Pro Bike Profile: Kaitlin Antonneau’s Cannondale SuperX Cyclocross Bike

Our latest issue of our print magazine, Issue 12, is finally a wrap, and Cyclocross Magazine print magazine subscribers will enjoy another 108-page, content-packed magazine for a well-timed off-season cyclocross fix (and a faster pace of issues in the fall).

In Issue 12, our famously comprehensive bike reviews include a full review of the Cannondale SuperX carbon cyclocross bike, the same frameset ridden to countless victories by Tim Johnson, Jeremy Powers and Jamey Driscoll. But one shouldn’t forget the smallest and newest team member, Kaitlin Antonneau, as she raced her small, 44cm Cannondale SuperX to win the U23 Cyclocross National Championships. In our latest addition of our pro bike profiles, we pull another out of queue and highlight Antonneau’s small Cannondale SuperX cyclocross bike.

by Matt James

In joining the powerhouse Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com team for the 2010 season, 18 year old Kaitlin Antonneau aligned herself with one of the top professional domestic cyclocross organizations possible as she steps into the elite ranks. Having been tipped for greatness by such riders as American great Katie Compton, Antonneau’s future is taking a big step by joining up with the organization. With teammates such as reigning national champion Tim Johnson and Jamey Driscoll, Antonneau has a wealth of experience to draw upon as she takes the next step in her career.

Of no less importance is the equipment backing and mechanical support offered by Cyclocrossworld owner and long time cyclocross guru Stu Thorne. Known for his meticulous attention to detail and customized bike setups, Thorne’s mechanical knowledge will give Antonneau all the tools she needs to excel in the sport. With the change of teams comes a change in bikes and for the past 2010 season and likely next, Antonneau will race aboard the team issue Cannondale SuperX, albeit in a substantially smaller package than that of her teammates.

This new for 2011 frame offers a number of performance features to set it apart, notably the flattened SAVE rear stays that help to mute vibration from rough cross courses. The SAVE technology has been utilized in Cannondale’s Flash mountain bike line and the company’s Synapse road line and should provide the team with a much more comfortable ride than previous offerings. A full carbon frame, tapered 1 1/8″ to 1 1/4″ headtube and oversized BB30 bottom bracket bearings add stiffness, steering precision and larger surface area for the massive downtube to connect to.

Kaitlin’s Cannondale is dressed in SRAM Red components with Avid’s new Shorty Ultimate brakes and a Zipp Service Course cockpit. Rolling stock are the Zipp 303 cyclocross wheels shod in whichever Dugast tubular the day’s course demands. Antonneau’s bike is a bit unique in that she runs top mount brake levers, a sign of Compton’s influence. After making several podiums and top 10’s in her first crack at the elite ranks, expect to see much more of Kaitlin Antonneau and her new Cannondale SuperX as the season progresses. With the backing of her new team, this young breakout is sure to be a force for years to come.

Check out our full review of a larger sized, SRAM Rival-equipped Cannondale Super X in Issue 12 of our print magazine.

Kaitie Antonneau’s Cannondale Super-X Cyclocross Bike Photo Gallery