Bike Check: Alexis Cheneviers Trans-Vesubienne Yeti SB100
Alexis Chenevier might just be the most impressive all-round mountain biker you have never heard of. A former XC racer turned technical endurance specialist, he is dominant on the niche French scene made up of a string of particularly tough races like the Trans Vesubienne and the Epic Enduro that push both your fitness and your bike handling to the limits - he won the Trans Vesubienne six consecutive times, only to be dethroned by Emeric Turcat in 2019 and 2020, having to settle for second both years.
In a recent interview, he admitted that he would love to try the BC Bike Race, but doesn't have the support to race internationally. That's the other thing that makes him so impressive - there is no money chasing these races, no media coverage, no parade down the Champs Elysee. He does it simply because he loves it. Over the last few years, he has smashed more than a few full-time athletes, all the while holding down a job as a wheel engineer at Mavic, or at least he was until recently as he has fallen casualty to the turbulent times at the legendary French brand a month ago and is currently looking for a new job. We caught up with him just before he took on the Trans Vesubienne to see how he sets up his race bike for this kind of challenge as it certainly isn't your standard XC race bike.
Details
Height 5'8" / 173cm
Weight 143 lb / 65kg
Hometown Annecy, France
Model Yeti SB100
Frame Size Medium
Wheel Size 29
Suspension Fox 34 Stepcast and Float DPS
Drivetrain & Brakes SRAM XX1 & Shimano XT
Cockpit Raceface
Tyre pressures 1.6 + 1.8bar / 23 + 26psi
Height 5'8" / 173cm
Weight 143 lb / 65kg
Hometown Annecy, France
Model Yeti SB100
Frame Size Medium
Wheel Size 29
Suspension Fox 34 Stepcast and Float DPS
Drivetrain & Brakes SRAM XX1 & Shimano XT
Cockpit Raceface
Tyre pressures 1.6 + 1.8bar / 23 + 26psi
At 1.73m tall, Alexis opted for the medium frame.
Shock
Travel 100mm
Sag 35%
Tokens 0
Lockout Remote
Travel 100mm
Sag 35%
Tokens 0
Lockout Remote
Fork
Travel 120mm
Sag 30%
Tokens 2 tokens
Travel 120mm
Sag 30%
Tokens 2 tokens
As standard the Yeti SB100 does not come with cable guides for a lockout. In a race where seconds are precious and there are some road climbs mixed in, he likes to run one, so working with the team at Fox France (Tribe Sport Group, who also supply his frame, Raceface components and Brake Authority pads and discs) they came up with this solution.
Mavic were not just his employer, but also his sponsor - he is running a pre-production set of carbon Crossmax SLR wheels with a 25mm internal width rim.
With no sponsor for his drivetrain and brakes he runs workhorse Shimano XTs, but with Brake Authority pads and discs (180mm front, 160mm rear).
The one part of his drivetrain he is supported for is the crank - a Raceface Next SL to keep the weight down. For this race, he ran a 30t chainring paired to a standard 10-50t Eagle XX1 cassette at the back. The non-driveside of the crank and both bar ends are stuffed with tyre plugs as lightweight tyres on these trails have a nasty habit of picking up punctures, which have decided the race on more than one occasion.
He runs a Raceface cockpit, with a low-rise Next SL bar, trimmed down to 750mm and a 60mm stem - not your standard XC racing setup, even if the stem is flipped to keep the stack height down. While he doesn't measure each element of the cockpit he is very particular about their position and it usually takes him a few rides with a new bike to get them in just the right position. The saddle is a minimal Selle Italia X-LR, perched atop a 150mm drop Fox Transfer post. In a somewhat unusual move, he runs the shock remote on the right-hand side of his bars.
Up front he runs a Hutchinson Taipan in 2.25.
Out back is a pre-production Python in 2.25, but with a double ply casing for added security - he notes that it weighs more than a kilo, something that would be unheard of on a pure XC bike. Inside there is nothing special, no race sealant or inserts.
It was not to be for Alexis, 2018 French marathon champion, Emeric Turcat, was stronger than him on the longest climb of the day and he will have to do another year with the number two plate.
Author Info:
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Check out the Singletrack6 stage race held in the Kootenay region of BC (~500kms east of the coast). I live there, have ridden most of the trails it uses, and have done BCBR once. I can confirm the ST6 courses would put a smile, and grimace, on your face.
That said, I'd love to see more single-day XC endurance races,100km to 100 miles.
I've ridden in San Raphael once. It was a blast but I'd never think that experience is all France had to offer. I'm quite sure this event has it's own very special character. Check out the Pisgah Stage race if you're interested. It's good that we both seem to take pride in the regions we ride in. Luckily the US (east coast) has gotten a few things right, and public access to proper mountain biking is in no shortage in the region I reside. Cheers!
Definitely need to get to Pisgah too!
To clarify, what I'd like to see is a proliferation of more very technical XC races and also non-single-discipline-conforming races (Downieville, Golden Giddy-up, etc.). The Holy Grail being something where technical skill and fitness are equally advantageous, but you can't simply have just one and be competitive. Didn't want to go there -- but essentially Downcountry Racing™.
I've done Moab Rocks three times, which is pretty close to ideal. Day one is Porcupine Rim (from town) and the long, slow burn of climbing up Sand Flats Rd is quickly erased by the insane joy of blasting down slabby chunk and passing people left, right, and center.
Other races I've done and recommend:
- True Grit Epic (St. George, UT)
- Grand Junction Off-road (Grand Junction, CO -- I'd recommend the "30," as the "40" adds in a long road climb that really tips favor to fitness)
- Trans BC (Canada -- enduro, but multi-day format rewards consistency and fitness)
- Trans NZ (New Zealand -- same as above, enduro, less gnar than the BC version)
- Abajo Enduro (Monticello, UT -- also enduro, but features loooooong, pedally backcountry stages)
RIP Kootenay Sufferfest 100km with 3000m of climbing, Nimby 50, etc...
Now! that this has made him famous?
BTW this race format was really interesting, it is called the "all mountain challenge". In 2 days you have both a pure enduro and a xc race (a pursuit based on your enduro time) you have to do with the same bike. Lots of different kind of bikes and athlete profiles.
Are those the widest rims Mavic has ever made? When did hell freeze over?!!
Isn't that the lock-out remote on the right, not a dropper remote?
I would say only the brakes, drivetrain is not Shimano and not even a workhorse.
equivalent would be minion ss dd and dissector?
...almost: his Python is a double casing variant with 1kg.
To me the transV is tough terrain where I use Toro, I need grip, I do not care about rolling resistance... For him, double casing is enough.