XPLR FOR THE CLASSICS

XPLR Meets Road Racing

The Spring Classics aren’t just cobbled races; they’re our proving ground where performance, resilience and precision are tested against demanding terrain and maximum pressure. For years, riders’ gearing choices followed the traditional 2x road script: two chainrings and tight cassette jumps. Modern technologies like the Orbit damper in SRAM RED AXS rear derailleurs make 2x drivetrains a capable choice over the cobbles. But as frame makers have adopted UDH on their road bikes, a new option has emerged, and riders are taking advantage.

In 2025, Lidl-Trek’s Mads Pedersen won Gent-Wevelgem aboard his Trek Madone SLR 8, equipped with SRAM RED XPLR AXS: 56T aero chainring, 13-speed 10-46T cassette, and 172.5mm crankarms. An unfamiliar, cobble-crushing setup and the first time anyone had won a road Classic on a drivetrain built for gravel. Mads was onto something.

Mads chose RED XPLR AXS for its robust Full Mount Resilience, precise shifting, and superior impact resistance. Attaching to UDH-compatible frames, RED XPLR’s Full Mount interface removes the need for a derailleur hanger by centering on the rear axle, allowing the group to sit stronger and straighter while grinding through steep cobbled sectors like the Kemmelberg. Fewer mechanical risks on the most chaotic days of the season, it’s that simple.

This 2026 Classics season, more SRAM teams with access to UDH frames are racing XPLR. Riders from CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto, Unibet Rose Rockets, Uno-X Mobility Cycling and Visma | Lease a Bike have tested and picked the groupset, drawn by the same edge: total reliability when wind, rain, pavé or all the above try throwing a wrench in the works. Wout van Aert of Visma | Lease a Bike chose XPLR with a 54T chainring on his Cervélo S5 for the white roads of Strade Bianche.