Racing

Bike check: EF Pro Cycling's Strade Bianche race bikes

Kristen Faulkner and Alberto Bettiol will race their stock Cannondale Lab71 SuperSix Evo's on the Tuscan dirt

August 29, 2023

Strade Bianche is one of the most demanding bike races on the professional calendar.

Kristen Faulkner and Alberto Bettiol will race the Tuscan classic on their stock Cannondale LAB71 SuperSix EVO race bikes with MOMODESIGN handlebars.

The SuperSix Evo’s uber-light and aero carbon-fiber construction is more than robust enough to handle the white gravel roads that roll through the hills south of Siena. Its geometry remains stable down the highest-speed descents and provides all the nimbleness Alberto and Kristen need to dive into corners with confidence.

Alberto and Kristen will both race on 30c Vittoria Corsa Pro Control tubeless tires, which are reinforced with graphene to protect against flats. They will ride Vision Metron 45 SL handbuilt wheels. The 45mm deep profile of these rims provides enormous aerodynamic benefits in a package that weighs less than 1400 grams. They are svelte enough to slice through the air without being buffeted by crosswinds.

Alberto will push 54t /40t FSA chainrings. Kristen has opted for a lighter 52t/36t set. Having the smaller gears should allow her to spin more easily up the steep climbs en route, saving her legs so she will have more strength in the end.

Prologo saddles and bar tape and Wahoo SPEEDPLAY aero pedals and head units complete their builds.

Check out the specs for Alberto’s and Kristen’s Strade Bianche race bikes.

Kristen Faulkner's LAB71 Cannondale SuperSix EVO

Frameset

48cm Cannondale LAB 71 SuperSix EVO

Handlebar / Stem

90 mm x 38 cm MOMODESIGN

Bartape

Prologo

Seatpost

Cannondale C1 Aero 40 Carbon, 691 mm saddle height

Groupset

Shimano DURA-ACE Di2 (12-speed)

Crankset

FSA K-Force 165 mm

Chainring

FSA 52t x 36t

Cassette

Shimano DURA-ACE 11t - 34t

Wheelset

Vision Metron 45 SL

Tires

30c Vittoria Corsa Pro Control with Airliners

Head unit

Wahoo Elemnt Roam

Saddle

Prologo Dimension Tri CPC 143 width

Alberto Bettiol's LAB71 Cannondale SuperSix EVO

Frameset

54cm Cannondale LAB 71 SuperSix EVO

Handlebar / Stem

120 mm x 38 cm MOMODESIGN

Bartape

Prologo

Seatpost

Cannondale C1 Aero 40 Carbon, 753 mm saddle height

Groupset

Shimano DURA-ACE Di2 (12-speed)

Crankset

FSA K-Force 172.5mm

Chainring

FSA 54t x 40t

Cassette

Shimano DURA-ACE 11t - 34t

Wheelset

Vision Metron 45 SL

Tires

30c Vittoria Corsa Pro Control with Airliners

Head unit

Wahoo Elemnt Roam

Saddle

Prologo Scratch m5 140 width

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Alberto Bettiol

Alberto Bettiol has always been a winner. He started racing around the hills of Tuscany when he was five and won his second-ever race in his hometown of Castelfiorentino. He has been bringing home bouquets of flowers ever since.

His coaches and supporters always believed in his talent. Alberto was a strong junior and U23 rider, who signed his first professional contract with our team in 2014. But Alberto wanted to become a champion. He had grown up watching the classics and the Giro d’Italia with his father, a former footballer, and dreamed of winning the sport’s greatest races.

In 2019, he won his first Monument. Alberto’s victory in the Tour of Flanders that year changed his life. It gave him the confidence that he could beat the best riders in the world. He backed it up with an impressive string of results, including a stunning solo stage victory at the 2021 Giro d’Italia.

In 2022, Alberto earned podium places on stages of the Tour de France, Tour de Suisse, and Deutschland Tour.

He now splits his time between Lugano, Switzerland and Castelfiorentino. He enjoys all of the opportunities to travel that cycling now provides him, but is always happy to return to the Tuscan hills where he got started.

Alberto started 2023 with a prologue win at the Tour Down Under, but had a tough spring set back by injury and illness and had to miss his favorite classics. He made his return with a strong ride at the Giro d’Italia. He has great ambitions for the Tour de France.

Full profile

Kristen Faulkner

Kristen sees bike racing as a game of chess, where strategy, patience, and anticipating a competitor’s move make the sport demanding and thrilling. As she begins her fifth season, Kristen will focus on two goals for 2024: making the U.S. Olympic team for the time trial and developing as a GC rider. Given her palmarès, these are lofty but realistic goals. She is a proven time trialist, having won TTs in the Giro d’Italia Women, Tour de Suisse, and the Pan-American Games. She’s also had top ten GC results at Itzulia Women, Women’s Tour, Tour de Suisse, Ladies Tour of Norway.

Growing up in Alaska gave Kristen a deep appreciation for the outdoors and helped her develop a sense of resiliency.

Before she became a cyclist, Kristen worked in finance in Manhattan. She missed team sports – she had been a rower in college – and so she went to a women’s introductory cycling clinic in Central Park. She enjoyed that enough to do a race and once she experienced how much strategy and tactical thinking cycling required, she knew it was the sport for her.

When she’s at home in Girona, Kristen loves to grocery shop at the local farmers markets, letting fresh produce inspire her in the kitchen. She focuses on creating healthy, vegetable-based dishes.