World-Class Ultra performance. Racing the sun.
A lot of people thought it couldn't be done. But this is one of those challenges in ultra-cycling that's just... thrilling. The absolute peak.
So the goal was simple on paper: ride across the entire country of Poland, from Wisła up to Gdańsk. That's 620 km. All between sunrise and sunset.
You've got a 16-hour window. No room for mistakes. None. We're really proud that Evanlite wheels were under Grzegorz Szczechla for this whole insane ride. How do you even get gear ready for something like that? Let's look behind the scenes.
The brutal math of open roads
To ride 620 km in 16 hours, the math was straightforward. You need an average speed of at least 40 km/h. But this wasn't on a closed track. It was open roads. Traffic lights, busy intersections, slowing down through small towns. So the cruising speed had to stay between 40 and 50 km/h pretty much constantly.
The route was long, and the weather helped. Tere was a tailwind of about 3 m/s for maybe 70% of the way. But the other 30%? Straight headwind. The bike was a triathlon rig, which made our wheel choice pretty obvious from the start. The challenge for Evanlite: Aero, reliability, and… comfort
As the tech partner, we had a tough job. We needed a setup that was absolutely bulletproof. You can't stop to fix a flat when you're racing the sun. At speeds over 40 km/h, aerodynamics become everything. But there's a third factor people often forget in time trials: comfort. Grzegorz had to stay in the aero position for over 15 hours. If the setup was too harsh or rigid, he'd be worn out before the halfway point.
So we went with a full-on wind-slicing combo: an 80 mm front rim and a rear disc. A setup built to hold high speed with what you'd call "ease." Front wheel (80 mm): Built on a deep 80 mm rim, laced to a lightweight Evanlite hub with top-tier bladed DT Aerolite spokes. With a 21 mm internal and 30 mm external width, that profile just cuts through the air cleanly.
Rear wheel (Evanlite Disc): A full disc wheel is pretty much mandatory at these speeds. Our disc is ultralight—only 1060 grams. It's got a proven 54T ratchet mechanism for instant engagement, and the 21 mm internal rim width paired perfectly with the tires we chose.
Marginal gains – an unusual tire choice
Wheels are only half the story. The other half is what touches the road. After studying the route and testing a bunch of options, we went with Continental Grand Prix TT tires in a 28c size. On our 21 mm internal rims, those tires plumped up nicely. Real width was about 29 mm. For a time trial setup, that's pretty wide. Why? It was a total game-changer for comfort. The higher air volume soaked up road buzz across Polish tarmac, keeping fatigue away over 620 km while keeping rolling resistance really low. We ran them tubeless with Stan's sealant. The GP TT version is lighter and faster, but it's noticeably less puncture-resistant than the popular GP 5000.
That risk-versus-reward calculation paid off 100%. The rider crossed the finish line without a single flat.
Mind-blowing result, noble cause
The gear got a brutal test, but the mission was accomplished in style. The kkind that'll go down in world ultra-cycling history. Final ride time: 15 hours and 10 minutes, with an incredible average speed of 41 km/h across 620 km.
Way ahead of the original goal. Want the hard numbers? Check out all the power and heart rate data on Strava activity.
And one more thing. This wasn't just about human grit and gear engineering. The ride across Poland was for charity, and it's already raised over 120 000 PLN https://zrzutka.pl/k57v67
Grzegorz, you're an absolute machine. We're thrilled that Evanlite could pitch in extra watts (and save yours) on this epic journey to the coast. Huge congrats!
Do you read it to the end?
Don't forget your discount code ULTRA for 100 EUR off any wheelset in our collection.
Photo: ProjectOn / Internal media
