ESStanding Tall
CANYON//SRAM Racing marks a decade of grit, style, and, above all, success in 2025.
Cycling legends are made in the mountains, especially Alpe d’Huez. In a battle for the ages in the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, Kasia Niewiadoma of CANYON//SRAM Racing persevered against a determined attack from defending champ Demi Vollering. The final margin of victory was 4 seconds.
A flash of time.
Kasia’s instance of cycling brilliance is rooted in years of work and preparation for her as an athlete, her team, and the rise of women’s cycling. The victory also marked a milestone achievement for Zipp, with Kaisa riding the lightweight 353 NSW wheelset for the crucial Alpe d’Huez stage.
As part of SRAM, Zipp was an original technical partner with the team since its inception in 2016. Zipp’s almost decade-long partnership of CANYON//SRAM Racing is paved with flash and innovation. CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto—as the team will be called in 2025—is Zipp’s longest-standing partnership with a UCI WorldTour-level team, men or women’s. The team is an invaluable partner in developing, proving, and promoting wheels and technology.
CANYON//SRAM launched in London in late 2015. Australia pro Tiffany Cromwell (top photo at 2015 launch) was on hand to unveil the team and has been a key roster member since. In 2024, Tiffany evolved into a pioneering gravel racer and promoter racing prototype wheels, including the then-secretive Zipp 303 XPLR SW at FNLD GRVL in June.
"Zipp has been a pleasure to work with for a large part of my career," Tiffany said. "An innovative company, always trying to think outside the box of ways to make us faster on the bike. From the NSW rims inspired by the underwater world to hookless/tubeless rims and now creating a high performance gravel wheel. I love that they’re always pushing the boundaries and providing us the opportunity to have so much choice when it comes to racing and to have the best wheel to choose from for all terrains.
In 2018, CANYON//SRAM Racing won the UCI Elite Women’s World Team Time Trial Championship (then contested by trade teams), riding special edition Zipp Super-9 Discs. The discs were in the original colors (white, yellow, blue, and magenta) of Zipp’s first discs to celebrate Zipp’s 30th anniversary. Alena Amialiusik (BLR), Alice and Hannah Barnes (UK), Elena Cecchini (IT), Lisa Klein (GER), and Trixi Worrack (GER) crossed the line together with an average speed of just under 53km/hour. The team continues to excel in races against the clock with stars including Chloe Dygert.
In 2019, CANYON//SRAM, working with Zipp, CANYON//SRAM became an early adopter of tubeless vs. tubular or clincher tires. The transition began with team camp and quickly expanded to races because of the benefits of running lower tire pressures and lower rolling resistance from a tubeless setup.
This year, rising star Zoe Bäckstedt secured her first elite podium this season in just the second round of the 2024-2025 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup series. She did so riding Zipp’s hookless/tubeless technology, a departure from the tradition-bound use of tubulars in CX.
After Kasia won the Tour de France Femmes this summer, we asked her to comment on her wheels. She said, “I chose the Zipp 353 NSW wheels for the final stage on Alpe d’Huez because of their incredible lightweight and aero performance,” Kasia said. “They gave me the perfect balance of speed and control on every descent and climb!”
We’re honored to partner with such an incredible team of great athletes and staff, and we look forward to a 10th season with CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto in 2025.
Photos by Getty Sport, Rapha, and Thomas Maheaux