Video: Evan McNeely tests the Specialized Crux Pro Carbon

Evan McNeely sent me a text as he boarded the ferry at the Toronto Island airport. We had been trying to set up a test ride of his new bike for the 2013 cyclocross season, but the young racer’s jam-packed schedule left very little time to work with.

We found some time when McNeely was returning from a mountain-bike race in Wisconsin. Even his race was tacked on to a short family vacation with his mother and younger sister in Chicago. I met up with the 22-year-old and his family in the bustling airport parking lot.

McNeely is soft spoken and economical with words. But, he wasn’t here to talk. He had something else on his mind: the machine he would be riding as he pursued another national under-23 cyclocross championship.

That bike is the new Specialized Crux Pro Carbon. Justin Soares, the head mechanic at Broadway Cycles in Toronto, had set up the bike carefully for McNeely. Soares was excited to have the cyclecrosser ride it. To make sure everything was dialled in, Soares made sure the shop’s Specialized Body Geometry fit specialist was on hand to make any adjustments McNeely needed before heading out.

McNeely’s presence in the store caught the attention of many of the customers who quietly asked what was going on. After all the adjustments were done, McNeely headed out to a local park in the middle of the city. Within the urban setting, he used every little hill and tree root to test the handling, acceleration and speed of the Crux Pro Carbon . Old men enjoying a warm summer day on park benches glanced up as McNeely dashed through the park, honing in on every obstacle he could find.

After the shoot ended, McNeely walked the Carbon Crux Pro over to our rental car slowly. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the bike he’d be taking home with him to Kingston, Ont. This one was just a loaner and had to be broken down and sent back to Specialized’s HQ in Montreal. McNeely leaned on the bike, then straightened his arm, tilting it away from his body as he scrutinized it from back to front. I couldn’t help but think that despite his quiet, gentle expression, the race had already begun for this very driven rider. And now it has indeed: McNeely opened his season with a win in the U23 division at the first USGP of Cyclocross, and currently sits atop the U23 leaderboard after two stops. I’m glad I had the opportunity to give him a sneak peek of the new bike he’d be riding this season.