By George Scott

Published: Monday, 10 October 2022 at 12:00 am

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Just like the women’s race on Saturday, the elite men’s race at the UCI Gravel World Championships in Italy served up a mishmash of tech for the inaugural event.

That was reflected in the start list, too, with road, cyclocross and gravel riders combining in a bid to pull on – love it or hate it – the first rainbow jersey in a new, UCI-approved era for gravel racing.

That start list included top-tier road talent – the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Peter Sagan and Greg van Avermaet – plus gravel specialists such as Unbound 2022 winner Ivar Slik, but it was road and cyclocross pro Gianni Vermeersch who triumphed solo ahead of Daniel Oss in Veneto.

Vermeersch, a team-mate of van der Poel on the Alpecin–Deceuninck team, rode a Canyon Ultimate CFR to victory – a bike representative of a fast, flat, hardpacked course that required barely a change of tyres to one of the best road bikes out there.

Having also taken you through the podium bikes from the women’s race and given you the run-down on Vermeersch’s Canyon Ultimate CFR, here are four more pro bikes from the 2022 gravel worlds.

Lachlan Morton’s Cannondale SuperSix Evo SE

Lachlan Morton has established himself as something of a crossover star for EF Education-EasyPost, taking on the WorldTour road team’s alternative race calendar in a series of gravel and MTB events, including Unbound and the Leadville 100.

It was little surprise, then, to see the Australian on the start line in Italy, riding to 18th place aboard this Cannondale SuperSix Evo SE.

Twila Federica Muzzi / Cannondale

The SuperSix Evo SE was designed exactly with events such as this in mind – it’s a gravel take on Cannondale’s long-standing SuperSix Evo road machine.

Launched in August 2021, the SuperSix Evo SE shares a similar frame shape to the road-going SuperSix, including aero-tuned tube profiles, but with increased clearance for 45mm tyres and a slightly more relaxed geometry that is still intended to retain racy handling.

Twila Federica Muzzi / Cannondale

Not that Morton needed all that clearance for the dry conditions, using 38c Vittoria Terreno Zero tyres.

The brand’s race-focused gravel rubber has a smooth centre tread inspired by the Corsa road tyre, with a scale-like pattern on the shoulders for a little extra grip. They’re tubeless, of course, and the tan-wall finish is very smart on Morton’s bike, too.

Twila Federica Muzzi / Cannondale

Those tyres are mounted on deep-section Vision Metron carbon wheels.

As for the drivetrain, the 52-36t semi-compact chainrings are paired with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 front derailleur and second-tier Ultegra Di2 rear derailleur. There’s also a Power2Max NG crank-based power meter.

Twila Federica Muzzi / Cannondale

Morton may have been riding a go-fast gravel machine, including the aero-profile Vision Metron 4D carbon handlebar, with no tape on the tops, but the 30-year-old’s nod to adventure comes in the shape of the Tailfin pack strapped to the top tube.

Twila Federica Muzzi / Cannondale

Magnus Cort Nielsen’s Cannondale SuperSix Evo SE

Twila Federica Muzzi / Cannondale

Magnus Cort Nielsen was one of the stars of this summer’s Tour de France. He went up the road in the breakaway at the Grand Départ in his native Denmark, wore the polka dot jersey and won stage 10 before having to abandon the race after testing positive for Covid-19.

Paintjob aside, Cort Nielsen rode largely the same Cannondale SuperSix Evo SE as his team-mate, Morton, so we won’t dwell on the frame, but there are a couple of spec differences to call out.

That includes the aero-shaped FSA chainring (Cort Nielsen was using a 53t outer ring with a 36t inner ring), Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 rear derailleur (no Ultegra here) and Vittoria Terreno Dry tyres, a popular choice among racers in Italy – this time in a slightly narrower 35c width.

Those are once again mounted to Vision Metron 55 Tubeless wheels, with Cort Nielsen running 3.4 bar (49psi) in the front tyre and 3.7 bar (53psi) in the rear, according to Cannondale. Cort Nielsen’s wheels were also running Vittoria Air-Liner Gravel tyre inserts for flat protection.

