Lauren De Crescenzo's Colnago G3-X for SBT GRVL

Text by: William Tracy Photos by: William Tracy

Lauren De Crescenzo is back in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and prepared to defend her 2021 SBT GRVL title aboard her Colnago G3-X.

Not a participant in the Life Time Grand Prix series, she is skipping the Leadville 100 mountain bike race, giving her more time to recon the route, which remains largely the same as last year, and settle in ahead of one of gravel racing’s biggest events. But more importantly, it means she will arrive at the start line Sunday morning far fresher than many of her competitors who are facing a multiple-hour transfer after a grueling day on the bike.

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Interestingly, De Crescenzo has a race bike that she only rides at events, separate from her training bike at home. It’s common for the top men to do this, her coach Tom Danielson told VeloNews, but not so much for the women. It means her Colnago, attentively cared for by her Cinch cycling mechanic, is at its absolute best for race day.

“They make sure I never put my hands on it,” joked De Crescenzo after a Friday morning shake-out ride in Steamboat Springs.

We got a look at her Colnago G3-X for her SBT GRVL defense, built up with a SRAM Red group and Princeton Carbon Works wheels paired with René Herse tires. Get a closer look at all the details below.

The G3-X is Colnago’s dedicated gravel racing frame. De Crescenzo’s is built with SRAM Red XPLR components and Princeton Carbon Works wheels paired with René Herse tires.

That’s a 48T 1x aero chainring up front with a 10-44T XPLR cassette on the back.

Designed for Paris-Roubaix, the Princeton Carbon Works Dual 5550 rims measure 22mm internally and are optimized for 30mm-32mm tires. But they work just as well for high volume gravel tires apparently.

The rims are paired with tried and true DT Swiss 240 hubs.

De Crescenzo has opted for René Herse Snoqualmie Pass 700 x 44 tires for this race because “they’re bulletproof, they’re fast, and they shed mud really quick.” They also have good traction when run at lower pressures, she adds. She is running 34/ 36 psi front/rear.

Also note the oil slick valve from Muc-Off.

Gravel can get rough, so De Crescenzo relies on the comfort of a Specialized S-Works Romin EVO with Mirror saddle. The 3D printed saddle has varying thickness in the padding throughout.

You can never be too cautious. This K-Edge chain guide means one less thing to worry about for De Crescenzo while she focuses on winning.

While she normally trains on a 2x setup, De Crescenzo’s race bike is rocking a 1x.

SRAM blip shifters allow for easier shifting from the drops, especially while sprinting — should the race come down to it.

De Crescenzo runs 40mm wide Zipp Service Course SL-70 XPLR handlebars, in part because they have a wider clamping area for aero bars and accessories like her Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt computer.

The bar is attached to a 120mm -6 degree stem, on the longer side for gravel setups.

Also note that there is still plenty of clearance around these 44mm tires.

Punctures play less of a factor in SBT GRVL than races like Unbound Gravel, where De Crescenzo finished second this year, but it’s still a good idea to carry tire plugs.