Lucinda Brand used a similar setup during the European Cyclocross Championships in s'Hertogenbosch, Netherlands(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Lucinda Brand during the Tabor World Cup(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Brand during the Dendermonde World Cup as series leader(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Lucinda Brand did not have to wait long to get a special present from Trek after her hard-fought victory in the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships on Saturday: she received a white, gold and rainbow-accented Boone within hours of standing atop the podium with compatriots and fellow medallists Annemarie Worst and Denise Betsema.
Brand's team issue Baloise Trek Boone has carried her to 11 victories this season including three World Cups and the overall series in addition to the lead in both the Superprestige and X2O Trophy series.
As such, Brand went into Worlds as the odds-on favourite but had to avoid a first-lap crash by outgoing world champion Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and former champion Sanne Cant, as well as a stinging early attack by Betsema, who sailed away on the opening laps.
Joined by Worst, Brand managed to reel in the leader and move to the front on the North Sea beach front on the third lap. The three riders came together on the penultimate lap, where Brand made the decision to go into the pits for a clean bike - a move that cost her a few seconds in the short term, but gave her a distinct advantage on the final lap.
Brand was one of the few riders to use Dugast Small Bird tyres - a dual compound tread with the lower, firmer knobs of the faster, more versatile Typhoon, with softer, higher knobs like the mud-slinging Rhino on the sides. The choice proved key on the final lap as Brand was able to stay upright as she cut the tight inside line to pass Worst, who slid out in the muddy grass.
Brand used her Baloise-Trek team-issue Bontrager Aeolus RSL 37 wheelset - a lightweight, aerodynamic, carbon hoop that could cut through the icy North Sea wind.
Another key feature of Brand's winning bike was a 1X SRAM Red eTap AXS electronic groupset with a 38-tooth chainring and a 10-33 Force cassette. The low gearing was necessary for the massive flyover and its 21 per cent gradient and the 1X meant worry-free shifting into heavier gears for the fast descent into the sand.
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With the traditional rainbow jersey debut race, Parkcross Maldegem, shifted to a new location and later in the month, Brand is expected to show off her new bike and jersey in the Telenet Superprestige Middelkerke on February 6 - not 10km from the Ostend venue where she claimed her title.
Tech Specs: Lucinda Brand’s Trek Boone
Frameset: Trek Boone 52cm custom painted with Baloise-Trek colors
Front brake: SRAM Red Hydraulic Disc caliper
Rear brake: SRAM Red Hydraulic Disc caliper
Brake/shift levers: SRAM Red AXS
Rear derailleur: SRAM Red AXS
Rear derailleur pulley wheels: SRAM Black Box Ceramic
Cassette: SRAM Force 10-33
Chain: SRAM Red 12spd road
Crankset: SRAM Red GXP 170mm
Chainrings: SRAM X-Sync 38t
Bottom bracket: BB90 Steel Kit
Wheelset: Bontrager Aeolus RSL 37 with Team Issue Roubaix glue bed shape
Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.
