Bike Profile: Thibau Nys’ Trek Boone with SRAM Red eTap AXS

As the son of an all-time legend with the skills worthy of his blood, Thibau Nys has been a cyclocross star from a young age. Last year, the young Nys raced his first year at the Junior 17-18 UCI level, finishing 4th at Worlds and 3rd in the World Cup overall.

This year, Nys is already making his mark on the Junior field, winning World Cup Bern and 5 of the 6 UCI races he has entered this season, including at Jinglecross on Day 1.

Nys’ star power is not just about his results, however. Like his dad, Thibau enjoys putting on a good show by riding features other mere mortals have to run. He rode the stairs at GP Sven Nys last season and then during pre-ride in Waterloo, rode the Segafredo run-up and the stairs on the World Cup Waterloo course.

Who knows what he would have pulled off if he entered the Legends race with his dad…

Thibau Nys races for the AA Drink Jongeren Team, which is the Junior Development program for the Telenet Baloise Lions team that Sven Nys is the manager of. Like the Elite team, Nys rides a Trek Boone, albeit one with a different colorway than the parent team rides.

Thibau Nys’ 2019/20 Trek Boone. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

We took a closer look at Thibau Nys’ bike, including a big equipment switch both the devo team and Telenet Baloise Lions have made this season.

Thibau Nys’ Trek Boone

Similar to the Kona Super Jake, the Trek Boone needs no introduction around these parts.

We profiled Jolanda Neff’s Boone after her second-place finish at World Cup Waterloo, profiled Toon Aerts and Evie Richards’ bikes last year, reviewed the re-designed Boone, profiled Katie Compton’s Nationals-winning Boone, profiled Katie Compton’s Nationals-winning Boone and gawked at the then-Telenet-Fidea bikes while they were being built up at Trek.

Nys’ Boone sports a black colorway accented by yellow and light blue fades painted by Trek’s Project One studio.

Trek’s Project One helped with the eye-catching colors on Nys’ bike. Thibau Nys’ 2019/20 Trek Boone. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Nys’ motivational mantra is “Make It Happen,” and yep, the 17-year-old already has his own logo.

When you’re Thibau Nys, you get your own logo. Thibau Nys’ 2019/20 Trek Boone. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Trek re-designed the Boone for the 2018 model year, and the race-oriented bike sports a frame built from the company’s OCLV 600 Series carbon (second highest) with IsoSpeed decouplers in the front and rear.

The newest iteration of the Boone features the IsoSpeed decoupler in front. Thibau Nys’ 2019/20 Trek Boone. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

If you peruse our profiles of the Telenet Fidea Boones from 2017 and 2018, you are likely to note the team was a Shimano-sponsored program with riders running 2x Dura-Ace groupsets.

That changes for 2019, with the Telenet Baloise Lions—and Nys’ AA Drink team—switching to SRAM Red eTap AXS this season.

Nys had a 1x Red 1 eTap AXS setup that included a 172.5mm Red 1 AXS Power Meter crankset with a 42 X-Sync 2 chain ring in the front.

Nys ran a SRAM Red 1 AXS Power Meter crankset, which is a switch from Shimano for the team. Thibau Nys’ 2019/20 Trek Boone. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

The stock Boone frame is designed for 1x setups—the Euro riders used clamps for their front derailleurs in the past—but it does have a provision for a chain keeper that Nys took advantage of.

The Boone comes with a mount for a chain guard for 1x setups. Thibau Nys’ 2019/20 Trek Boone. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

In the rear, Nys ran a Red eTAP AXS rear derailleur with a 10-33t 12-speed Force cassette the team picks for its mud-clearing ability.

Nys and all the riders in the Telenet Baloise program switched to SRAM Red eTap AXS this season. Thibau Nys’ 2019/20 Trek Boone. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

The rear derailleur and Red eTap AXS HRD flat mount calipers paired with Red eTap AXS Shift-Brake levers.

Nys’ SRAM build included the new Red eTap AXS Shift-Brake levers. Thibau Nys’ 2019/20 Trek Boone. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

As we saw in our profile of Neff’s Trek Factory Racing Boone, Trek-sponsored riders have several sets of tubulars available in the alloy Paradigm CX, carbon Aeolus XXX 2 and deep-profile carbon Aeolus XXX 4.

When he was sending it off the flyover during his Friday Trek CX Cup win, Nys had the Aeolus XXX 4 wheels going airborne with him.

Thibau Nys takes flight at the 2019 Trek CX Cup. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine

When we did our bike check, Nys had the shallower-profile Aeolus XXX 2 wheels with Challenge Grifo Team Edition tires mounted. The Grifos fit the bill during Nys’ UCI race on Friday and amateur race on Saturday, but on Sunday in the mud, Limuses were the choice from Challenge’s line of treads.

Nys had Challenge Grifo Team Edition tubulars mounted to Bontrager Aeolus XXX 2 carbon tubulars when we did our bike check. Thibau Nys’ 2019/20 Trek Boone. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

Trek’s in-house brand Bontrager helped with Nys’ cockpit and other contract points. He ran a 42mm carbon IsoCore Pro VR-CF handlebar held by an alloy Bontrager Pro Blendr stem.

Bontrager provided Nys’ 42cm IsoCore Pro VR-CF carbon handlebar. Thibau Nys’ 2019/20 Trek Boone. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

A proprietary Seat Mast Cap held a Bontrager Serano saddle with carbon rails. Nys’ pedals were Shimano XTR M9100 SPDs.

Nys ran a Bontrager Serano saddle with carbon rails at the Waterloo weekend. Thibau Nys’ 2019/20 Trek Boone. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine

For a closer look at Thibau Nys’ Trek Boone that is likely coming to a viral social media video in the near future, see the photo gallery and specs below.

Photo Gallery: Thibau Nys’ Trek Boone