Daniel Holloway Wraps Up 2016 With Elite National Title on Panaracer Tires2016.09.20
From six-day races on the track, to fixed gear criteriums, and time trial national championships, Daniel Holloway took a convoluted route to winning two stars and stripes jerseys in 2016. One thing remained constant, though. Holloway raced all year on the same pair of 26mm Panaracer Race C Evo 2 tires.
Coming into the Elite National Road Race Championships, Holloway was not given much coverage by the press. Known as an out-and-out sprinter, he was slated as a favorite in the criterium, but not mentioned for the road race.
What was unknown to the press, however, was the time trial training that Holloway had been doing in the lead up to the event. Feeling stale and unmotivated early in the season, Holloway made the choice to change up his training by spending a lot of time on his TT bike. The change paid off, revitalizing him, and also giving him the strength to see through a big breakaway during the road race. With 35 km to go, Daniel found himself off the front, and stayed there despite the commentators calling that the race would come back to a bunch finish. But Holloway dug deep and crossed the line alone to take his first win in the road race at elite national championships.
With rain pouring for the criterium two days later, the Panaracer tires underneath Holloway perhaps played a bigger part in his Elite Criterium win two days after the road race. “Panaracer tires truly surpassed my expectations this year. I’ve never had a tire with so much edge to edge traction” Said Daniel. The fast circuit featured a sweeping corner just before the finish line. The wet surface saw a huge chunk of the field slide out on the final lap of the race, but Daniel and his teammates stayed upright, “The team had zero slide outs during training or racing. I also never had a tire that has so much durability while maintaining such a high level of performance.”
The Race C Evo 2 that Daniel won two national titles on board has this year been superseded by the EVO 3 range of tires, that provide the same level of grip and performance, but at a lighter weight and with better durability.
So what was the highlight for Holloway, who races across the globe all year? The Athens Twilight criterium, a stalwart on the circuit and known for its crowds ranked highly, but it was the much lauded Tulsa Tough that took the cake for Daniel, “Tulsa Tough really stepped to a new level this year and is fighting for the #1 spot of must go to criteriums in the nation.”
Panaracer tires truly surpassed my expectations this year. I’ve never had a tire with so much edge to edge traction.
— Daniel Holloway
As the weather drops in Daniel’s hometown of Boulder, Colorado, the Race C Evo2 tubulars will get taken off in favor of the road tubeless options for training. “This was the first year I used road tubeless for training, and the ability to ride lower pressures when the weather is bad is a huge advantage.” When the difference between making a workout happen and staying inside can be the tires you’re running, Holloway is certain that road tubeless will make a difference.
