Dutchman rides striking new colourscheme in Budapest time trial
Image 1 of 4
Van der Poel's Canyon Speedmax CFR TT(Image credit: Alpecin-Fenix)
The front end(Image credit: Alpecin-Fenix)
Black components to contrast the pink frame(Image credit: Alpecin-Fenix)
The Speedmax is Canyon's aero TT offering(Image credit: Alpecin-Fenix)
After winning the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia on Friday, Mathieu van der Poel will take to the stage 2 time trial in the pink jersey of overall leader, and has been given a bike to match.
The Alpecin-Fenix rider will have a striking new pink colourscheme on his Canyon Speedmax CFR TT to celebrate his stint in pink.
The frame and fork are bathed in the colour of the Giro d'Italia leader's jersey, with Canyon branding blending in with an ever-so-slightly different shade rather than standing out.
The result is a striking look where the hit of pink contrasts with the black everywhere else - disc wheel on the rear, deep-section rim on the front, plus the integrated time trial cockpit, seatpost, saddle, and chainset.
After his victory on the uphill finish in Visegrad on Friday, Van der Poel will be the last rider down the ramp on the 9.2km time trial in Budapest on Saturday afternoon. He carries a lead of 14 seconds over most of the field and will be hopeful of retaining the maglia rosa for another day at least.
The Dutchman went to great lengths to defend the yellow jersey in the early time trial at last year's Tour de France, calling for the best non-sponsor equipment from miles away, and duly placed fifth in what was an extraordinary ride for someone with little time trialling experience.
He appears to be using a similar set-up again, with wheels sourced away from team sponsor Shimano. At the Tour last year, Van der Poel used a Blur 633 rear wheel from Princeton Carbonworks, along with an Aerocoach Aeox Titan front wheel.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The front wheel is again the Aeox Titan supplied by Aerocoach, while the rear wheel is the Vanquish RCD Pro Disc from HED. He's pairing them with 25mm Vittoria Corsa Speed Graphene 2.0 TLR tyres.
Upfront, Aerocoach has also supplied its Ascalon aero extensions, and he's using the Watt time trial saddle from Selle Italia.
Notably, Van der Poel is using Shimano's Dura-Ace groupset in a 2x set-up, with a 58-tooth outer chainring and 46-tooth inner ring which could come in handy on the short climb at the end of the time trial course.
The Canyon Speedmax CFR TT, adapted from the company's triathlon offering, was launched one year ago. The frame is said to weigh just 1,030 grams in a size medium, complete with a 500-gram fork.
Van der Poel's pink accessorising doesn't stop at the bike though. The Dutchman's kit has also been swapped out to complement his time in the maglia rosa. His Abus Gamechanger TT helmet bears flashes of the same colour, while his Wahoo Elemnt Bolt is decked out entirely in pink. Even his the Zwift logos on his aero socks get the pink treatment, as shown below in the team's recent post to social media.
Patrick is an NCTJ-trained journalist, and former deputy editor of Cyclingnews, who has seven years’ experience covering professional cycling. He has a modern languages degree from Durham University and has been able to put it to some use in what is a multi-lingual sport, with a particular focus on French and Spanish-speaking riders. Away from cycling, Patrick spends most of his time playing or watching other forms of sport - football, tennis, trail running, darts, to name a few, but he draws the line at rugby.
