This cyclocross season has seen strong showings by many North American female racers. Absent from the field is Georgia Gould, who elected to take a much-needed break. She chose instead to participate in a handful of events and to prepare for the upcoming World Cup mountain bike season.
While this was to be an offseason for the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist, the prospect of racing the US Cyclocross National Championships at Valmont Bike Park, just an hour from her home in Fort Collins, Colorado, was too enticing an opportunity to pass up.
Georgia Gould's cyclcross bikes have several small but significant changes
Not surprisingly, Gould’s ‘cross bikes are set up very similar to the bike we profiled last season. Like the rest of her Luna teammates, Gould rides Orbea’s Terra. The Terra features a full carbon frame and matching a 1.125in to 1.5in tapered carbon fork. Though disc-equipped bikes have become staples within the professional and amateur ranks, Orbea has yet to introduce a disc version of the Terra.
While the chassis may remain the same, Gould has traded her mechanical drivetrains for Dura-Ace Di2 electronic groups—albeit the older 10-speed versions—and settled on a single-ring drivetrains on all of her bikes.
Last season, Gould alternated between a double- and single-ring setups, depending on the course conditions. She now has all of her Terra’s set up with a single 39T chainring. A direct-mount version of e*thirteen’s XCX guide is used to keep the chain in place.
A 39T chainring paired with a 12-27T 10-speed cassette power this Luna racer
“I’ve done it in the past, and really the only time I’ve needed a bigger gear than that was when I was racing in Europe, where you’d have a 200-meter full-on sprint at the start of a race. But for pretty much every course I’ve done in the US a 39T was fine. I don’t have to worry about dropping my chain, mis-shifting or any of that. It’s just about simplicity,” said Gould.
Complete bike specification
- Frame: Orbea Terra, 51cm
- Fork: Orbea Terra Carbon, tapered 1.125in - 1.5in
- Headset: FSA Integrated
- Stem: PRO Vibe 7 OS, 100mm x -6 degrees
- Handlebar: PRO Vibe 7 OS, 42cm
- Tape/grips: PRO Digital Carbon Smart Silicon
- Front brake: Shimano CX70
- Rear brake: Shimano CX70
- Brake/shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Dual Control ST- 7970
- Front derailleur: e*thirteen XCX-ST D-Type 1x guide
- Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 RD-9070
- Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace CS-7900 12-27T
- Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace CN-7901
- Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace FC-7900 with a single 39T ring
- Bottom bracket: Enduro BB30 bearings with custom Enduro 24mm reducer cups
- Pedals: Shimano XTR PD-M970
- Wheelset: Shimano Dura-Ace C35 carbon tubular
- Front tire: Clement PDX, 33mm
- Rear tire: Clement PDX, 33mm
- Saddle: Selle Italia SLR XC
- Seatpost: Pro Vibe, 20mm offset
Critical measurements
- Rider height: 1.75m / 5'9"
- Rider weight: 61kg / 135lb
- Saddle height: 730mm
- Saddle setback: 55mm
- Tip of saddle nose to center of bar: 514mm
- Saddle to bar drop: 66mm
- Seat tube length, c-t: 520mm
- Seat tube length, c-c: 510mm
- Head tube length: 129mm
- Top tube length: 540mm (horizontal)
- Head angle: 72.5 degrees
- Seat tube angle: 74 degrees
- Wheelbase: 1007mm
- Chainstay length: 425mm
- Fork offset: 45mm
- BB drop: 65mm
