The Belgian sprint star is riding an unreleased Canyon Aeroad CFR at this year's Tour de France
(Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Belgian sprint star, Jasper Philipsen, is already a winner of six stages of the Tour and the green jersey in 2023, and he will surely be aiming to add to that tally this year.
The first opportunity on stage 3 passed him by as superstar leadout man, Mathieu van der Poel, was forced into a late bike change and a late crash ended his day.
Cyclingnews' Associate Editor Josh Croxton has been on the ground at the Tour, compiling a bumper Tour de France Grand Départ tech gallery, and amid the chaos of driving from hotel to hotel, he managed to grab Philipsen's bike and take some shots ahead of the race kick-off in Florence.
Unlike Lidl-Trek, who played with onlookers by putting both Madone and Emonda stickers on their latest new bike (spoiler: it was the new Madone), the 'Aeroad' model name sticker on the top tube removes any potential doubt of what this new bike is exactly. Although, that much was already evident from the similarities to the existing Aeroad.
This bike appears to have received refinements, rather than a huge overhaul, the headtube area, seatstay - seat tube junction and chainstays appear to have received attention, and it looks like there's a new integrated Canyon handlebar that has a stem with a negative slope, we assume to make the front end of Canyon's aero race bike even faster. This is marked up as the CP0049, different to the CP0015 used by pros with the existing Aeroad, and also different from the already-spotted CP0039 'Gear Groove' handlebar that was launched alongside the Grizl.
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Philipsen looks to have a custom-painted bike alongside his teammate Mathieu van der Poel. The silver and chrome stands out compared to his teammate's purple and blue bikes. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Let's start at the front end, Dura-Ace C50 wheels fitted with Vittoria's 28mm Corsa Pro tyres, a section of inner tube covers the fork leg transponder, as is common amongst various teams. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Spot the chrome 'Aeroad' on the top tube, surely this is a new model, or is it there to put us off the scent? I think it's safe to assume the former is correct. The way the head tube steps up to elongate the top tube profile is one of the biggest visual changes from the existing Aeroad. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The handlebar is width adjustable via two pairs of Torx bolts, the same as the existing Aeroad's Canyon handlebar. The Canyon computer mount is also 3D printed. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
A front-on shot of the bars, note the negative stem slope of the stem for a more aggressive position. An aero top section is also said to be worth around 10 watts over a round one, a big gain for pro riders. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
A slammed and aggressive front end for Philipsen, the headtube junction looks slightly deeper in this shot. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Who doesn't love a big chromo logo? (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupsets for the team, this bike is fitted with 40-54T size chainrings. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
No mistaking whose this bike is. The seatpost clamp bolt has been relocated to the top tube on this model, using a Torx bolt and 5Nm torque rating. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
A nice look at the top tube, seat tube junction which features some different profiling, a neat number hold keeps things uncluttered on the seatpost too. (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
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.
