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Sep 01, 2023

SBT GRVL pro bike check: Russell Finsterwald's Specialized S

(Image: Alvin Holbrook/VELO) Photo: Alvin Holbrook/VELO Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!

(Image: Alvin Holbrook/VELO) Photo: Alvin Holbrook/VELO

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}">Download the app.

Russell Finsterwald may have “chose a bad day to have a bad day” at SBT GRVL this year, but no one can be on all the time, can they?

Despite his own deprecating self-assessment on social media, Finsterwald started the day strong, riding hard for three hours to catch the five-man break that went clear just miles into the 142-mile race. When the chasers finally caught them, Finsterwald was toasted and he transitioned to survival mode just to get back to the finish line.

But, he survived. And he will likely thrive again, especially in the last three races of the Life Time Grand Prix, where he is sitting in second place overall.

The Specialized S-Works Crux that he rode at SBT GRVL will also be his weapon of choice at the upcoming Rad and Big Sugar Gravel races in Trinidad, Colorado and Bentonville, Arkansas. Expect similar but different to his SBT bike, which was optimized for Steamboat Springs’ fast champagne gravel.