By Stan Portus

Published: Tuesday, 16 August 2022 at 12:00 am

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Canyon//SRAM Racing WorldTour road racing professional Tiffany Cromwell claimed victory in the 2022 SBT GRVL Blue Course.

Cromwell made her gravel-racing debut at the 2021 SBT GRVL, where she finished eighth on the 144-mile Black Course.

Returning to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, for the third edition of SBT GRVL, Tiffany opted to race the shorter Blue Course, which is still 100 miles on Steam Springs’ gravel trails.

Cromwell was the first woman to finish, with a time of 4:56:28, averaging 20.28mph and beating Molly Cameron, who finished second, by more than 20 minutes.

She came seventh overall on the Blue Course and the route was won by BikeRadar contributor Ben Delaney.

Here, we look at the Canyon Grail CF SLX Cromwell raced at SBT GRVL.

Tiffany Cromwell’s Canyon Grail CF SLX

Cromwell’s 2022 SBT GRVL Canyon CF SLX was mostly specced with parts from brands that provide components for Canyon//SRAM Racing.

Cromwell specced her gravel bike with many of the same parts she used for last year’s SBT GRVL race, but made several changes.

Sponsor-correct paintjob

Cromwell’s bike was painted in Canyon//SRAM’s 2022 team colours with a black, purple and white paintjob.

Canyon released a limited-edition version of the ‘race pink’ Canyon CF SL Cromwell raced at last year’s SBT GRVL, so we could possibly see a bike with this colour scheme released at some point in the future.

Zipp wheels and Schwalbe tyres

SBT GRVL

Zipp and Schwalbe provide Canyon//SRAM Racing with its wheels and tyres. So, unsurprisingly, Cromwell’s bike was kitted out with wheels and rubber from these two brands.

Cromwell used a Zipp 303 Firecrest wheelset for the race, the same wheelset used for last year’s event.

She also used the same tyres, 40mm Schwalbe G-One Bites, which are well-suited to the dry, fast trails that characterise SBT GRVL.

SRAM Red drivetrain

Cromwell used a 1x SRAM Red AXS drivetrain.

At the back, there’s a SRAM Red XPLR clutch-equipped rear derailleur and a SRAM XPLR 10-44 tooth 12-speed cassette.

Cromwell used a 42-tooth front chainring fitted with a Quarq power meter.

Canyon Hover bar

SBT GRVL

Cromwell used Canyon’s Hover bar, otherwise known as the CP07 Gravelcockpit.

While the ‘double-decker’ bar was met with scepticism by many when it was first released in 2018, it has remained a feature of Canyon’s line-up.

Canyon says the cockpit provides a wider variety of hand positions and seven times more vertical absorption than a typical cockpit.

Time XC12 pedals

SBT GRVL

Cromwell used Time XC12 pedals. These have a titanium spindle and carbon body. They are Time’s lightest gravel pedals with a claimed weight of 124g per pedal.

Last year, Cromwell used Crankbrothers Eggbeater pedals. But since Time was acquired by SRAM early last year, the brand has become the official pedal provider for Canyon//SRAM Racing, so the change makes sense.

Canyon seatpost and Specialized saddle

SBT GRVL

Cromwell used a standard Canyon seatpost last year, but she switched to the Canyon S15 VCLS 2.0 CF for the 2022 SBT GRVL.

The ‘leaf spring’ seatpost is said to provide up to 20mm of travel and comes as standard on the 2022 Canyon Grail CF SLX bikes.

SBT GRVL

Cromwell used a Specialized Pro Power Saddle with Mirror. It looks as though it could be a new model due to the finish on the saddle. However, its appearance could be due to wear.

While Specialized isn’t a sponsor for Canyon//SRAM Racing, Cromwell used a Specialized saddle for last year’s race and it’s clearly a favourite with the Australian pro.

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