Sometimes during a ride or race, we have to think outside the box to overcome a mechanical problem and make it to the finish or home. That's exactly what Ashton Lambie looks to have done at the final round of the Gravel Earth series in Cardona, Spain.
Lambie, the rider who took the Individual Pursuit world record below four minutes for the first time back in 2021 also competes off-road and was racing in the Earth Final round of the Gravel Earth series in Spain last weekend.
Annabel Fisher (Café du Cycliste) and Lukas Baum (Orbea X Leatt Speed Company) won the women's and men's races respectively, but Lambie found success in an altogether different way.
According to an Instagram post from the rider, his carbon Lauf Seigla frame which he was running with a Lauf suspension fork sustained some damage in the opening few miles of the event resulting in a snapped drive side seat stay.
"I came unclipped and somehow put my foot through the seatstay while trying to [keep it] upright. While the bike is a shredder, I'm definitely not!" the post's caption explained.
Lambie though, with a little creative thinking, fashioned a running repair using a stick and bailing twine to support the chainstay allowing him to keep racing to the nearest support station where a more comprehensive repair could be carried out with some tape and zip ties, allowing him to complete the 110-mile event and finish in 68th place.
The Gravel Earth Series website states:
"Ethics, camaraderie and respect for the environment are the most important values we demand from participants. It is allowed to stop for lunch, dinner, breakfast, to fix the bike or to sleep as long as the participants recover the route where they left it the last time."
Given the event ethos, it certainly looks like Lambie embraced the spirit of the event by taking the time to fix his machine and carry on to the finish.
Lambie summed this up, rounding off the post by saying: "110 miles, absolutely incredible scenery, 9000 feet of climbing, awesome moments with @theburdmanis and all sorts of great folks we met on the course. It wasn't the race I expected, but it always feels good to finish a race with some challenges 😎."
Cyclingnews has reached out to Ashton Lambie for comment and will update the story if we hear more on his mechanical and repair.
