BASSO SUMMIT, US PRO NATIONALS
US Nationals are Next
FRESH OFF THE PLANE FROM BASSANO
We just got back from Italy and the first-ever Basso Riders Club Summit. They called it Edition Zero, as it had never been done before, but it will definitely happen again. It was four days of spectacular riding, apertivos, “mezzo e mazzo”, long dinners, and good company with Basso riders and ambassadors from around the world.
The summit was really about the people who share a passion for riding and are a part of a brand with soul. A highlight was meeting the founder, Alcide Basso, at the factory. He was everything you’d think a passionate Italian who’s been making bikes his whole life would be. We also got to spend time with his sons Alessandro and Leonardo, who now run the company, and who he gives a hard time only the way an old-school Italian papa can. What a treat.
We toured the factory and spent time with the people who actually build the bikes. Every Basso is made in Italy, and imagine our surprise when one worker pointed at a frame and said, “this one is for SpeedStudio.” It was a bike destined for Atlanta-based member Simione, who also happens to be Italian…meta!
We rode the roads the brand grew up on, including the infamous Monte Grappa. The climb earns its reputation with 12 miles of progressively steeper roads (ouch) but what a treat at the top with a full restaurant serving up Negronis for the long descent (kidding!).
But the biggest surprise was the town itself. We think that Bassano del Grappa is the next great cycling destination. Think Girona, but better with quieter roads, way more options, and filled with people that want you there (wink-wink).
The people, the brand, the place. What a trip. That is what makes Basso different, and it’s why we’re proud to ride with them. We’re already planning the next visit. Stay tuned.
US PRO NATIONALS
A bit of backstory here to set up Road Nationals. Looking back to our original plan for the year, it was not a big goal for MG. In fact, it wasn’t even on the calendar, as we had planned for him to be in Europe for VIA Crit and the Basso Summit. So it was going to be a solo endeavor for Cole (crit and road race), but fate intervened, VIA was canceled, and the momentum from Tulsa was too good not to send both guys.
US Pro Nationals is an interesting event. On the one hand, winning can be the defining result of the year, but from an entertainment and attention standpoint, it lacks events like Tulsa. So we went into the week knowing we’d participate in three events, but really the criterium was our big goal. We didn’t get the jersey, but we still had a great week. The results may not show it, but the fight the guys put up in the road race against some of the World Tour pro’s made us proud. See below.
Time Trial
We know that MG can have a big result in the TT, he’s the former U23 champion. He’s been 4th and 5th the past two years. But we also know that achieving results in this discipline requires specialized work and continuous innovation in equipment. Neither of those requirements was on the docket for us this year, but hey, MG has never been able to resist a race. Any race. Even one where the preparation isn’t perfect, and the equipment isn’t ideal, if there’s a number to pin on, he’s pinning it on.
The feeling on the day was good. The result, just outside the top 10, was honest given the circumstances. No excuses, no regrets.
Criterium
The crit was a wild one, and not the day the guys were hoping for.
Racing patiently, +SpeedStudio calculated gambles based on what the race had done the year before. Defending champions Cadence hadn’t let a break go in 2025, and the expectation was a controlled race setting up a bunch sprint. That didn’t happen. A break went early, and it stayed away. Yep, we missed the move of the day. It happens in bike racing, and it’s incredibly frustrating.
We’ll be back.
Road Race
This was the day.
Our goal was to have Cole at the front all race. Every big move, every dangerous split, every moment where the race could have broken apart, Cole was there. Incredible form, incredible class, representing SpeedStudio at the very front of the biggest road race on the American calendar. MG was right there with him, likely the largest guy on the course, scrapping with everything he had deep into the final miles.
The guys were in the group fighting for the final top 10 where every other rider is a UCI Pro or WT rider. They dug deep and made us proud in the process.
SpeedStudio Podcast
Full Pro Nats report with Cole and MG coming soon.
MGR Corner
Nationals is a wild one.
There’s nothing quite like it in American cycling. The energy, the pressure, the weight of what’s on the line. A jersey, a title, a chance to race against the absolute best in the country. You feel it the moment you arrive. Tension is just higher everywhere. In reality, it’s just another bike race, but it still feels different.
I honestly wasn’t feeling as motivated by the time trial this year, finding big gains in my sprint power recently, and that paid off at Tulsa. Just outside the top 10 on a bike that’s a touch small, in a position where I can feel the power falling off at numbers I know I’m capable of. The feeling was good. The result was a fair reflection of where we are right now on that front. Clear picture of what needs to happen next.
A good TT in the future still excites me. I’d love to spend some real time in the next few years building an uber-fast setup and seeing what we can actually do when the preparation matches the ambition. That story isn’t written yet.
The crit stings and to be straight with ourselves it was a mistake to race patiently. An honest mistake. I hate racing patiently. I wish I’d been more animated, more aggressive, more willing to make that move happen rather than waiting for the race to come to me. C’est la vie. Lesson logged.
Finally, the road race. I’m genuinely proud of that day. Both of us. I came into it with a feeling I don’t always get — a quiet, settled knowing that it was going to be a strong day. Good sleep, good recovery, and a very relaxed week in Charleston leading in. Cole was phenomenal. Present at the front all day, in every move that mattered, doing a huge ride on the biggest stage. And personally, to be fighting at the front of the US Pro Road Race as one of the few non-UCI pro teams in the mix — that’s not lost on me. That means something.
It’s only July. The fall is loaded. July will be really calm which is much needed. It’s been a great first half of the year, and now we get to make the second better.
MG