclocross Magazine

This summer, as the temps rise, Panaracer will follow suit with and heat up the gravel scene with a giant leap towards warmer pigments.

The new colors will be Bordeaux, Sandstone and Belgian Orange.

After a successful first run of GravelKing colors last fall, Panaracer has three new limited colors for the summer. Bordeaux, sandstone, and Belgian orange. All three come in brown or black sidewalls. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

All three colors will come in both brown and black sidewalls. For this run, Panaracer is also adding a 650b size in full color.

GravelKing Slicks will be available in 700c x 32, 35 and 38mm.

GravelKing SK (knobbies) will be available in 700c x 32, 35, 38, 43, 50mm as well as 650b x 48.

Panaracer’s new colors (Bordeaux, sandstone, and Belgian orange) will be offered in the same sizes as the last run of colors, plus popular 650b sizes. All three come in brown or black sidewalls. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

Tire geeks might wonder if the lack of carbon black will impact tread durability, but Panaracer’s Jeff Zell assured us that the company’s Zero Slip Grip compounds make up for the missing rubber ingredient, and our tests of the first color run have not revealed any differences in durability.

Panaracer expects the new tires to ship in May, but given that they’ll emerge during “peak gravel season,” unlike the last batch, they’ll probably go even faster.

Pricing will be the same as the standard colors.

Panaracer also showed off new wide tires of its fast-rolling DriverPro mountain bike tire at NAHBS. The new sizes of the mountain bike tire will be available in 650b (2.4″ and 2.6″) and 29er (2.4″) sizes.

Panaracer also has new wide 650b (2.4″, 2.6″) and 29er (2.4″) sizes of its lightweight, fast-rolling DriverPro mtb tire that could make for a good option for high-volume gravel and monster cross adventures. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

See all the new products and eye candy from the 2019 NAHBS show in Sacramento.

More info: panaracerusa.com

The post Ride the Rainbow with Panaracer’s New Warm-Color GravelKing Tires appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

When Amanda Nauman (SDG – Muscle Monster) is your teammate, it is probably inevitable that you will end up racing the Dirty Kanza 200 gravel race.

Such is the case for Drew Dillman (SDG – Muscle Monster).

“Definitely a lot of peer pressure from Amanda and Dave [Sheek], Dillman said about his decision to race the 2019 Dirty Kanza 200. “Honestly, I had so much fun with the SDG – Muscle Monster team during the cyclocross season that I look forward to spending time with them at races, so DK would just be another fun weekend with the crew. Also, I’ve heard so much hype about that race and to have an open door to race it was hard to turn down.”

Dillman’s Road to Kanza started quite well last weekend when he finished third at the Land Run 100 after making the final selection with Payson McElveen (Orange Seal Off-Road Team) and Ted King (Cannondale / SRAM / Velocio / UnTapped).

His third at Land Run continues the strong finish to the 2018 cyclocross season Dillman had.

After a strong start to the season at the Trek CX Cup, Dillman suffered a broken hand at World Cup Waterloo that put him on the shelf until the CincyCX weekend. Dillman recovered quickly, winning at Day 1 of the Major Taylor Cross Cup and then podiuming at his next three races.

He capped his comeback with an impressive fourth in the mud at Louisville Nationals, setting the table for the coming 2019 cyclocross season.

“Up to this year I had always been able to hang with the top riders, but eventually I’d get popped off the group somewhere along the way,” Dillman said. “Towards the end of the year at races like Resolution CX and Ruts N’ Guts, I was at the front and making moves. I had never been a serious factor in the lead group until those races. I really hope to carry that momentum into next season.”

Drew Dillman had a strong ride and comeback year to finish fourth. Elite Men. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships, Louisville, KY. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

We chatted with Dillman about his decision to race the Dirty Kanza, his plans for the rest of the summer and his thoughts on his successful comeback from a broken hand in the second half of the cyclocross season.

You can read what he had to say below.

Interview: Drew Dillman on His 2019 Gravel Season

Cyclocross Magazine: What made you decide to do the Dirty Kanza 200? I’m guessing some peer pressure from Amanda?

