Stetina adapts Canyon's lightweight road bike for use at Super Sweetwater and Fish Rock gravel races
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Peter Stetina's Canyon Ultimate CF SLX(Image credit: Peter Stetina)
Stetina is mostly using Shimano's Dura-Ace R9170 Di2 groupset components(Image credit: Peter Stetina)
He'll be using Shimano's Dura-Ace shifters(Image credit: Peter Stetina)
However, in adapting the road bike for gravel use, he'll be using Shimano's Ultegra RX clutched rear derailleur(Image credit: Peter Stetina)
Dura-Ace tubeless wheels are wrapped in 28c IRC Formula Pro RBCC tubeless tyres(Image credit: Peter Stetina)
Pro components are used for most of the finishing kit(Image credit: Peter Stetina)
Including the saddle bag, parked beneath a Pro Turnix carbon rail saddle (Image credit: Peter Stetina)
Despite making a Turnix Offroad, Stetina is using the road-going version with a centre cut-out(Image credit: Peter Stetina)
Aero handlebars also come courtesy of Pro - although he's opted against TT 'comfort' extensions for this setup(Image credit: Peter Stetina)
Wahoo's Elemnt Roam computer will guide the way(Image credit: Peter Stetina)
The Elemnt Roam follows the Elemnt Bolt's aerodynamic form(Image credit: Peter Stetina)
Stetina favours comfort, so opts for a slightly raised front end(Image credit: Peter Stetina)
In an ever-more-common move, Peter Stetina, who enjoyed 10 years at the top of elite racing at the WorldTour level, took the decision to step away from the pro peloton at the end of the 2019 season, leaving his trade team Trek-Segafredo in favour of going it alone in the growing scene of gravel racing.
A subsection of cycling that has exploded over the past few years, gravel racing is very much en-vogue in 2020, and Stetina is not the first to swap out his road wheels in favour of a slightly more knobbly set of gravel bike wheels.
That said, for upcoming gravel races Grasshopper Super Sweetwater and Fish Rock, Stetina is very much using a lightweight road bike that's more likely to be found tackling the cols of the Tour de France than the Sonoma County singletrack. Stetina hinted this may be his setup for Belgian Waffle Ride, although his choice of tubeless tyres may change.
In 2018, Stetina dabbled in an alternative calendar of racing both on- and off-road, taking on Dirty Kanza and Leadville alongside his WorldTour commitments.
"Gravel is kind of the new excitement in the US scene," Stetina told Cyclingnews in October. "I grew up on the mountain bike, and I've always ridden off-road for a bit of training and in the off-season, so it's been quite an easy choice for me to hop into those and just experience the community of cycling."
Cyclingnews recently recorded a podcast with Stetina, where he discussed his decision to step into the world of gravel racing, along with how his outlook was changed by a career-threatening crash at Pais Vasco in 2015.
For his upcoming races, Stetina's setup is based upon a Canyon Ultimate CF SLX, fitted with a Shimano Dura-Ace groupset, although he's swapped the rear derailleur for the Ultegra RX clutched option, which is designed to reduce the chance of chain slap over rougher terrain.
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Shimano features heavily across Stetina's setup, with Dura-Ace C40 tubeless wheels and S-Phyre RC9 cycling shoes being on the kit list. Finishing kit comes via Shimano's components subsidiary, Pro, including Pro Vibe handlebars, stem and seatpost, Turnix saddle, Race Control bar tape and Discover saddle bags.
Nutrition comes courtesy of Clif Bar, and navigation is provided by Wahoo's Elemnt Roam GPS cycling computer.
Click through the gallery above for a closer look at Peter Stetina's gravel-adapted Canyon Ultimate CF SLX
Peter Stetina's Canyon Ultimate CF SLX full bike specifications
Frameset: Canyon Ultimate CF SLX, Size M
Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9170 Hydraulic Disc caliper
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
