The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Paris-Roubaix is less than 48 hours away, riders and teams are doing their final recon rides, and dialling in their equipment setups for the races on Sunday.
The question of which bike Mathieu van der Poel and his teammates will use on Sunday has been a hot topic this week. Canyon launched its latest Endurace CFR endurance race bike this week, a bike it claims has been designed pretty much exclusively for Van der Poel to use at Roubaix.
Van der Poel and teammate Jasper Philipsen have both raced on the Endurace CFR in the last few weeks, and Philipsen will use it on Sunday. The team wouldn't let me see Van der Poel's bike, and it seems they are remaining tight-lipped on which bike he will use for the moment. The three-time Roubaix champion may still be deciding himself, though he rode a recon this week on the Aeroad at least once.
Article continues below
The Alpecin bikes are fairly stock generally and don't feature as many Roubaix hacks and changes as some bikes, like the new double-headed inner tube liners we spotted this week at Lidl-Trek.
Philipsen's bike had a few interesting features, the biggest of which was the prototype Shimano Dura-Ace pedals it was fitted with. After the Dura-Ace wheels sighting, which have been used for a while, this is the second sighting of any new Dura-Ace componentry. Whilst the pedals are only marked 'Prototype', it seems realistic to expect them to be Dura-Ace models. They appear to have a slightly different body shape, but the axles looked similar.
Philipsen, himself a two-time Roubaix podium finisher, was running 32mm tyres and 172.5mm crank arms on his Endurace CFR, which has a stiffer head tube than Canyon's Aeroad aero race bike. Interestingly, he also had a rigid aero seatpost fitted, not the comfort boosting VCLS Aero seatpost that comes stock on the Endurace.
It won't be long until we see what gets used on Sunday, and as usual, it will probably just come down to what each rider thinks is fastest on the day.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The Endurace CFR looks very similar to the Aeroad at the front. It's difficult to tell the difference between the two models. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
This bike was fitted with the Canyon CP049 Pro base bar, Philipsen runs it slammed, and with a 120mm stem length. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
I assume this is Philipsen's number two bike, though I have seen teams use their own internal numbering systems when it comes to bikes (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
Philipsen will ride the new Endurace CFR, launched just a few days ago, he has already won on the bike. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
A freshly waxed chain on this bike, this seems to be a wax based drip lube, not an hot immersive wax product. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
Here's the latest Dura-Ace prototype equipment, SPD-SL pedals marked 'prototype'. The team confirmed they are Dura-Ace prototypes but wouldn't give me many details. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
The bike was also fitted with the prototype Dura-Ace wheels Philipsen and the rest of the team have been using for some time. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
It's nice to see some grip tape on Philipsen's bottle cages, some of the older Roubaix hacks are still going strong. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
A 30-tooth max sprocket size for Philipsen, Roubaix is famously flat, and the closer sprocket ratios will be preferable. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
The bike was fitted with QR lever axles front and rear, which should speed up wheel changes if needed. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
Endurace CFR tyre clearance is 35mm, though Philipsen was running 32mm tyres. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
He had also fitted the rigid SP0075 aero seatpost used on the Aeroad, not the new Aero VCLS suspension seatpost which comes as stock on the Endurace CFR. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
32mm Pirelli P Zero tyres, the team don't use tyre inserts and a team mechanic told me they are running roughly 3-3.5 bar of pressure, with 60-70ml of sealant. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
40-55T chainrings for Philipsen, giving him a lowest overall gear of 40-30 for Roubaix. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
Philipsen's bike wasn't fitted with the lastest Canyon RACE aero bar, this is the older PACE adjustable handlebar. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
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.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