Twila Federica Muzzi / Cannondale

Other gravel-ready details include grip tape on the outside of the bottle cages for additional security on rough terrain and sprint shifters in the drops for quick changes.

Twila Federica Muzzi / Cannondale

The pre-race claimed weight for Cort Nielsen’s bike was 6.9kg, according to Cannondale.

Ivar Slik’s Wilier Rave SLR

Wilier

Ivar Slik arrived in Italy as one of the gravel pioneers vying for the title in the burgeoning discipline.

Unlike Vermeersch, Morton and Cort Nielsen, Slik, whose high-profile gravel wins this season include Unbound and the Traka 200, is unaffiliated to a pro team; instead, he races as a privateer sponsored by Wilier (among others).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given his specialism in the discipline, Slik rode Wilier’s Rave SLR gravel bike – the same machine he rode in Kansas for Unbound and Girona for the Traka.

Still, like the SuperSix Evo SE, the Rave SLR is undoubtedly on the sportier end of the gravel spectrum, aimed at racing. That means a fairly aggressive geometry for fast handling and go-fast tube shapes, and limited mounts beyond the usual two bottle cages.

Wilier

The maximum quoted clearance is 42mm for 700c wheels – in line with many gravel race bikes, if not as generous as some of the best gravel bikes aimed at more rugged riding.

Slik, who finished 37th, opted for road-like gearing for the road-like course, with a 52-36t Shimano Dura-Ace crankset up front and 11-34t cassette (he used LOOK road pedals, too).

There was some concession to gravel gearing though, thanks to the GRX Di2 derailleurs. Dura-Ace and GRX? That’s not a combination we see too often.

Other spec choices include the new Miche Graff Route gravel wheels, sporting a 36mm-deep rim with a hookless, 24mm-wide (internal) width. The Schwalbe G-One RS tyres are a popular choice among gravel racers, as a fast option for all-round riding.

Wilier

Matt Beers’ Specialized S-Works Crux

Specialized

In our round-up of the podium bikes from the elite women’s race, we showed you Sina Frei’s Specialized Roubaix – an endurance road bike in gravel trim – and Chiara Teocchi’s Specialized Diverge.

South African rider Matt Beers, however, went for the third option in Specialized’s fleet: the S-Works Crux.

Launched last year with the claim of being “the world’s lightest gravel bike”, the Crux takes its cues from the Aethos road bike, with round, non-aero tubes and old-school aesthetic.

The frame has a claimed weight of 725g and there’s no sight of the FutureShock headset suspension seen on the Roubaix and Diverge.

Specialized

Instead, simplicity is the name of the game here: an external bottom bracket, conventional seatpost collar and no additional mounting points beyond space for a third bottle on the underside of the down tube.

Still, it’s up to date as far as tyre clearance is concerned, with room for 47mm rubber on 700c wheels, and there’s internal routing for a gravel dropper post, if you do want to get a bit rowdy.

Specialized

Beers, who rode his Crux to 17th, rolled on Roval’s Terra CLX gravel wheels, which feature a 25mm-wide internal rim width, and a set of unmarked Specialized S-Works tyres. Could this be an unreleased model?

As for the gearing, it’s a mullet configuration, pairing a SRAM Force 1x crankset (46t chainring) with a wide-ranging 10-50t SRAM Eagle cassette and electronic rear derailleur. Note also the Wolf Tooth chain guide for some added security – and the gold chain itself.

Specialized

And finally, Beers may be an XC mountain biker by trade, but the Shimano SPD-SL road pedals are a giveaway that the course in Italy gave riders little concern over clogging shoes or pedals up with mud.

Specialized

While we’re talking Specialized, let’s give honourable mentions for Daniel Oss, who finished second, and Peter Sagan, who finished 14th. Both rode the Roubaix – two more riders who opted for an endurance road bike with gravel tyres.

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