CHAD HAGA'S Epic Adventure atop ATR: ATHLETE + WHEEL -> SURVIVING AND THRIVING

When Performance Is Put to the Ultimate Test: Chad Haga at Gravel BURN

At the highest level of racing, equipment isn’t just a choice — it’s a commitment. Riders need components that deliver uncompromising performance when everything is going right, and absolute reliability when things go wrong. Few environments test that reality more thoroughly than a multi-day gravel stage race on unknown terrain, raced at full elite level intensity.

At the inaugural Gravel BURN stage race in South Africa, Reynolds athlete Chad Haga found himself exactly in that scenario. What followed was not just a testament to elite athletic grit, but a real-world validation of the integrity built into every Reynolds wheel.

Below is Chad’s account of the week, shared exactly as he experienced it.

Chad Haga | Gravel BURN – South Africa

“For the first edition of the Gravel BURN stage race in South Africa, the course was largely unknown. I chose to take my ATR 3 wheels for the week, because they are nearly as light as the G700 but more aero…and seeing the start list, I knew the racing would be fast! I had 45c MAXXIS Reaver HYPR-X in front and rear, as well as Cushcore inserts for some extra protection in case things got gnarly.

It didn’t take long to discover that gnarly was the theme of the week, with riders puncturing tires and breaking wheels daily. Beautiful, brutal racing day after day, but my setup was handling it all easily. Finally my competitors started to tire after a few days, and I was excited to see what my stage-racing background could accomplish.

Early on stage 4, I crested the second climb of the stage with the lead group. The wind-swept downhill had several water bars in sequence, and after the last one was a cattle guard, a metal grid set in between concrete borders. I wasn’t comfortable giving it a big pull in those winds, so I tried to jump low over the cattle guard. Unfortunately, I came up just 10cm short and smashed my back wheel into the concrete corner, feeling the impact all the way up my body.

I hoped maybe I’d gotten away with it, but immediately my tire was flat. I quickly stopped and plugged both of the snakebite holes in the tire, noticing that I’d put a good crack into my rim. I was worried it wouldn’t finish the stage, but I had to try! There was no getting back to the lead group, but the wheel held for the rest of the stage.

After finishing, I pulled the tire off and saw that the impact had cut straight through the cushcore insert as well as punching 2 holes in the tire. I had truly curb-stomped the wheel, but it didn’t seem to have worsened over the course of the stage. After consulting with some pro mechanics, we believed I could keep racing on the wheel.

The crack was not pretty, but the wheel was still reasonably true and the carbon on the bead wasn’t splintering. So we put some rim tape over it to protect the tire in case it worsened, and I raced my heart out. 3 more stages of wheel- and tire-killing courses, but my ATR barely noticed.

Now I’m back in Spain and I pulled the bike apart to repair the damage done from all the river crossings and rainy days. The ATR is still the same as the day I smashed it into that concrete edge. I raced 487 of the 800km of the Gravel Burn with a cracked rim, and it would happily keep going, even if my legs wanted to stop!”

Built for the Long Haul: Even When Things Go Wrong

Chad Haga is no ordinary rider. A former WorldTour professional with Grand Tour experience and one of the most technically accomplished gravel racers in the world, his demands on equipment are uncompromising. When he chooses a wheel, it’s not for marketing reasons, it’s because he trusts it to perform under pressure.

The fact that Chad completed 487 kilometers of elite-level racing on a cracked rim, across some of the most brutal terrain imaginable, speaks volumes about what Reynolds wheels are designed to do. This wasn’t a controlled lab test. This was real racing, at full intensity, with everything on the line.

At Reynolds, performance is never built for a single moment. It’s engineered to last: through impacts, fatigue, and the unpredictable realities of racing and adventure alike. That’s why every Reynolds rim is backed by a Lifetime Warranty. Not as a marketing statement, but as a reflection of confidence in the structure, materials, and engineering behind every wheel we make.

Because great wheels aren’t just about speed when conditions are perfect, they’re about trust when they aren’t.

Ride farther. Ride harder. Ride with confidence. Ride Better. Ride Reynolds.