Ex-pro Chris Opie rides the new Lapierre Crosshill gravel bike around Cornwall - video

Promotional article in association with Lapierre

Chris Opie was a pro road cyclist with One Pro Cycling until the team folded, forcing him to retire at age 31. In this video he talks about the experience of his career finishing in 2018 with just four weeks’ notice and the pressures on a pro cyclist.

But the positive from the experience has been the opportunity to move on from road racing and try other disciplines like mountain biking and electric bikes, which he wasn’t allowed to practise as a pro. And the Lapierre Crosshill 5.0 gravel bike has become his favourite ride.

The Crosshill 5.0 is the ideal bike for getting further afield in his native Cornwall, riding fast on road but then heading off and exploring bridleways and new terrain which a road bike just can’t handle and an MTB doesn’t travel fast enough to reach.

Lapierre’s motto for the Crosshill is “don’t make a U-turn when the road stops”, so it’s designed the bike for versatility. It’s as fast on road as a road bike but has the off-road capability to take on rocky paths, sand and mud, as Opie shows. Lapierre says its bikes are about “riding your next”, taking on your next challenge and expanding your cycling horizons - and having fun.

 Specced for versatility 

The top spec Crosshill 5.0 comes with a Shimano GRX 600 groupset with a 46/30T supercompact chainset and 11-34T cassette, so there’s loads of low gear range to tackle tricky off-road and for load-lugging. The chainset runs in easy-to-maintain external threaded bearings. 

The Crosshill range rolls on Mavic XC621 wheels with 37mm WTB Riddler tan wall tyres, so there’s no shortage of grip, while the hydraulic disc brakes make for assured stopping on the trickiest terrain.

Lapierre includes a dropper post in the spec too. Most mountain bikes now come with droppers and they’re increasingly featuring on high spec gravel bikes as well, as they let you get your saddle out of the way, lower your centre of gravity and shift your weight backwards more easily on tricky descents. It’s impressive to see one as standard on a mid-priced bike like the Crosshill.

As you’d expect, the all-new Suprême 5 alloy frame comes with plenty of mounting points for bags, including on the carbon fork legs, and there are mudguard and rack mounts too, so you can kit the bike out for winter road riding.

At £1,899 the Crosshill 5.0 is the top spec, but the UK Crosshill range starts at £1,099 with the Crosshill 2.0. It also includes the £1,499 Crosshill 3.0 - with mudguards and a rack, it’s ideal for commuting duties.