52t chainrings and a CX resurgence - the British Gravel Champs' race winning bikes

Flat-out speed is the order of the day at the sunny, sandy - and almost pancake flat - 2023 British Gravel National Championships

Joe Blackmore's Canyon CF SL at the British Gravel Championships
(Image credit: Tom Couzens)

A sun-baked summer's day saw the third ever British Gravel National Championships take place in Bury St Edmunds this past weekend. Joe Blackmore (Team Inspired) and Xan Crees (Team Spectra Cannondale) won the elite men's and women's British Gravel Championships.

Both are known for their cyclo-cross skills and both were aboard cyclo-cross bikes for the gravel race - we got a chance to take a closer look at their race-winning machines, and the spec changes they made to suit the demands of the course. 

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