After 10 years of dutiful service, New Englander Ted King received cycling’s version of the traditional gold watch. We’d choose this over a time piece any day! Photo courtesy of Cannondale
With his 10-year WorldTour racing career coming to a close, Ted King was honored over the weekend with a custom-painted Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-MOD. The gift gifting happened at King’s charity event the Krempel’s King of the Road Challenge, which was created to raise funds for the Krempels Center of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
“I Am Not Ted King” and “11/15” appear on the seat tube as a nod to King’s social media persona and the years he raced aboard a Cannondale on the WorldTour (2011-2015). Photo courtesy of Cannondale
Ted’s passion for cycling and the sport of bike racing was first ignited by his brother Robbie King, who passed down his own Cannondale to Ted as his first race bike. “I remember when Ted first started riding,” recalled Robbie King. “I gave him my Cannondale CAAD3 R500 for his first race bike. The first summer he trained on that bike he had to ride on rollers because riding on roads on Squirrel Island wasn’t allowed back then.”
King’s new custom SuperSix EVO Hi-MOD features a paint scheme that helps tell that story along with other highlights from his career, including a blue metallic flake paint job inspired by that original Cannondale R500.
Along with a stunning custom paint job, the bike is dressed with Mavic CC40 wheels, a Fizik Airone saddle, FSA bar/stem/seatpost, and a Shimano Dura Ace Di2 drivetrain. Photo courtesy of Cannondale
“I Am Not Ted King” and “11/15” appear on the seat tube as a nod to King’s social media persona and the years he raced aboard a Cannondale on the WorldTour (2011-2015). There’s also a splash of Traditional retirement gold, which adorns the front end of the bike.
Slipstream Sports, who managed King’s final year racing, provided all the components from team sponsors to complete the custom build, which includes Mavic CC40 wheels, a Fizik Airone saddle, FSA bar/stem/seatpost, and a Shimano Dura Ace Di2 drivetrain.
“Ted has always been a very special and loyal member of the Cannondale family,” said Brian Immel, Cannondale VP of global marketing. “It’s only fitting that he continues on to his next adventure with a bike that is just as unique as he is.”
King received the bike at the Krempel’s King of the Road Challenge, which was created to raise funds for the Krempels Center of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Photo courtesy of Cannondale
The Krempels King of the Road Challenge is a fundraising event to benefit the non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with brain injury from trauma, tumor or stroke, a cause close to Ted King and his family. The event, which is in its fifth year, provides cyclists with a fun, family-friendly experience that celebrates the best of fall in New England.