Anneke Beerten's GT Sanction - Bike Check
After an illness forced her to sit out round four of the Enduro World Series in La Thuile, Italy, Anneke Beerten was back in action in Aspen, bringing home a 5th place finish once the dust had cleared. This is the Dutch racer's first season riding for GT Factory Racing, a sponsorship change that saw her trade in her Specialized Enduro 29er for a 27.5” wheeled GT Sanction. We caught up with Anneke and her mechanic, Tom Duncan, to find out exactly how the bike was set up for race day.
A 170mm RockShox Lyrik up front...
...and a Monarch Plus RC3 out back.
Suspension Setup
Anneke typically runs 65 psi in her RockShox Lyrik, with 5-7 clicks of low-speed compression damping, and 2-3 Bottomless Tokens installed in the fork's air spring side. For faster, smoother tracks the air pressure is increased slightly, and the low-speed compression is backed off by a few clicks. For her 130 pound (59kg) weight those settings are on the stiffer side, but don't forget that Anneke has multiple 4X World Champion titles under her belt – she knows a thing or two about hard cornering and pumping through obstacles.
The size medium Sanction's 165mm of rear travel is handled by a Monarch Plus RC3 DebonAir, inflated to 160 psi. Depending on the course, either three or four volume spacers are installed, with four spacers in place for the higher speed tracks in Aspen.
That 50-tooth cog probably came in handy when tackling climbs at 8,500 feet above sea level.
A 34-tooth chainring is mounted on SRAM's X01 carbon cranks.
Drivetrain
Aspen was Anneke's first race aboard SRAM's 12-speed Eagle drivetrain, and she elected to run a 34-tooth ring up front to go with her 10-50 tooth cassette. According to her mechanic, she regularly experiments with different chainring sizes depending on the course, even going so far as to practice with a smaller ring and then go up a size for her race runs.
Wheels / Tires
Stan's new Bravo carbon wheels are shod with 2.4” Vittoria Goma tires, with 20 psi in the front and 22 psi in the rear. A DH casing is used for the rear tire, and a lighter, folding bead in the front, but for rougher courses where the chances of a puncture are higher, DH casings are used for both tires.
Aspen was Anneke's first race aboard SRAM's 12-speed Eagle drivetrain, and she elected to run a 34-tooth ring up front to go with her 10-50 tooth cassette. According to her mechanic, she regularly experiments with different chainring sizes depending on the course, even going so far as to practice with a smaller ring and then go up a size for her race runs.
Wheels / Tires
Stan's new Bravo carbon wheels are shod with 2.4” Vittoria Goma tires, with 20 psi in the front and 22 psi in the rear. A DH casing is used for the rear tire, and a lighter, folding bead in the front, but for rougher courses where the chances of a puncture are higher, DH casings are used for both tires.
Vittoria's 2.4" Goma tires are mounted to Stan's Bravo carbon wheels.
Pre Race Routines
Every racer has their own routine that they go through as race day approaches, and for Anneke that involves putting on her own number plate. It may seem like a trivial thing, but for many athletes, adhering to the same pre-race ritual helps them remain calm and focused as they prepare to battle it out on between the tape. Anneke also checks her brake lever angle with an app on her phone to make sure that they're at exactly her preferred position. Fumbling around to fix a flat or some other mechanical can make or break a race, so Anneke places her spare tube, chain link, and tools in the exact same place on the bike at every event, minimizing the chances that she won't be able to find what she needs for a trail side repair. As a final touch, she has a list of reminders written on her top tube, including the most important tip of all - have fun!
MENTIONS: @GTBicycles, @SramMedia, @vittoria
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"Each climb = another beer"
200mm boxxer 3 progression tokens 0 to 5 clicks of compression dependant on track 82 psi ( i think? )
10 percent sag
.
That's what she said.
Is it worth trying the smaller air can, even though I already run all the spacers? How much would that cost?