Cyclingnews TV News Tech Features Road MTB BMX Cyclo-cross Track Photos Fitness Letters Search Forum Home Stage details Results Live reports Photos Start list Live coverage Features & tech Map Past winners 2007 Results Recently on Cyclingnews.com Dauphin� Lib�r� Photo ©: Sirotti Ex-pro bike, May 21, 2008 Andy Hampsten's Hampsten Cycles Strada Bianca Ti Travelissimo Photo ©: James Huang Life is good for a former Giro d’Italia champion By James Huang Andy Hampsten won the 1988 Giro d'Italia Photo ©: Marty Caivano S&S couplings in the down tube and top tube Photo ©: James Huang The wild boar, or cinghiale, is the mascot Photo ©: James Huang Weld quality is second to none, Photo ©: James Huang The bottom bracket area Photo ©: James Huang There isn't any monkey business going on here; Photo ©: James Huang The seat stays take a straight path Photo ©: James Huang The chain stays are bent ever so slightly Photo ©: James Huang Massive dropouts Photo ©: James Huang Former pro cyclist Andy Hampsten earned fame and fortune for his epic ride over the Passo di Gavia and overall win in the 1988 Giro d’Italia (still the first and only American to do so). Yet in spite of its now legendary status, that performance is far from Hampten’s sole notable achievement having also conquered consecutive running’s of the Tour de Suisse in ’86 and ’87, finished fourth in the Tour de France twice, and also won a TdF stage atop Alpe d’Huez before finally retiring from the sport in 1996. Hampsten now occupies himself with a number of diverse activities although cycling and Italy remain a common threads throughout. Much of his time is spent organizing and running bicycle tours through Tuscany and the Dolomites with his touring company, Cinghiale Cycling Tours, and he also provides assistance to his brother, Steve, in designing bikes under the Hampsten Cycles label. More recently, he has also been dabbling with the cycling clothing business and started up "a little olive oil company" with his girlfriend. Hampsten’s racing career may be over a decade behind him but you’d hardly guess by looking at him. Now in his mid-40s, he is still barely 4kg (9lb) over his old 60kg (132lb) racing weight thanks to plenty of saddle time (both recreational and commuting) exploring the mountains around his Boulder, Colorado home base. These days, Hampsten’s primary road rig is a Moots-built Hampsten Cycles Strada Bianca Ti that, ironically, is nearly perfectly suited for the type of steep mountainous dirt roads that he had to cross on that fateful day in ’88. "If I had one bike, this would be it," he said. "I ride this 90 percent of the time." The cleanly welded titanium frame and carbon Wound Up fork are designed around the larger 28-33mm tires that he prefers for their ability to handle smooth pavement or cobbles with near-equal aplomb as well as their awesome cornering traits. Built-in S&S couplers on this ‘Travelissimo’ variant add obvious weight but they also allow for easy transport when it comes time to fly. As a naturally gifted climber, Hampsten made do with the somewhat limited gear ratios available to him back in the day but now admits an affinity for today’s new compact offerings. "[Back then] I used 39/53 [up front]," he said. "For a mountain stage I would do 23, 21, 19, 17 etc. or 25, 23, 21, 19, 17. If there was something nuts in Italy like the Tre Cime Lavaredo or the Mortirolo then I would go to a 28. I never used even-numbered climbing cogs other than the 28. Never. Not that I am superstitious; I just hate how every time I looked at even numbers for climbing cogs my palms would get sweaty. Odd only. I can only really get excited about my bikes now if they have compact cranks; not having super climbing gears on my bikes limits my rides to boring terrain. Compact gearing for racers is for silly steep climbs, although the 50-11 would have worked for a top gear for me." Hampsten’s current titanium creation admittedly bears little physical resemblance to the old John Slawta-built (of Land Shark fame) steel frame depicted in that infamous Gavia poster, but he insists there are still strong similarities between then and now. "Basically [it’s] the same thing: neutral handling where if I lean a little bit, it goes the way I want to," he said. "I don’t like criterium bikes or quick handling bikes that steer quicker. Sometimes racers want that; it’s some old myth that criteriums are faster if your bike oversteers or whatever they do. In coming with that, we get low bottom brackets: European racer-bike bottom brackets. With that neutral handling, it’s not rocket science. It’s pretty much bikes like they’ve been made for 80 years or so." While the general personality of his bike apparently haven’t changed much, the position certainly has. According to Hampsten, "In '88 I had a crazy high seat position, nearly 2cm higher than now. It worked then and feels all wrong now. I used to be longer on the bike, too. I shortened my top tube length by 2cm when I stopped racing, and raised my bars up at least 2cm." Higher and shorter position notwithstanding, Hampsten is still as graceful on the bike as ever and impressively fit as evidenced by our leisurely (by his standards, that is) jaunt up to the old mining town of Gold Hill, roughly 900m (3,000ft) above Boulder at an elevation of 2530m (8,300ft). Life is easier for Hampsten these days but he certainly looks back at his racing career fondly. "Bike racing was the most fun I’ve ever had," he said. "I have a hard time reading interviews for racers that grumble too much about how it is, that no one understands... it’s a blast. I had a blast. But I’m having a super, super good time now. I’m pretty happy not being any busier than I am; I’m as busy as I want to be. Life is awesome." As it should be, Andy, as it should be. Photography For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here Images by Marty Caivano Andy Hampsten won the 1988 Giro d'Italia in grand fashion and still remains the only American to do so. Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com Hampsten's eponymous Strada Bianca Ti Travelissimo doesn't bear much resemblance to the bike he used to win the '88 Giro d'Italia� �but he says the handling characteristics are pretty much the same as what he looked for back in the day. S&S couplings in the down tube and top tube make for relatively easy portability when airline travel is involved. The wild boar, or cinghiale, is the mascot for Hampsten's Italian bicycle touring company. Weld quality is second to none, as it should be considering Hampsten's titanium frames are actually welded by either Kent Eriksen Cycles or Moots. The bottom bracket area looks small in comparison to a lot of carbon racers but it doesn't hamper Hampsten's ability to fly uphill. There isn't any monkey business going on here; just clean design and even cleaner welds. The seat stays take a straight path from the seat tube to the burly dropouts. The chain stays are bent ever so slightly for a little extra heel clearance. Massive dropouts keep the back end in check. According to Hampsten, this image is taken from the actual podium shot at the Giro d'Italia in 1988. Cable connectors allow the front and rear halves of the bike to fully separate for packing. The Wound Up long reach fork allows for fat tires to accommodate Hampsten's soft spot for rarely traveled dirt roads. Few road riders would think of using tires this big but they're not much heavier than skinny 23c rubber, are far more comfortable, roll incredibly fast and corner even faster. An Ambrosio Excellight SSC rim is used up front� �and is mated to a Chris King Classic front hub. A Chris King hub is used out back as well. Alloy nipples save a few grams. Shimano Dura-Ace is Hampsten's choice for a light and dependable component group. The matching Dura-Ace rear derailleur is fitted to a replaceable hanger. The Dura-Ace name is found on the front derailleur as well but the chain is a SRAM PC-1090R with hollow pins. A well-used Shimano Ultegra cassette provides the same shift performance as Dura-Ace at a fraction of the cost. A compact ratio Shimano R700 crankset affords some extra options when Hampsten is accompanying clients on tours. There are plenty of low gears available here although we can say from firsthand experience that Hampsten doesn't really need them himself! The long reach Shimano brake calipers are needed to clear the giant tires. Old-school Dura-Ace SPD pedals allow the use of recessed cleats for easier walking while on tours. An oversized Ritchey WCS bar commands the front end. Hampsten prefers an anatomic drop. The matching Ritchey WCS stem shows some signs of wear but is still among the lightest options available. Hampsten's fi'zi:k Aliante saddle displays the wear marks from countless hours of riding. Hampsten prefers to play it safe with a full-length frame pump when out on the road. These days there's no follow car anymore! Extended jaunts up in the mountains can find Hampsten heading back home at dusk and a bit of insurance doesn't hurt. The classic King stainless cage finishes off the package. Full specification Frame: Hampsten Cycles Strada Bianca Ti Travelissimo Fork: Wound Up long reach Critical measurements Rider's height: 1.75m (5' 9"); Weight: 63.5kg (140lb) Seat tube length, c-c: 528mm Seat tube length, c-t: 555mm Top tube length: 560mm (horizontal) Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 722mm Saddle nose tip to C of bars: 542mm C of front hub to top of bars: 590mm Front brake: Shimano BR-R600 long reach Rear brake: Shimano BR-R600 long reach Levers: Shimano Dura-Ace STI Dual Control ST-7801 Front derailleurs: Shimano Dura-Ace FD-7800-B Rear derailleurs: Shimano Dura-Ace RD-7800-SS Cassette: Shimano Ultegra CS-6500, 12-27T Chain: SRAM PC-1090 Crankset: Shimano R700, 170mm, 50/34T Bottom bracket: Shimano Hollowtech II Rims: Ambrosio Excellight SSC clincher, 28h (front); Mavic Open Pro clincher, 32h (rear) Front Hub: Chris King Classic, 28h Rear Hub: Chris King Classic, 32h Spokes: Wheelsmith 14/15g double butted with alloy nipples, 2x rear, 3x front Tyres: Rivendell Jack Brown 700x33.3c Bars: Ritchey WCS Logic 31.8mm Stem: Ritchey WCS 31.8mm Headset: Chris King NoThreadset 1 1/8" Tape/grip: fi'zi:k bar:tape with bar:gel Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace SPD PD-7410 Seat post: Moots Lay Back Saddle: fi'zi:k Aliante Bottle cages: King stainless Computer: n/a Other: Blackburn frame pump, Blackburn saddle bag, Douglas flashing light plug Total bike weight: 9.05kg (20.0lb), without accessories Home Archive Travel Index About Us © Immediate Media Company Ltd. 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