At the 2015 Lost and Found Race, Tobin Ortenblad broke away from Ben Berden before the end of the 100 mile gravel ride, winning a race stacked with big names in cyclocross.
Much like Berden’s Stoemper Ronny, Ortenblad used a bike that had been raced on cyclocross courses around the world, but unlike the Belgian’s race machine that was given to him earlier this year, Ortenblad dusted off his carbon Specialized Crux that he raced two seasons ago specifically for this race.
Ortenblad prefers a bike equipped with a double chainring when it comes to a gravel course with plenty of elevation change, so when it came time for the 20-year-old to test his legs on the massive climbs of the Lost and Found, opting for his SRAM Red 22-equipped 2013/14 bike was a no-brainier compared to the 2014/15 model that was finished off with a Force CX1 drivetrain.
Tobin Ortenblad’s Specialized Crux at the 2015 Lost and Found. © Cyclocross Magazine
“I was so confident with everything on the bike today!” Ortenblad exclaimed.
The gearing he choice was one that has become a traditional cyclocross mainstay: 46/36 for the double chainrings, and an 11-27 cassette. As for tires, Ortenblad ran WTB Nano 700x40c tubeless tires, which won our Editors’ Choice Award for Best Gravel Tire. Along with the Specialized Trigger Pro 38c tire, the Nano was one of the most popular tires on the day.
Spending the race at 35psi in the back, 38 psi in the front proved to work well as Ortenblad moved away from the other riders during the length of the 100 miles. “It was awesome…I was gonna go with some file treads, but I figure, why compromise?” Ortenblad recalled. “I’m really glad I didn’t, because the bike just felt amazing.”
Afterward, he reflected that it was a great bike build choice for the race, providing yet another example of a cyclocross bike able to help land a rider to the top spot of a gravel race.
Use the slider below for more details on Ortenblad’s Lost and Found-winning bike along with a full spec list. More info: specialized.com.
Ortenblad’s primary cyclocross bike is equipped with Force CX1, but he opted to go with his older cyclocross bike with SRAM Red. © Cyclocross Magazine
