Nathan Haas will be supported by Colnago in 2022 as he makes the switch from the WorldTour to competing full-time on the gravel circuit.
The Australian has also sketched out his race programme, which will encompass the main races of the UCI Gravel World Series and also include events such as Unbound Gravel and the Rift Gravel Race in Iceland.
The move to racing on gravel marks something of a homecoming for Haas, who began his cycling career as a mountain biker before going to enjoy a decade in the WorldTour with Garmin, Dimension Data, Katusha and Cofidis.
“Cycling to me has always been about evolving – as an athlete, and as an expression of myself,” Haas said. “I’ve dipped my toes in almost all forms of riding and while my road cycling career has been my greatest accomplishment to date, I’ve never pigeonholed myself as a road cyclist.”
Haas’ final outings as a Cofidis rider came in Italy last October, when he placed third in the inaugural edition of the Serenissima Gravel race. His full-time foray into gravel racing will also have an Italian feel, as he will race aboard Colnago G3-X bikes in 2022.
“I couldn’t have dreamt of a better founding partner for this new adventure in my career than Colnago,” Haas said. “I know there will be no compromise on performance, and I will go into every race with the best equipment I could imagine.”
Haas enjoyed success all over the world during his road career, including overall victories at the Tour of Britain and Herald Sun Tour, two wins in the Japan Cup, stage wins in the Tour of Oman and Vuelta a Burgos, and strong displays in Amstel Gold Race, including 4th in 2017.
A similar spirit will inform gravel race programme that will take him to three continents in 2022. Haas' schedule will include Santa Vall (March 6) and The Traka (April 30-May 1) in Spain, and Unbound Gravel (June 4), the BWR North Carolina (June 11) and SBT GRVL (August 14) in the United States.
He is also set to compete in Kenya at the Migration Gravel Race (June 23-26), in Iceland at The Rift (July 23), in Britain at the King’s Cup Gravel Race (September 24) and in Italy at some of the Nova Eroica events.
Haas will be supplied with five Colnago G3-X bikes with five different colour schemes for his 2022 schedule, which will see him compete in Europe, the United States and Kenya. The bikes will be equipped with Campagnolo’s 13-speed Ekar gravel groupset and Shamal wheels, and with Deda Elementi handlebars and stem. The aesthetic of Haas’ Colnago bike and Castelli clothing will be curated by designer Richard Pierce.
“The most successful Italian brand in the history of off-road drop bar bikes has found the ideal partner in Nathan Haas,” said Colnago’s head of marketing Manolo Bertocchi.
“Good taste, creativity, style and strength come together in a project that will see the birth of five unique, exclusive and, frankly, beautiful bicycles. Nathan is the right man to represent Colnago on gravel roads all over the world. But it's not just style: it's racing to win with style.”
