by Brandon Grant
Sometimes a truly special bike rolls across the line at the Cyclocross National Championships, and once in a great while, it crosses the line in first.
Haydn Hludzinski celebrates her Women's Junior 11-12 win. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
When Haydn Hludzinski took her third National cyclocross title in four years last Saturday (her fifth including mountain biking), it was on a different bike than the Kenesis she raced the last three years and we profiled in Asheville. However, it it certainly wasn't her bike's first victory.
Haydn Hludzinski's / Amy Dombroski's Primus Mootry cyclocross bike. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
Her current flat-bar cyclocross bike is built around a frame formerly owned by the late Amy Dombroski, and the young Hludzinski is continuing Amy D's winning ways as its third pilot.
We caught up with Hludzinski in Reno to take a look at her tiny, but special bike and learn how she came to race this unique frame.
Third-Hand Owner for Third Title
In 2009 Amy D was racing on the Richard Sachs team, but split with the team mid-season in a controversy over equipment. Dombroski was famous for her attention to bike weight (not surprising, considering her small stature) and raced non-sponsor correct wheels that weighed less than the team’s Cole tubulars wheels.
Ultimately this disagreement led to the termination of her contract, and she was left to quickly put together a new program. For the rest of the season, she found a home with the Schlamm p/b Clement and Primus Mootry team. Primus Mootry (who is no longer building bikes), a former sponsor of Katie Compton, put together two frames made of Dedacciai aluminum and EDGE Composites carbon in less than a week and Dombroski won her first race (and ride) on them.
Amy Dombroski pilots her Primus Mootry to the win at Super Cross. photo: Tom Olesnevich
Just 10 days before her fateful return to Belgium in 2013, Dombroski sold the bikes, and Hludzinski's older brother was the lucky new owner of one of them (while another came up for resale a year later). He raced it and then outgrew it, and now the bike has its third pilot, and a winning one at that. Perhaps the winning pedigree helped inspire Hludzinski to win her third Cyclocross National Championship in Reno.
Built for a Junior, with Room to Grow
Fast forward to 2018, and Hludzinski's build. It has been built to suit her preferences with a 1x SRAM drivetrain and flat bars which she is free to do, as juniors 16 and under face no equipment restrictions.
The frame has been given the full Amy D treatment with the aluminum lugs painted light blue, and several orange lightning bolts on the head tube. An Amy D foundation decal has been applied to the EDGE (now ENVE) Composites top tube.
An Amy D. Foundation decal graces the top tube of the organization's namesake's former race bike. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
Some of the components appear to be the same that Dombroski raced in 2009. The FSA headset and Ritchey fork seem to be original, as does the FSA K-Force seatpost and the seatpost collar. Overall, the rest of the bike is similar to Hludzinski's 2016 Junior 9-10 championship bike despite featuring rim brakes.
Like last year, she used a SRAM 1x drivetrain but swapped the clutch XO1 derailleur for a standard XO derailleur and 10-speed shifter, adding a substantial chain guard to the front chainring to compensate. Unlike last year, she used a narrower range Shimano 10 speed cassette and a SRAM PC-1031 chain.
The bike was originally built for cantilevers, and has a cable hanger integrated into the frame. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
The well worn SRAM Red GXP crankset featured a single SRAM chainring (attached with Shimano bolts). Interestingly it was not a 1x specific, narrow wide ring like she used last year.
Without a clutch derailleur or a narrow-wide chainring, Hludzinski used a substantial e13 XCX+CX chain guard for insurance. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
Also new up front are her Shimano PD-M9000 SPD pedals, a change from the Crank Brothers Candy she used previously.
Hludzinski switched to SPD this year, using the top of the line XTR PD-M9000. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
As the frame was originally built for cantilevers, Hludzinski required new wheels and selected Reynolds Assault carbon tubulars with Clement PDX tires in 700x33mm. Stopping was handled by TRP CX8.4 linear pull brakes with SRAM (actually Swiss Stop) carbon pads, mated to Avid Speed Dial 7 brake levers.
Primus Mootry made this frame especially for Amy Dombroski, and it has been repainted in her honor. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
Hludzinski stays with FSA cockpit components for the rest of the bike, using an alloy stem and V-Drive flat bar. Her contact points are a San Marco saddle and pink Oury grips.
Pink Oury grips offer some personalization. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
As a fast-growing 11-12 Junior, it's unclear how long Haydn Hludzinski will be using this frame, but there's plenty of room for a taller saddle height, and a drop bar could be added for more reach.
Hludzinski's San Marco saddle is not drastically lower than Dombroski's was, but there's still plenty of room to grow. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
However, Hludzinski is a mountain biker, at home with a wide handlebar, and she might not move to drop bars until USA Cycling forces her to for Nationals in the Junior 17-18 age group.
By then, we're guessing the bike will be already on to its next owner, with a few more victories to its credit.
The Amy Dombroski legacy lives on.
Full gallery below the specs.
For more from race coverage and bike profiles from Reno, see our dedicated 2018 Reno Cyclocross Nationals page.
Haydn Hludzinski's Amy D Primus Mootry Flat-Bar Cyclocross Bike Specs:
Frame: Amy D’s custom Primus Mootry, Dedacciai alloy rear triangle, EDGE Composites top tube and down tube, cantilever posts, FSA 1 1/8” external cup headset
Fork: Ritchey WCS full carbon fork, straight steerer, cantilever brake posts
Shifter: SRAM XO 10 speed
Brake Caliper: TRP CX8.4, SRAM carbon pads
Rear Derailleur: SRAM XO
Crankset: SRAM Red GXP
Catcher: e13 XCX+CX
Chainrings: SRAM
Cassette: Shimano 10 speed
Chain: SRAM PC-1031
Stem: FSA Afterburner
Handlebar: FSA V-Drive flat bar
Seatpost: FSA K-Force
Saddle: San Marco
Pedals: Shimano XTR PD-M9000 SPD
Wheels: Reynolds Assault carbon tubular
Tires: Clement PDX, 700x33
Haydn Hludzinski's Amy D Primus Mootry Flat-Bar Cyclocross Bike Photo Gallery:
Without a clutch derailleur or a narrow-wide chainring, Hludzinski used a substantial e13 XCX+CX chain guard for insurance. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