Drew Dillman: Definitely a lot of peer pressure from Amanda and Dave. Honestly, I had so much fun with the SDG – Muscle Monster team during the cyclocross season that I look forward to spending time with them at races, so DK would just be another fun weekend with the crew. Also, I’ve heard so much hype about that race and to have an open door to race it was hard to turn down.

CXM: Have you ever done an event like that, in terms of the terrain or distance?

DD: I’ve done a few 100-mile NUE mountain bike races, but we’re talking about 7.5 hours versus 12-plus hours. That’s a pretty big difference.

But I’m also training like never before to prepare for this event. When you have a 200-mile race on the calendar, those 100-mile training days don’t seem as bad as they used to.

CXM: Have you started asking Amanda for advice yet?

DD: Yea. She is totally against aero bars, but she also wears an aero helmet. Which doesn’t make sense to me. So I joke about which aero bars I’m going to race.

When I asked her about wearing road shoes, she sent me a picture of herself hiking up a rocky, mud-covered hill-side. So that answered that question. There’s a lot of little stuff that keeps popping up so I’m really grateful to have a teammate that is experienced at events like this.

CXM: Are you changing your training to prepare for the race?

DD: The endurance rides are definitely quite a bit longer than typical. But I’ve also never been in a better position to focus on training and racing. I have to give most of the credit to my lovely wife, CJ. She is very supportive of my goals on the bike and is helping me accomplish them.

CXM: Do you think long rides like the Dirty Kanza are helpful for cyclocross training? What are you hoping to get out of the whole experience?

DD: I think it is definitely beneficial for cyclocross if you don’t overdo it. After DK I’m pretty much all focused on cyclocross at that point with a few more mountain bike races on the calendar.

It’s definitely great for your aerobic engine, which is the foundation behind all your training at higher intensities like cyclocross.

CXM: What bike will you be riding? Anything special you’re planning on doing with the setup?

DD: I’ll be riding the Niner RLT gravel bike. No special setup, as far as I’m aware. But I’m also very new to the whole gravel scene so I’m still learning as I go. The Land Run 100 was my first big gravel race.

CXM: My understanding is you were able to focus more on your racing this past season? What’s your current situation and how were you able to come into the ’cross season so strong?

DD: Like I said a lot of things have changed in the past year. I was working a terrible day job for about a year to get my wife through nursing school and that finally ended last spring and now I’m just working part-time in the mornings which frees up my afternoons for training.

I also started my own coaching business in 2018 so that has allowed me to devote more time to training and racing as well. I’m extremely grateful for the athletes that trust me as their coach because they are propelling me into a position where I can pursue some big goals on the pro circuit.

CXM: We were impressed by how you came back from your wrist injury this ’cross season. What did it take to bounce back and finish the season on a strong note?

DD: The broken hand was early enough in the season where there was still hope for the latter half if recovery went smooth. Fortunately, no surgery was needed, so I was back on the bike after about three to four weeks of indoor trainer sessions.

The first race back was the CincyCX weekend which was five weeks out from the break and it didn’t go well at all. I found myself on the ground a lot because my grip strength was still weak, and I was just really uncomfortable trying to handle my bike in the mud. However, the results started to return the next weekend at Pan-Ams where I finished eighth both days.

After that, it was all uphill leading up to the fourth-place finish at Nats.

Dillman had a strong finish to the season after his injury. Elite Men, 2018 Ruts n Guts Day 1. © B. Bickerstaff

CXM: How are you feeling going into next season after finishing fourth at Nats?

DD: Very excited and motivated. Up to this year, I had always been able to hang with the top riders, but eventually, I’d get popped off the group somewhere along the way. Towards the end of the year at races like Resolution CX and Ruts N’ Guts, I was at the front and making moves. I had never been a serious factor in the lead group until those races. I really hope to carry that momentum into next season.

CXM: What else are you going to be up to this cyclocross offseason? Are there other races we should look for you at?

