Mosaic pro Brennan Wertz recently stormed to a huge win at the USAC Gravel National Championships in Gering, Nebraska. We caught up with him and talked bikes before he heads off to his next big race: Gravel Worlds in Flanders.
Mosaic: Congrats on a big win at Nationals! Obviously, your setup worked out well. How specific/different was your setup in Nebraska? What changes did you make to your bike/gear for that race compared to some of your other races?
Brennan Wertz: I would say my Mosaic GT-1 iAR is my favorite race setup, and pretty much my all-time favorite bike. This would be my one bike for the rest of my life, if I had to choose such a thing. I don’t get to race it so much, but it shines in a very special set of circumstances: traditional fast gravel courses, dry conditions or at least no peanut butter mud. Normally my go-to setup would be the GT-1 i45, with a larger knobby tire and a 1x drivetrain, but this iAR setup is one I really love racing…I rode it last year at the old SBT GRVL course, last year’s Gravel Worlds Nebraska, U.S. National Championships, and a Grasshopper Race called the Huffmaster Hopper. It’s just super versatile, with quicker handling, a tighter wheelbase, 2x groupset and gearing, it just rides like a big tire road bike.
Mosaic: You ran some big 44c slicks for Nationals. Was that a risky move that paid off, or totally the right tire for the day all over the course? Do you race on similar big slicks a lot?
Brennan Wertz: It was definitely a risky move. A handful of guys are racing gravel on mountain bike tires…that’s been kind of a theme this year, with things heading more in that direction. I did Gravel Nats last year and finished 3rd, and this year it was the exact same course, so I thought ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. With that mentality, I kept my Mosaic iAR for this year more or less the same. I did go from 700x38c tires up to a 700x44c, but that’s about it. Compared to what the rest of the field was doing, it was a risky move, but my bike was fully optimized for the last 2km of the course. The last 2km was pavement and there was a hard left corner at 150 meters to go, and having a faster bike there was, clearly, an advantage. I’d say the big slick tires were 80-90% optimal throughout the course…there were some sand pits and double track where I was on the back foot for sure, compared to the rest of the front group, but I didn’t crash or get dropped, and the bike was 110% for that last two kilometers.
Mosaic: Since #CrossisComing, we’ll ask the obvious question…what tire pressure did you run?
Brennan Wertz: I ran 35-36psi. And that was perfect.
Mosaic: Since you’re a big, full-sized fellow. Does the team at Mosaic do anything special for your race bike that’s different from what the average rider might get? Bigger tube diameters, etc?
Brennan Wertz: We’ve definitely evolved my Mosaic GT-1’s (Brennan races both the GT-1 i45 and GT-1 iAR) over the past three years. Aaron and the team have made several iterations, starting with the gnarliest, stiffest setup imaginable. We used an oversized downtube as the top tube, and Aaron sourced a special, mega-oversized downtube. It was definitely stiff, maybe even a touch too stiff for some of the rougher and rowdier races. Since then we’ve made tweaks and revisions to add just the right amount of compliance, and now we’re at this really cool place with bikes that are totally dialed for me, my skills, my strengths, and my style of racing. I have the dream quiver.
Mosaic: Seems like a lot of riders are on 1x drivetrains, and you’re out there on a 2x setup with a 54t big ring. That’s got to be one of the biggest gears out there. Does that factor into your race tactics?
Brennan Wertz: I knew it would be a high speed race, and it was. We averaged 36km/h for the whole thing. There’s a section of the course, this false flat 4% descent with a tail wind, and last year I was on the edge of being spun out there. This year we rebuilt the bike with a Shimano drivetrain and a 54-11t high gear. I definitely run a more stout gear than probably anyone else in the front group, and on high speed descents I can almost roll away from guys due to my size, and the big gear.
Mosaic: What’s your take on aero for gravel? I see you’re on some deep Enve SES 4.5’s Do you have your hoods turned inwards like all the roadies do these days?
Brennan Wertz: No, not really. I have the Enve Aero road bar which is flared, and my shifters are aligned with the shape of the bar. I had aero socks, a skinsuit, and a vented helmet since it was hot. I read different things about aero wheels and gravel tires…I do personally notice a benefit in a cross/tailwind situation, but as a big dude, the main reason I like these wheels is for the stiffness of a deep rim and shorter spokes.
Mosaic: UCI Gravel Worlds is coming up in a few weeks and you’re heading off to Europe. What’s your plan leading up to the race?
Brennan Wertz: I’m going to Spain for Sea Otter Europe in Girona, Spain. My coach is in Girona, and there’s a UCI Gravel World Series race that’s part of Sea Otter. After that I’ll go to watch some of my friends race at Road Worlds in Zurich, and then I’ll head to Belgium and recon the Worlds Course.
Mosaic: Tell us about traveling with your fully integrated “iAR” and “i45” Mosaics. What’s the pro-tip for easy bike packing for travel with internal cables?
Brennan Wertz: I have an EVOC case designed for bikes with integrated bars. I love it. I can fit the bike in there pretty easily, only needing to remove the pedals, wheels, and rotors. I can actually fit two wheelsets in it too. It’s awesome.
Mosaic: The Gravel Worlds course in Flanders looks to be a ton of punchy climbs. What are you planning to do in terms of bike setup for that race?
Brennan Wertz: On paper and in theory, it’s the perfect course for this GT-1 iAR again, but I’ve decided it’ll be simple to take the GT-1 i45 gravel bike. I’ll have more tire choices, and since I don’t really know what the race will be like in Girona, I wanted options. I’ll be on a 1x drivetrain with a 52-10t gear. The race will be a fight for positioning, super aggressive, lots of contact and full gas from the start. I’m fired up to get in the fight. A race like this will be tactical and fast since there are a bunch of World Tour riders in the mix. In the U.S., I find that I can often ‘win’ the positioning battle, I can move my weight around a little, people respect that and give me room. These UCI races in Europe are on a different level with the chopping and aggressive racing, and unlike the domestic racing scene, you don’t know everyone.
Thanks Brennan, and good luck in Europe!
