Mathieu Van Der Poel spotted on new Canyon Race Bike

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. 

Pictures and information has 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.