Bike Check: Anne Terpstra's Ghost Lector - Albstadt World Cup XC

You might not be into ultra-light hardtails, but there's no denying that Anne Terpstra's Ghost Lector World Cup UC looks pretty damn sharp in its bright orange paint. The color is actually the same as what you'll find on one of Ghost's lower-end Lectors, but the World Cup frame is manufactured with their 'Ultralightweight Carbon,' hence the UC designation.

Terpstra is from the Netherlands, where she took the National Championship titles in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and she was also a junior World Cup winner back in 2009 before coming in third at the European Championships in Zoetermeer.




Her factory team-spec Lector World Cup UC follows the same recipe as many other bikes at this level - light, simple, and efficient - but Terpstra's setup also includes a few interesting additions. One of these is the flat repair and toolkit that's stored inside the spindle of her SRAM cranks, cranks that are also home to a Quarq power meter and a 32-tooth X-Sync chain ring.

Another hidden goodie is the Pepi's Tire Noodles inside her Schwalbe tires. These are special cross-country-specific foam inserts designed for low-volume racing rubber, but they essentially do the same thing as any other insert by dividing the tire's inner volume in half; sealant and air up against the casing, and the foam up against the rim. Her bike's Tune carbon rims are shod with 2.25'' Racing Ralph tires as of right now, but a pair of Rocket Rons were awaiting a few test laps on the muddy Albstadt cross-country course.