We take a look at the Dutchman's Canyon Aeroad CFR at his recent training camp in Spain
(Image credit: Future)
While we were in Denia, Spain recently to sit down with Mathieu van der Poel and hear about his plans for 2023, we also managed to get a sneaky look at his Canyon Aeroad CFR race bike.
An Alpecin Deceuninck team mechanic had just finished cleaning the bike after a training ride so was happy to take it off the stand and hand it over to let us take some pictures. We also managed to spot a few little interesting points on the bike which are easy to miss at first glance.
The 2023 Canyon Aeroad CFR in go faster red. (Image credit: Future)
Like in recent years, Van der Poel will be riding the Canyon Aeroad CFR for 2023 and, at around 1.8 metres tall, is riding a size large frame. He will ride a simple yet effective block red-and-white colour scheme.
Alpecin-Deceuninck step up to the UCI WorldTour for 2023 and as can be expected from such a big team and for one of the best cyclists in the world, the Dutchman's bike is a super high-end, no-nonsense package.
Shimano supplies the team with equipment and Van der Poel's bike is fitted with a Dura-Ace R9200 12-speed groupset. Dura-Ace C36 wheels were also fitted to the bike for training but expect to see Van der Poel running the deeper profile C50 or C60 wheels regularly in races next year.
An 11-34t cassette at the rear was paired with 54-40t chainrings at the front, as is common on a lot of WorldTour riders' bikes now. The crank arm length on Van der Poel's bike was 172.5mm and fitted to the power meter equipped chainset were Dura-Ace SPD-SL pedals with a normal-length axle fitted. Some pro riders like Ben Swift prefer the extended version to achieve their correct bike fit.
An aggressive slammed setup for MVDP (Image credit: Future)
Elsewhere on the bike, the handlebar tape and the saddle are taken care of by Selle Italia, with a white Flite saddle with carbon fibre rails being a longtime favourite of the Dutchman. Bottle cages are the Elite Custom Race Plus, used by several World Tour teams. Like most pro riders, Van der Poel had a name sticker in a prominent position on the top tube of the frame. This helps the mechanics as much as anyone and lets them identify the correct bike every time.
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Name stickers benefit riders and mechanics alike (Image credit: Future)
Van der Poel's bike looks to be equipped with the Canyon CP0018 adjustable cockpit. The handlebar width is adjustable, as is the stem height without the need to cut the steerer tube. This bar has been through a redesign by Canyon after Van der Poel's handlebars snapped during the 2021 Le Samyn race.
Van der Poel also looks to run a fairly aggressive lever position, with his STI levers turned in to aid aerodynamics but also positioned quite far down the handlebars compared to most riders.
Van Der Poel runs an aggressive lever position (Image credit: Future)
Van der Poel's front derailleur mount caught our eye. It appeared to have had the paint removed from the mounting surface, we suspect by team mechanics. This could possibly be in an effort to achieve the best possible front derailleur alignment and setup, and excess or uneven paint here won't help this.
There has been a spate of high-profile chain drops since the launch of the new 12-speed Shimano groupsets and the chainset on Van der Poel's bike did have what looks to be some scratch marks from chain drops, as can be seen in the picture below. Perhaps this small modification is to just try and provide some insurance in the heat of battle; a dropped chain costing in a win is the last thing any rider or mechanic wants.
You can also make out the white Shimano magnet taped onto the end of the chainstay of the bike to work with the power meter crank and measure Van der Poel's cadence whilst riding.
54-40t chainrings and what looks like a modified f.d mount (Image credit: Future)
Interestingly the Dura Ace C36 wheels pictured had a Shimano Ultegra 34t cassette fitted - not Dura Ace - as you might expect. Dura-Ace cassettes aren't cheap, so we suspect the team is either economising slightly in the wintertime or they are waiting on some more equipment to arrive for the race season.
Van der Poel's rear derailleur Di2 wire has been zip-tied down to help reduce the risk of it being caught and pulled out unnecessarily, or shaken loose over rough ground. It's another small touch that gives that little bit of extra insurance when the stakes are high.
Rear mech di2 wire zip tied in place and an Ultegra cassette for training duties. (Image credit: Future)
On this particular day, Van der Poel was running Vittoria Corsa tyres in a 25mm width, and the team mechanic also told us the team runs inner tubes for training citing the lower hassle required and tubeless setups or tubulars for race day only.
This makes sense as a puncture in training just means a wheel or bike change and a pro mechanic is going to be able to change a tube quicker than most.
Inner tubes, who would have thought it? (Image credit: Future)
Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
