While an unreleased Zipp wheel with an integrated TyreWiz pressure sensor on Tom Pidcock’s Scott Foil was one of the coolest developments from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025, I loved Emma Norsgaard’s Trek Madone even more.
This aero road bike was set up with a mullet-gearing ensemble of SRAM’s Red XPLR AXS rear derailleur, a super-wide 10-46T cassette and a huge 52T aero 1x chainring.
We have seen a number of riders in recent years opt for a 1x setup at Paris-Roubaix.
However, these setups almost always feature a relatively tight cassette because there are few hills to contend with in the Hell of the North.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, meanwhile, is more akin to the Tour of Flanders, with steep climbs and cobbled bergs aplenty. A wider cassette is therefore essential, especially when paired with a large chainring.
It was also clear to see the Lidl-Trek mechanics had been busy with their Cyclowax chain-waxing machines.
The team signed a partnership with the brand last year. The device is claimed to be “the holy grail” of immersive chain waxing, because it can wax a chain without removing it from the bike.
Other, smaller tech highlights on this bike included bottles marked up with '60g', a clear indication for Norsgaard of the carbohydrate content within each 500ml bottle.
However, she’s not going to want those bottles and their precious fuel jettisoning themselves on the bumpy cobbles. The Lidl-Trek mechanics have neatly added extra purchase to the bottle cages.
Norsgaard opts for Bontrager’s Aeolus Pro carbon saddle and runs it with a pretty significant drop towards the nose. This is likely to be a comfort choice for her low front end.
While Norsgaard ended up crashing out of Omloop, her bike represents an interesting approach to road race bike setup. I will certainly be keeping an eye on her Flanders gearing choices.
