Different Tactics, Different Wheels, Same Results!
This past weekend was the finals race for the USA Crits series. For those not familiar with criterium racing, it's an action packed race around a small loop (usually less than 1 mile). Races are usually run at full speed the entire race, and with 4 to 6 corners per loop, riders are flying around corners, slamming on brakes, sprinting. . . multiple times per loop. It's a great test of a well built wheelset!
We have been fortunate to work with some pretty talented athletes who focus on crit racing. The USA Crits series is the premiere series in the United States and it's hotly contested by the best cyclists this country has to offer.
In the Women's Race, perennial power house sprinter Sam Schneider relied on a strong CWA Racing team to control the race and bring her into perfect position for the final sprint. Being a field sprinter places a ton of responsibility on one moment in the race. Everything has to come together perfectly to beat out every other competitor charging for the line. This means the athlete, the equipment, and the tactics all have to fall into place.
Check out this video showing just how everything came together. Looking at Sam sprinting, you can tell just how much power she is putting on the wheels and how important having the proper wheelset can be!
Sam chooses to race on the 44mm clincher rim brake wheels with 25mm tires.
In the Men's race, the tactics would be impressively different.
Frank Travieso had just built up a new bike with disc brakes, and let's just say he was on a mission. Frank chose to run the new 55 Road Disc wheels with 28mm tires. You may remember from an earlier blog post that we called the 55 Road Disc the "Road Speed".
In a very fast race, Frank left everybody behind with 30 laps to go and rode solo for the last half of the race. In criterium racing the hardest thing to do is ride solo away from the pack who has the benefit of drafting and teams working together.
Frank showed the benefit of a super aero wheel (designed around 28mm tires), and that a one man wrecking crew can take it to the rest of the teams out there.
Congrats to all of our awesome athletes out there racing. We will continue to obsess over making a wheelset that has the performance to be used in some of the most demanding conditions, yet can also be used as an everyday wheelset for the enthusiast who may not be pinning a number and racing.
As a side note, this is the first time the same brand of wheels has been used to win the finals race for the USA Crits series since last year when both the Men's and Women's races were won on Boyd Cycling wheels.
We have a bit of a track record going on here!