In the same vein as Marshall Gordon's title-winning, rule-busting bike, Haydn Hludzinski's 2016 Cyclocross National Championship winning bike sported flat bars. While officials seemed to be mostly looking the other way when it came to bikes for those racers vying for the most senior National Championship titles, Hludzinski had no worries as youngest juniors face no bike restrictions at Nationals.
This year was Hludzinski's second Championship title in as many years as she defended her win in last year's Junior Women 9-10 race.
"I loved it. I loved the downhills and the green flyover," Hludzinski said in her post-race interview. That stands to reason as the pint-sized phenom was flying along through those sections.
We're taking a look today at Hludzinski's bike, the same one she rode to the win last year in Austin. You can see our growing list of bike profiles from the 2016 Nationals, here.
Haydn Hludzinski's championship-winning Kinesis 29er with White Brothers Rock Solid carbon rigid fork. 2016 Cyclocross National Championships. © R. Riott/Cyclocross Magazine
Hludzinski's Cyclocross National Championship winning bike is in fact built around an aluminum Kinesis mountain bike frame and White Brothers rigid carbon fork. While Hludzinski rolls on a Stan's ZTR Race Gold 29 wheelset and Clement clincher tires run tubeless.
For her drivetrain Hludzinski like many other racers elected to run a single-ring set up. A 32 tooth Shimano ring mated to their XT crank arms is paired with a SRAM XO1 rear derailleur and an 11-speed cassette. The single ring option makes sense with a wide-range cassette as the elimination of a front derailleur keeps things simple.
To help her control speed, Hludzinski relied on Avid Elixir 3s. The older Kinesis frame was built for cable-activated brakes and so the hydraulic lines were secured to the top tube with electrical tape, a secure, lightweight solution that offered the junior rider an opportunity to run brakes that offered easier lever action.
Haydn Hludzinski's Kinesis 29er rolled on Clement's Crusade PDX clinchers set up tubeless. © R. Riott/Cyclocross Magazine
Hludzinski's contact points on the bike was a mix of brands. Mounted atop an older model carbon Bontrager seatpost was an SLR-shaped, Fuji branded saddle. And the ends of her Easton EC70 alloy bars, themselves mounted to an alloy Crank Brothers stem, were wrapped in thin, lightweight ESI grips.
Hludzinski taking the title in the Junior Women 9-10, 2016 Cyclocross National Championships. © Cyclocross Magazine
The junior racing offered up some of the best highlights of the championship week. Given Hludzinski's undefeated streak, we're wondering already of we may be looking at the next Katie Compton and many years of such highlights.
Photo gallery below the bike specs. See the growing list of 2016 Nationals-winning bike profiles here.
Haydn Hludzinski's Junior Women's 9-10 Championship Medal-Winning Kinesis Spec Highlights:
Frame: Kinesis aluminum MTB frame
Fork: White Brothers rigid carbon
Brake Levers: Avid Elixir 3
Brake Calipers: Avid Elixir 3
Rear Derailleur: SRAM XO1
Front Derailleur: N/A
Cassette: SRAM XO1
Crankset: Shimano XT crankarms, Shimano 32 tooth single ring
Seatpost: Bontrager carbon
Saddle: Fuji SLR-style
Stem: Crank Brothers
Handlebars: Easton EC70
Pedals: Crank Brothers Candy
Wheels: Stan's No Tubes ZTR Race Gold 29er rims, Stan's No Tubes 3.30 Ti hubs
Tires: Clement Crusade PDX
More info: http://www.kinesis-bikes.com/index_e.php
Haydn Hludzinski's Junior Women's 9-10 Championship Medal-Winning Kinesis Photo Gallery:
Haydn Hludzinski ran a single 32 tooth Shimano ring on XT crankarms. 2016 Cyclocross National Championships. © R. Riott/Cyclocross Magazine
