The Baloise Glowi Lions turned up at the opening round of the 2025/26 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup in Tábor, CZ on a mission, with both Lucinda Brand & Thibau Nys winning their respective elite races aboard almost identical Trek Boone RSL cyclocross bikes. There have not been a ton of real cyclocross-specific product developments in the past few years. But the ISO Speed micro suspension-equipped Boone is a perennial favorite on the CX racing circuit. And a frequent podium visitor.
Trek Boone RSL carbon cyclocross race bike, still winning!
Even though, the Trek Boone has remained unchanged since it was introduced more than four years ago for the 2021/22 race season as a MY22 bike, it still keeps turning up on the pro race circuit. In fact, we already did Pro Bike Checks of both Lucinda Brand‘s and Thibau Nys‘ Boone rides at the 2022 CX Worlds in Fayetteville, AR.
As a general rule, things have not changed much on their bikes in the years since, except that they get new SRAM Red AXS drivetrains, new integrated cockpits, and new paint jobs.
Carry-over Baloise Glowi Lions blue and green…
Speaking of paint, for the start of the 2025-26 cross race season at least, the two top Baloise Glowi Lions racers again have two bike colors to choose from – the same all-blue or light green, blue & red frames as they raced on last season. On a typical muddy race day, we’d expect to see these top riders cycling back on forth through their entire fleet of bikes, as team mechanics rushed to wash them from lap to lap.
But with sub-zero temps for several days in the Czech Republic leading up to the first round of the UCI CX World Cup, the 3km grassy Tábor racecourse remained almost entirely frozen through race day. And so many racers stayed on the same bike throughout the race, unless they wanted some adjustment, like a small tire pressure change.
Brand was on one of her light green bikes early in the race. But swapped over to blue by the third lap, and seems to have rode that bike all the way to the finish. Making a definitive move just before the final asphalt straight to be able to roll across the line solo for the first World Cup win of the season.
Nys on the other hand, started on that same green bike, and stayed on one until the end. He rode near the front with a few contenders for the first couple of laps. But by the third lap had dropped all the other racers, and continued to ride away, only ever seeing lapped riders out on the track before his solo victory.
World Cup-winning cyclocross bike builds
The biggest differences between the two winners’ Trek Boone cyclocross bikes were simply their fit.
Brand races on a 49cm frame with a shorter reach cockpit, a 1cm spacer under the integrated stem, and apparently a fork with 5mm extra offset to account for the 1° slacker headtube of her smallest frame, bringing the fork Trail figure (and agile handling) back to the same as the larger Boones.
As for Nys, he’s on a 56cm frame with a slightly longer cockpit and no spacer beyond the integrated upper headset bearing cover that guides cables into the frame.
Build-wise, Brand and Nys both ride Boones fitted with SRAM Red AXS wireless 12-speed drivetrains – with those slick carved-out disc brakes.
No wider-range Xplr setup or clutched derailleur was needed for these two. Just road Red’s Orbit Fluid-damped derailleur and its 10-36T cassette, then just swap to the ideal chainring size to suit the course and conditions.
Plenty of other CX racers do opt for the new 13-speed Xplr versions, though. Likely a big help for riders without huge team support to fine-tune drivetrains for each race.
Cockpits are one-piece carbon Bontrager VR-C bars and saddles Bontrager Aeolus, both in various sizes to suit each rider.
Race wheels are Bontrager Aeolus RSL 37mm deep carbon tubulars for both. Brand races on Dugast tires, now owned by Vittoria, winning on cotton Typhoons. And Nys races on Challenge, winning this weekend on Ultra edition silk casing Grifo tires.
Is it a Boone or a Boone RSL?
Both Treks of Brand & Nys are labelled as Boone RSL – Race Shop Limited. That would suggest these bike models could have some race-specific features. For Trek, the RSL label would generally mean race-specific geometry, fewer accessory mounts, or even a lighter hi-mod carbon layup.
But with plenty of more all-rounder bikes in their line-up, the Boone is already a dedicated race bike. The only creature comfort on the bike is the rear end flex that you get from the ISO Speed pivot, something the CX racers really appreciate.
And even though cross runs almost exclusively without bottle cages, the Baloise bikes keep cage mounts for training and the rare hot-weather race. Finally, Trek is clear that their second-tier 600-series OCLV carbon is perfect for cross racing – plenty light, stiff, and durable enough to handle often-brutal cross racing.
What’s next for the Trek Boone RSL?
Any way you look at it, the Trek Boone cyclocross bike has obvious staying power.
The bike itself was developed with cyclocross legend Sven Nys, who also happened to be the person to meet both Brand and the younger Nys at the finish line after their wins this weekend.
It also certainly doesn’t hurt having some of the best cross racers in the world on the bike, either. Like 2021 CX World Champ and 3x World Cup-winning & 20x individual elite World Cup-winning Lucinda Brand. Plus, first EU Champ last year, now Belgian Champ for this season, Thibau Nys is no slouch either – this being his 3rd individual elite World Cup win.
Who knows what’s next for new cyclocross race bikes, as they’ve become more niche and more versatile gravel bikes have taken their place in off-road dropbar development. Does Trek have a new generation of Boone in the works? For the time being, Trek only sells the cross bike as a frameset, leaving it up to each buyer to build their own personalized CX race setup.