DD: This spring Barry – Roubaix and Marathon MTB Nats. I’ll also be doing all the Epic Rides Off-Road races, which I’m really excited about. I’ve never raced at the top level of MTB, so I’m excited to see how I’ll stack up against the strongest guys in the nation. If those go well then I’ll be at Mountain Bike Nationals in July.

I’m also joining forces with Todd Henriksen and Brian Firle through Athletes in Action as an affiliate/part-time staff to help lead chapels and Bible Studies at some of the big events throughout the year. I’m very excited about this position as I’m a Christian who wants to share my faith within the cycling world.

CXM: Awesome. Looking forward to seeing you at Kanza.

DD: Looking forward to it.

Featured image: Dave Mable

The post A Little Peer Pressure Never Hurts: Drew Dillman Readies for His Road to Kanza appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.

The company was born from L.H. Thomson Company, Inc., a machine shop founded in 1981 with CNC capability. The owner used his expertise to design and manufacture a seatpost for his daughter who was racing for her college cycling team in the mid-1990s.

Since then the seatpost is still Thomson’s bread and butter, but stems, handlebars and a miscellany of small parts are part of the component mix that Thomson designs and manufactures.

That is about to change as we found out at NAHBS 2019.

There was a gravel bike prominently displayed amongst the dropper posts at the Thomson booth. We spoke with Mike Christensen from Thomson, and he reminded us that Thomson had a collaboration with Lynsky in 2014.

[caption id="attachment_132977" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Thomson’s Taiwan-built titanium gravel bike is coming soon. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

He said the new titanium adventure gravel bikes are in prototype and have been produced by the company’s Asian factory partner, with the XS size designed around 650b wheels and the others around 700c rims. There are still a few details that Christensen said need to be refined, so there will likely be another set of prototypes before production begins.

[caption id="attachment_132978" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] The clean metallic exterior allowed for a good look at the welding on the titanium frame. Thomson’s Taiwan-built titanium gravel bike is coming soon. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

What he brought to NAHBS 2019 looks quite promising. Christensen said the geometry has mountain bike influence with a 69-degree slack head tube angle with a 74-degree seat tube angle in the medium sized bike that was on display.

[caption id="attachment_132979" align="aligncenter" width="1176"] The titanium gravel bike prototype on display at NAHBS had a clean metallic look. Thomson’s Taiwan-built titanium gravel bike is coming soon. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The offset of the all-carbon fork is 45mm that leads to a trail calculation of over 80mm with at 700c x 40mm tire installed. If you combine that front-end geometry with a dropper post, this bike could be a descending shredder on the gravel roads.

The final geometry is what Christensen said is being finalized, as well as tire clearance. The goal will be to fit 700c x 45mm and 650b x 50mm tires.

[caption id="attachment_132986" align="aligncenter" width="1183"] Thomson is anticipating healthy tire clearance for the bike. Thomson’s Taiwan-built titanium gravel bike is coming soon. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

The goal is to have the bike available to consumers before the end of the year.

The gravel bike will be offered as a frameset with a Thomson cockpit and post with cost depending on the post option, whether Al, Ti, carbon or a dropper. Christensen said the target price for a complete bike with mid-level components such as Shimano 105 is $3,700.

[caption id="attachment_132980" align="aligncenter" width="1140"] Thomson is set to release a new overseas-made titanium seat post. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

When available you can purchase the bike through your local bike professional or direct.

Thomson also displayed externally routed dropper posts, including in a 27.2mm diameter, but is working on internally routed models.

[caption id="attachment_132988" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Thomson offers externally-routed dropper posts, including in a 27.2mm diameter, but is working on internal routed models. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine[/caption]

More a closer look at the Thomson titanium gravel bike and its seat posts, see the photo gallery below.

More info: bikethomson.com

Stay tuned for more handbuilt bikes from 2019 NAHBS show in Sacramento.

Photo Gallery: Thomson Titanium Gravel Bike Prototype

Thomson’s Taiwan-built titanium gravel bike is coming soon. 2019 NAHBS Sacramento. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine

The post NAHBS 2019: Thomson Expands Its Horizons with Titanium Gravel Prototype appeared first on Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos.