BOA Summit 2025: the click that gets us ready

25 years of BOA. It was an honour to celebrate that anniversary on stage alongside athletes such as Benni Raich and Kasia Niewiadoma. After looking ahead to the summit, here are my impressions of the event and our athlete panel.

People who know what performance requires

The line-up brought together a remarkable range of experience:

• Benni Raich: double Olympic skiing champion
• Kasia Niewiadoma: 2024 Tour de France Femmes winner
• Nicolas Hojac: record-setting alpinist
• Markus Stöckl: mountain-bike speed record holder
• Shawn Neville: BOA CEO
• Dann Feeney: VP of Product Innovation

BOA’s professionalism showed in the event just as it does in its products: attention to detail, appreciation of the athletes, and a hunger to keep improving even after 25 years.

Why BOA? What difference does it make?

The moderator led us through two rounds of questions about why we use BOA and the benefits we experience. One theme kept returning: that click means confidence in our preparation and readiness to perform.

For Kasia, it is about being fully connected to the bike. When you are putting out maximum watts, you do not want movement inside the shoe or energy lost along the way.

For Benni, explosive pressure and milliseconds matter. The connection between body, boot and ski needs to transmit force precisely, especially under heavy load.

An ultrarunner’s view — and the connection to workwear

My perspective comes from spending as much as 110 hours continuously in shoes at races such as the TOR or PTL, on technical alpine terrain. Feet swell. The fit you need on a steep descent is different from what feels right on flatter ground.

Like Kasia, I want secure hold when it matters. Elsewhere I may loosen the fit. Those small, regular adjustments need to be quick and precise — especially when I am exhausted, cold or struggling with swollen fingers.

That makes the connection to workwear and safety very tangible. A secure, adaptable fit matters when people depend on their footwear for hours at a time.

A click is also a mental ritual

There is another side to it. In everyday life, I am first and foremost a father of twins, then a CEO. At a race, I become the athlete. Those different roles are all part of who I am.

Closing the BOA system has become a small ritual that helps me make that switch: #beastmodeon. Ready. Focused. Fully committed to the task ahead.

That psychological effect matters alongside the technical one. Cyclists need power transfer, ski racers need precision under load, and ultrarunners need adaptability. All of us need to feel ready.

Thank you, BOA, for 25 years of innovation and for bringing these perspectives together. Here’s to the next 25! 🎯

More about the people and brands behind my running on my partners page.