Don’t trust carbon fiber wheels?

You might change your opinion after seeing this.

BMC’s George Hincapie was involved in a crash during the early stages of the Tour of California. One of his Easton carbon fiber wheels was damaged in the melee and at first glance, it looked dangerously damaged.

Pro riders routinely change wheels during a race, but for some reason – ignorance or interest in keeping moving – Hincapie rode the wheel to the finish. As you can see from the picture, there is a fairly sizable hole in the side of the rim, not only did he finish, but the wheel was still true and round when checked out by BMC Head Mechanic Ian Shelburne.

Hincapie’s Post-Crash Wheel – Still Working? from CycleTo on Vimeo.

I’m sure that the wheel will be tossed, but it’s quite amazing that it held up.