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If you didn’t catch the action this weekend at DCCX and the Pan American Cyclocross Championships, you missed out. The racing was elbow-to-elbow (especially in the women’s elite field), and the men’s elite was a showdown between national and former national champs, Andrew Strohmeyer and Eric Brunner. The duo treated the crowd to a blow-for-blows race that only the DCCX track could provide.
(All photos/Jordan Villella)
We caught up with Cyclocross National Champion Andrew Strohmeyer before his race to talk bike setup, tires, and tactics.
However, before we get to the bike, let’s recap the race.
Pan American Cyclocross Champs – Men’s Elite Recap
It was high drama at Washington D.C.’s historic grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home when 23-year-old Andrew Strohmeyer lit up the elite men’s race with a textbook solo move. From the start, Strohmeyer and four-time champ Eric Brunner surged ahead of the pack and began playing cat-and-mouse on a course that demanded both technical finesse and raw power. Strohmeyer was cool and collected compared to his usual race tactic of sourched earth attacking. He waited patiently to make his move, knowing that it would come down to him and Burnner in the end.
If you’d rather watch the full recap from our friends at CXTV – it’s the best way to experience the race
With three laps remaining, Strohmeyer flicked the switch, putting Brunner under pressure in the turns and eventually in the rear-view. The move launched him into a solo push that would earn him a 52-second margin at the line. Brunner held on for silver, while Jules Van Kempen rounded out the podium in bronze—completing what became a full U.S. sweep of the medals.
Final Top 5: Men’s Elite Pan American Cyclocross Championship
Andrew Strohmeyer (USA)
Eric Brunner (USA)
Jules Van Kempen (USA)
Kerry Werner (USA)
Tyler Clark (Canada)
Bike Check: Andrew Strohmeyer’s Trek Boone
We caught up with Andrew Strohmeyer right after the UCI course preview and got a first-hand look at what he was riding and testing out. The course layout was in his favor, with lots of twists, turns, and short punchy sections that seemed to zap power out of every lap.
When we chatted, Strohmeyer was running Dugast Typhoon 33mm tubular tires but mentioned he was going back and forth on tubular vs. tubless for the day, noting that the updated Dugast/Vittoria tubless design blended a stiffer sidewall with a fast-rolling casing. The tubeless tire didn’t deform as much in the golf course grass on tight corners as the tubular version did. The tread, however, wasn’t something he was mixing or matching; the grifo-style Typhoon tread was popular for the dusty, sometimes chunky DCCX track.
Big Gears Go Faster
For gearing, he went with a 46T front chainring and a 10-33T cassette with SRAM RED AXS. The gear is big, but if you watch the race replay, you’ll see why.
The DCCX track for Pan Ams was spicy and required subtle speed changes, keeping the chain middle of the cassette and fine-tuning the cadence and feel. The 46T no doubt keeps the chainline straight, allowing for quick, sharp shifting when sprinting out of the saddle at every turn.
The CXD Team Andrew rides with is a Trek Bikes-sponsored team, and Strohmeyer uses all the Trek/Bontrager bits while racing. His shoes, helmet, wheels, and finishing kit are all Trek. The wheels are Bontrager RSL tubular version of the Aeolus wheels, and are very popular among professionals like Thibau Nys and amateurs around the globe. With fewer and fewer tubular wheels available, the Bontrager Aeolus RSLs are a welcome gift (though an expensive one) to the cyclocross world.
Strohmeyer’s bike is the Trek Boone with American National Champion decals on the fork. It’s not a custom frame, even though the team’s sponsor, Trek, markets Project One paint jobs with custom frame options. Hopefully, that will change, and soon we might see our newly crowned Pan American Champion on a truly custom frame.
Rounding out the build is a Bontrager bar and stem combo, slammed to the topcap to fit Andrew’s preferred setup. The bars are Bontrager IsoCore 40cm tops with a 42cm flair at the drops. The stem is a Bontrager Blendr XXX 110mm with a negative 7 degrees, to get the bars low enough.
Full Specs: Strohmeyers Trek Boone
Frame: Trek Boone
Wheels: Bontrager Aelous RSL Tubular
Tires: Dugast Typhoon 33mm
Shifting/Brakes: SRAM RED AXS
Rotors: SRAM RED Paceline140F/140R
Chain: SRAM Force
Crankset: SRAM RED 165mm/46T
Bar/Stem: Bontrager ISO-Core 40mm, Bontrager XXX 110mm/-7-deg
Saddle: Bontrager RSL 135mm
Pedals: XTR PD9100
We wish Andrew the best in his build-up to the USAC Nationals in Fayetteville this December and a safe trip over to Europe to represent the USA.