A Year After Making History Lizzie Diegnan Goes All Out on Her Tour-De-France Femmes Bike

Lizzie Diegnan won her first Paris-Roubaix Femmes in 2022 riding the Trek Domane. For the 2023 Tour de France Femmes, she can trust no other bike than Trek to deliver the same level of performance and style. Trek, a renowned brand in the cycling industry, has taken full advantage of this trust and created striking custom bikes for Lizzie Deignan and her Lidl-Trek teammates.

The company has repainted all the bikes for the Lidl-Trek team. But when it came to Lizzie Deignan and Elisa Balsamo’s bikes, they had something special in store. Trek went above and beyond by designing unique paint schemes that showcase the individual personalities of Deignan and Balsamo. But that was not all they did. It was a complete overhaul of the bike’s mechanics and components to ensure optimal performance for the team’s star riders.

Trek’s personalized perfection

Trek began working on the two bikes as per the ‘Project One’ customization scheme. This made sure that the bikes did not look generic. Deignan’s bike had a more subtle and elegant design, reflecting her calm and composed personality on the road. On the other hand, Balsamo’s bike had a vibrant and bold color scheme, mirroring her energetic and fierce racing style. On the surface, Deignan’s Trek Émonda looked no different than another navy blue colored bike. However, upon close study, the captivating pattern on the blue-black base color became evident. It highlighted the shimmering pattern in a lighter shade of blue on the top.

Deignan wanted her bike to have a better potential to climb steep slopes. Hence, the Trek’s design team fitted her Trek Émonda with Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 TLR wheelset. According to Bikeradar Bontrager claimed, “these wheels was designed using 3D modelling to create its fastest and most stable design”. Deignan also favored the RSL-level OCLV Carbon to give her an advantage in all road conditions. She used the Pirelli P Zero Race TLR tyres, which helped her win Paris-Roubaix Femmes. But this time, she is using the 700x28mm tires. Trek has also prepared a second bike for her: the Trek Domane SLR with a 2x SRAM Red drivetrain. To fulfill Deignan’s request, Trek has also attached sprint shifters at the bottom of the handlebars. Next, the design team turned their attention to Elisa Balsamo’s Trek Madone and did something even more outrageous.

Trek’s bold creativity for Elisa Balsamo’s Trek Madone

Balsamo’s bike displayed a prismatic cacophony of vibrant colors, with a unique paint job that mimicked the iridescent wings of a butterfly. The paint job closely resembled the Chroma Ultra-Iridescent Madone SLR used by Mads Pedersen. The custom paintwork on the bike served to accentuate specific details in the design that made it aerodynamic. As for the tires, wheelset, and drivetrain, they are the same as Deignan’s.

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Balsamo has opted to attach the sprint shifters at the curve rather than the bottom of the handlebar. Both riders were using the saddles from Bontrager. Deignan used the Ajna Pro, while her teammate went with the Aeolus Pro. Lastly, they used the same Time Pedals from SRAM. It is clear that the company did not spare any expense in order to propel its riders to victory.

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