Introducing the Rene Herse Gravel Team

If you’ve followed gravel racing, you’ve noticed that some of the biggest and most prominent teams have been riding on Rene Herse tires. This wasn’t a paid sponsorship agreement—these teams simply chose Rene Herse tires to give their riders the best chance at winning. That’s how Lauren de Crescenzo’s Cinch Racing team and the Mazda gravel team rode on Rene Herse tires, providing valuable feedback for our R&D—and also racking up win after win in the biggest races: Mid South, SBT GRVL, The Rad Dirt, Gravel Worlds, the UCI gravel races…

Racing teams have a precarious existence. Sponsors support them to raise their profile with potential customers who follow bicycle racing. Once that goal has been achieved, they shift their marketing budgets elsewhere. Add recent economic uncertainties, and you can see why some sponsors have dropped out of bike racing.

Here at Rene Herse Cycles, our relationships with racers are much more personal. We spend a lot of time together, either in person or remotely. We exchange ideas about how to create tires that win races, how to find the right tires for different courses, how to optimize tire pressure…

Our relationships go beyond just R&D and technical info: Meeting the Mazda team at last year’s Unbound in Kansas was a highlight of my trip. They are such a nice and fun group of people. They even offered the house they rented for me to shower after the race. (My hotel was far out of town.) And when I forgot my muddy cycling shoes, Inno dropped them off at my hotel on his way back to Georgia.

When we heard that the team wouldn’t be able to continue this year, we decided to step up to the plate. This wasn’t a business decision. It is our a way of showing our appreciation for everything these racers have done for us. That’s how the Rene Herse Gravel Team was born. The first team kits have arrived, juuust in time for Sea Otter, so it’s a great time to present the team. Jenna managed to do a photoshoot with a friend, the others are still shown in their old kit. Here is who is on the team:

Jenna Rinehart is one of the top female gravel racers in the U.S. Last year alone, she was on the podium at major races like Mid South (2^nd), Roubidoux Rendezvous (1^st), Valley of Tears (2^nd) and the UCI Highlands Gravel Classic (1^st). She also represented the U.S. at the UCI Gravel World Championships in Belgium.

What we appreciate about Jenna isn’t just her speed, but also her spirit. At the UCI Highlands Gravel Classic, she dropped her chain right after the start. Jenna told her story in a post-race interview: “I really didn’t think I’d see the front of the race again, but the course looked fun to ride, so I could at least enjoy it and hopefully pick off some riders. I stayed on the gas and sent it on the downhills, and after the first aid station I started to see some riders up the road. I continued to pick off riders, which was really motivating, and, by the last big climb of the day, I’d made it up to the top 2 riders. I got a bit of a gap on a twisty downhill, with just under 10 miles to go, and decided to go for it.” Time-trialing for those last ten miles, she won the race and earned her spot at the UCI Gravel World Championships. She told us afterward that the speed and sure-footed handling of her Rene Herse tires were a big help in securing that unexpected win.

Unlike many pro racers, Jenna has a full-time job: Together with her husband, she runs a bike shop, Nicollet Bike & Ski in Mankato, Minnesota. They also organize an annual gravel event, the River Valley 100. She also designed the team jerseys. After years of equipping Jenna with Rene Herse tires, we are excited to see her ride in our colors this year.

Innokenty (Inno) Zavyalov has been one of the fastest and exciting racers in the pro gravel peloton. At last year’s Unbound, Inno led a field that included the who’s who of gravel racing for much of the first half of the 200-mile race. He won the Roubidoux Rendezvous and finished 2^nd at Gravel Worlds, riding his favorite tires, the 700C x 44 mm Snoqualmie Pass Extralights.

This year, Inno decided to focus mainly on his studies at the Savannah College of Art and Design—but when he shows up at the races, you can count on him being in contention for the win.

Serghei Tvetcov’s professional cycling career took him to the very top of the sport, racing in the Giro d’Italia, Milan-San Remo, multiple world championships and the Olympic Games. Serghei’s life changed when, two years ago, he was diagnosed with Leukemia. He fought back and now his mission has changed from competing at the top level to spreading awareness, inspiring people to ride bikes, and showing that even with a serious illness, it’s possible to compete in the pro peloton. Serghei’s ultimate goal is to “build a non-profit organization that will help people like me and their families get through this life-changing diagnosis.”

Welcome to the team, Serghei! We’re excited to continue working with you.

Beyond these riders, we also work with riders like national gravel champ Brennan Wertz and Ted King, ultra-cyclists like Sofiane Sehili, Marei Moldenhauer, Adrien Liechti and many others. Even though they don’t wear our jersey, they are very much part of our team.

All these racers are like family to us. We’ve been working together for many years. Their feedback is one big reason behind the speed and durability of our tires. Their race wins inspire us to push the limits of our imagination when it comes to improving our tires and components. And their friendship is what makes it all worth while.

Further Reading:

• Racers and Adventurers on Rene Herse and the tires they’ve used for their winning rides