It’s New Bike Day yet again for Australian gravel pro Nathan Haas. As he prepares to tackle the 230km race at SBT GRVL in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, this weekend, Colnago outfitted him once again with a new, and not-for-sale, custom Colnago G3-X.
For each big event this year, Haas, a former WorldTour roadie and Tour of Britain winner, has been aboard a different limited edition G3-X model, including the "Dopamine" at Iceland's The Rift and a Kansas-inspired Art Decor design at Unbound.
There will be five custom bikes —and matching Castelli kit— in total, each with a unique design that related to the event in which Haas is riding. It's a year-long celebration of Haas' return to the dirt, where he first fell in love with cycling and where he kickstarted his career before spending 10 years on the WorldTour.
In Colorado, Haas will be riding the "Purple Rain."
"For every bike I've been given, I've thought: ‘OK, it's beautiful! It's the top, it will be impossible to do better’. And then, boom! They bring me this Purple Rain and I'm speechless," commented Haas.
"It's incredible how Colnago have managed to combine incredible aesthetic taste with superior technical performance. I'm happy as a child. These bikes are built with passion, they are made to win and they are beautiful. I am literally in love with them.”
The G3-X is Colnago’s specific gravel model with cyclocross roots. It was launched in 2019 and has since been ridden to victory at events like the Unbound 200 by Lauren de Crescenzo in 2021.
Haas’ G3-X bike is equipped with a Campagnolo Ekar groupset, a 3D-printed Fizik Antares Versus Evo R3 Adaptive saddle, and Campagnolo’s new Levante wheels wrapped in Vittoria Terreno Dry tires.
After SBT GRVL, Haas will participate in some Nova Eroica events as well as a few more UCI Gravel World Series events. There are 12 races that make up the Gravel World Series calendar, and each race serves as a qualifier for the inaugural UCI Gravel World Championship at the end of the season.
In May, Nathan finished second overall in the second round of the UCI Gravel World Series, the Seven in Nannup, Australia, and fourth in the Poland round in June.
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