While he just missed the podium with a finish time of 5h 2m 21s, it’s not because Gordon Wadsworth isn’t familiar with the terrain. Based just outside Roanoke, VA, the singlespeed mountain bike racer is used to the hot, humid air and dense forest cover of the Blue Ridge Mountains…exactly what we faced at the NC Belgian Waffle Ride.
He had gears for this one (a smart move considering the nearly 10k feet of climbing over ~97 miles) and a few other, um, accessories worth a look…
Starting with the drivetrain, he’s running a Shimano GRX 48/31 gravel crankset with XT mountain bike pedals…
…with GRX Di2 derailleurs shifting across an Ultegra 11-32 cassette. Note the electrical tape to smooth over the cable port and keep the shift wire running tight against the frame.
He also uses electrical tape to keep that wire running alongside the rear brake hose until it dips into the frame. The Di2 junction box and charging port is plugged into the handlebar end.
He’s running TOGS Road thumb rests for a more secure grip when in the drops, and actually wrapped the tape around them differently on either side to see what worked best.