Painted special for the day in a throwback to the 1989 RockCombo, two Specialized Diverge bikes came to the line together under former WorldTour racers at Unbound Gravel. Ian Boswell outsprinted Laurens ten Dam to take the win, and afterwards said he was “kinda surprised” to find himself atop the podium.
Boswell and I stayed at the same place in Emporia, Kansas. The night before the race, we shared ideas on what to mark on our stems (checkpoints, water stops, the first sketchy two-track section that I’m calling the Arenberg Forest where Quinn Simmons and dozens of others flatted, etc.).
After his win, Boswell walked me through his bike, explaining why he set up various things as he did. He also explained the family-based story behind his sweatband.
The biggest standout on his otherwise stock Diverge is the Coefficient RR handlebar, which is heavily sculpted for both aerodynamics and ergonomics.
Check out the gallery below for a closer look at everything on Boswell’s Specialized Diverge.
Specialized painted three Diverge bikes in the color scheme of its RockCombo drop-bar mountain bike (we didn’t have the term ‘gravel bike’ then!) from the ’80s for Ian Boswell, Laurens ten Dam, and Alison Tetrick.
Boswell used the Coefficient RR handlbar.
The bar comes with thin but tacky grip tape for the tops. Boswell somehow ended up with two right-side pieces, so had to modify the tape a bit.
Here is how the tape is designed to look, offering sure grip without extra bulk to keep the aero shape as clean as possible.
The $400 Coefficient bars have a built-in computer mount.
Boswell marked a couple key locations on his stem the night before: the first technical section, a sharp descent, checkpoints, a water stop, and the finish.
He ran a 130mm stem instead of his standard 120 to accommodate for the extra 20mm of stack that the Future Shock has for travel.
The Apidura top tube bag seals with magnets on the right side, so it’s easy to get things in and out.
The Diverge’s down tube acts as a storage compartment.
Boswell kept a mini pump in the bag inside the down tube. He wrapped it in bubble tape to prevent it from rattling. He carried tubes and CO2 cartridges in his CamelBak.
The bottle-cage door pops open.
Specialized outfits the rest of the bike, from the Power saddle to the bag, to the light.
Boswell ran a 46t ring with his 10-50t cassette.
Boswell raced on Look Xtrack Race Carbon Ti pedals. (I originally wrote that he was on Time. I apologize for the error!)
Boswell ran 42mm Specialized Pathfinder Pro tubeless tires.
And as an employee of Wahoo Fitness, of course he ran an Elemnt Bolt. Wahoo recently updated the Bolt.