Adam Craig and Giant Anthem X: A Winning Combination

With the Beijing Olympics just weeks away, Giant Mountain Bike Team rider Adam Craig was on a roll in North America in late July, winning his second straight XC national title in Mount Snow, Vermont, and racking up a fourth-place World Cup finish in Mont-Ste-Anne, Quebec. For both those races, Craig had a secret weapon to conquer the rugged East Coast terrain: the all-new Giant Anthem X cross-country bike.

For nearly a year, Craig had been thinking about returning to Mount Snow to defend his U.S national cross-country championship. With roots, rocks and plenty of steep, challenging terrain, Mount Snow ranks as one of Craig’s favorite places to compete. It was also, in his mind, the perfect place to unveil the Giant Anthem X, a bike he had been instrumental in developing.

“I had known since the beginning of the season that I had to have this bike for Mount Snow,” Craig said. “It’s perfect for what I consider real mountain bike terrain.”

Craig even had a code name for the Anthem X project: Ultimate Vermont Domination.

Mount Snow’s severe terrain and harsh conditions, which can range from mud and slimy roots to dust and stifling heat, have been known to derail the most accomplished XC pros, but Craig, who grew up in nearby Maine, embraces what others fear. And having previously qualified for the August 23 Olympic mountain bike race in Beijing, he went to Mount Snow with his already-soaring confidence bolstered by the new Giant Anthem X.

Incorporating the Maestro co-pivot rear suspension design seen in the Giant Trance X and Reign bikes, the all-new Anthem X provides four inches of travel in a lightweight package. Even with the additional travel, the Anthem X is the lightest aluminum full-suspension bike ever produced by Giant.

“The thing that makes this bike so fun to ride is that it’s super-fast but it also lets you relax a little bit more,” said Craig. “For me, it’s the perfect XC bike—now I can choose between a hardtail for some fast Euro’ style courses or the Anthem X for more technical courses like Mont-Ste-Anne or Mount Snow.”

Craig trounced the field at Mount Snow, capturing his second consecutive U.S. XC title by a comfortable margin of more than two minutes. Afterward, Craig’s competitors made it clear where the race was won: “I just can’t hang with [Craig] on the descents,” Ryan Trebon told VeloNews.com. “He out-handled all of us.”

One week after winning the national title, Craig finished fourth at the World Cup race in Mont-Ste-Anne, Quebec, against the best XC racers in the world. It was a good indication of the Olympian’s form heading into the big race. “Mont-Ste-Anne has one of the most awesome courses, and again the Anthem X was rad,” Craig said. “The bike was a big reason for that result.”

Follow Adam Craig’s Olympic adventures at giantbicycle.com. And to find out what makes Adam go, visit your local Giant dealer and test ride the all-new 2009 Anthem X.