Vitus Bikes at the New York Gran Fondo

Local road racer Chris Beattie (Ballymena/CRC road club) has just returned from the New York Gran Fondo, where he finished an impressive 19th place in his age group and 32nd overall on his brand new Vitus Bikes Sean Kelly Ltd edition road bike. 

Local road racer Chris Beattie (Ballymena/CRC road club) has just returned from the New York Gran Fondo, where he finished an impressive 19th place in his age group and 32nd overall on his brand new Vitus Bikes Sean Kelly Ltd edition road bike.

The 110-mile route starts at the George Washington Bridge in New York City and takes in four timed climbs – Passo del Daino, Montagna dell’Orso, Colle Andrea Pinarello and Colle Formaggio – with a total elevation gain of 8,500ft/2,800m.
Chris was aboard a new Vitus Sean Kelly frameset, complete with SRAM Force groupset, Zipp 101 wheelset and Zipp finishing kit which was given a last minute tune-up by the Mavic neutral service team to ensure everything ran smoothly on the big day.

With 5000 competitors from 70 countries this was a truly global event with a $100,000 prize fund! As a seeded racer Chris was able to ensure a start in the front group and make good progress with some of the top Grand Fondo riders from around the world. Chris rode strongly in the near 30 degree heat over the four timed climbs for the KOH competition to place 19th in the 18-39 age group and 32nd overall behind Italian winner Wladimiro D'Ascenzo.

Chris was impressed with the Vitus bike and will be using the high-end machine in upcoming events. He said: “One major plus for the frameset is its pin sharp handling on the long mountain descents encountered on the Grand Fondo. The frameset was of course stiff and responsive as needed especially in the headtube area however it retained great ride quality over the 110-mile course with 8500ft of climbing. So if you’re looking for a new Grand Fondo or sportive bike choose a Vitus and take on the world!”