RIDING THE COLL DELS REIS: A KOM ATTEMPT ON THE WORLD'S LIGHTEST TITANIUM BIKE
A couple of years ago, the Litespeed team visited the Spanish island of Mallorca, one of the world's most iconic cycling destinations. We went to Sa Calobra, a picturesque village in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, which is home to the Coll dels Reis, a legendary climb that pro and amateur cyclists have used for decades as a benchmark to test themselves against the world's best.
Photo by Stock Birken on Unsplash
Experiencing this climb was life-changing. Its ethereal beauty and unrelenting brutality are what inspired us to build our dream climbing bike, the Litespeed Coll dels Reis. When we got home, we got to work and created the world's lightest titanium road bike.
Miguel Mattox Climbs the Coll dels Reis on a Coll dels Reis
Thanks to Miguel Mattox, the Litespeed Coll dels Reis has finally returned to conquer its namesake. Miguel competes in triathlon for the Quintana Roo Pro Team, and he documents his training and racing on his channel: Freestyle Tri.
As a pro triathlete and a former competitive swimmer, he might not be the first person you'd expect to ride a titanium road bike. But Miguel has grown more and more obsessed with cycling ever since he discovered the sport, and like a good bike geek, he's fallen in love with the exceptional ride quality and attention to detail of the Coll dels Reis.
Miguel approaching the summit.
Miguel is a pretty good climber, with plenty of KOMs, but he acknowledged that the Coll dels Reis segment is in a different league. Take a look at the leaderboard, and you'll see the names of top pros and legends like Tom Pidcock and Simon Yates.
The purpose of Miguel's trip up the Coll dels Reis, then, wasn't to challenge World Tour pros, but to challenge himself. His goal was to break the 30-minute barrier. Doing so required him to go all-out. Fortunately, he brought the perfect bike for the job!
