Rob Jebb’s Three Peaks Cyclocross-Winning Scott Addict CX
Hope Factory Racing‘s Rob Jebb rode to his 13th victory at the classic Yorkshire Three Peaks Cyclocross race on Sunday, leading a full Hope podium ahead of Ratio’s own Will Weatherill and Dave Mirfield. The Peaks is renowned for its category-defying route; three times longer than a traditional ‘cross race, rougher than any gravel race and with long sections of grassy, pathless riding, the Peaks is a 60 km loop taking in the summits of Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen Y Ghent.
Here we take a look at Rob’s winning Scott Addict CX build, from the obvious equipment choices to the more unexpected.
Discs were virtually ubiquitous at the 2022 edition of the race, but less common were the factory-only hydraulic cross tops run by Jebby and other Hope Factory riders. While many cyclocross racers find the power of modern brakes negates the need for levers on the tops, Rob uses these levers almost exclusively on the rough descents of the Peaks.
Less common in the Peaks field, but present in the women’s podium and on all three of the men’s bikes, was the wide-range 1×12 drivetrain employing our updated 1×12 Wide Ratchet and Cage kit. Rob used the kit to run a SRAM Eagle 10-50t cassette with a direct mount 40t chainring on his Hope RX crankset, giving a 4:1 gear at the big end and a 1:1.2 for the steepest inclines. Thanks to the lack of batteries and motors, this is the lightest way to achieve 500% drivetrain range – an important concern when large sections of the route mean carrying the bike. The conventional SRAM Force 1 derailleur has the capacity for this big cassette thanks to our new Ratio cage, manufactured by us in the Lakes.
Since Rob and Paul Oldham’s domination of the race in recent years on Schwalbe G One tyres, this rubber choice has become common throughout the field. Rob has bucked the trend this year, switching to another fast rolling gravel tyre in the Vittoria Terreno Dry 35; it will be interesting to see how many more of these tyres appear in 2023. Out of sight are the Vittoria Air-Liner inserts front and rear – even with the support of the Hope team, a puncture can be race-ending.
Stopping is handled by SRAM Force levers with Hope RX4 4-pot calipers and 160 mm rotors front and back, rolling on Hope’s 20Five wheelset. At the contact points, Rob runs relatively conventional 44 cm bars (flared bars are banned under race regulations) and a Fizik Antares saddle, tilted slightly upwards.
The Addict CX, despite its age, is slack and long by the standards of dedicated cross frames with a 71 degree head angle in Rob’s large size. This, combined with a particularly stiff fork and front end, goes some way to explaining the bike’s popularity at the Three Peaks.
