Van der Poel was spotted riding what appears to be a new prototype Canyon Aeroad model
(Image credit: Mathieu Van der Poel)
The off-season for most professional cyclists will often mean new equipment and becoming familiar with a new model of bike or even a switch to one or several brand-new manufacturers. Team leaders and star riders are often tasked with helping develop new equipment or test prototypes during winter team training camps.
The days of re-badged frames and custom-made bikes painted up in team colours seem to be long gone. Most professionals now have aero-optimised race bikes and perhaps the option of a second model depending on the terrain. High-end pro team bikes now are modelled by computer programmes and tested in the wind tunnel to ensure no crucial seconds are lost that could mean the difference between winning or losing. As such it is often big news when a star rider is spotted riding a prototype bike or new model in the off-season.
Tadej Pogacar's new bike on the other hand has been no secret, with the Slovenian riding it for a good portion of this year in plain view. Our own Will Jones was present at the official launch of the new Colnago V4Rs bike recently and test-rode it himself.
The as yet unnamed bike has a plain black finish for now without branding (Image credit: Mathieu Van der Poel)
Pictures and information have been uncovered by the Dutch website Wielerflits of Mathieu Van der Poel riding what appears to be a prototype Canyon bike or possibly a new iteration of the Aeroad model he currently uses.
The pictures of Van der Poel riding the mystery bike appeared briefly on Gianni Vermeerch's Instagram and in a Strava activity by Van der Poel but have apparently since been removed.
We recently featured Van der Poel's training bike which hinted at his 2023 race setup, but this new machine could be a sign that Canyon has something new in the works. The current Aeroad was launched in 2020 and has been ridden to some huge victories along the way.
The existence of the Aeroad hasn't been entirely without mishap, however. Canyon instructed all owners to discontinue using the bike for a period in 2021 after Van der Poel snapped his handlebars at La Samyn and after a spate of issues relating to seatpost clamps and broken seatposts.
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A shot of the new bike and it's wide looking tyres from behind. Could this bike see action at Roubaix? (Image credit: Mathieu Van der Poel)
There could be a strong chance the as-yet-unnamed frame is a new version of the Aeroad, with the frame looking very similar to the Aeroad.
There appears to be a change in the frame at the junction of the top tube and seat tube area with the pictures showing some extra material in this area. The head tube also looks slightly different – appearing slightly thinner and having some sort of aero profiling at the bottom of the head tube. The tyres on the bike also look to be higher volume and at least a 28mm size.
When asked, a representative from Canyon said, "We seem to have a lot of Aeroad being produced at the mo (sic) so it's unlikely there will be a change any time soon." We may well have to wait for the start of races next year to see if this new bike makes an appearance.
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Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as tech writer. Tom has over 10 years experience as a qualified mechanic with 5 or so of those being spent running an independent workshop. Tom 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, even the odd bit of bike polo. Tom is as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike exploring the Worcestershire lanes.
