Mathieu van der Poel’s bikes are close to the highest of our most-covered Professional Bike Checks’ checklist, and he will get one other one with a brand new Canyon Inflite “CFR”. MvdP had an entire fleet of white Inflites to race for a sixth UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championship title in Tábor, Czechia over the weekend – on the identical course the place he earned his first Elite rainbow stripes nearly a decade earlier.
But whereas his bikes undeniably bought the built-in cable routing improve of the newest evolution of Canyon’s carbon cross Inflite, van der Poel’s frames appeared like they have been having a little bit of an identification disaster – every labeled Inflite CF SLX on the facet of their seat cluster, however CFR on the highest of their toptubes…
So what offers?
Canyon Inflite CFR of 2024 World Champ Mathieu van der Poel
Canyon formally launched a higher-spec, extra built-in CFR spec of their carbon Inflite cross bike at first of this cross season. All constructed round their ultralight Canyon Manufacturing unit Racing carbon development.
And Mathieu van der Poel was racing on it from day one.
On the surface, this nonetheless seems rather a lot like MvdP’s Inflite CF SLXes that we featured in 2018 & 2019. He’d already received CX Worlds on this similar bike in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, and now provides a 2024 win. Solely his first Elite win, additionally in Tábor again in 2015, was on a unique bike – a camouflage Stevens Tremendous Status.
So, why the Inflite CF SLX vs. Inflite CFR identification disaster?
My first guess would have been that the brand new CFR body was merely not but on the UCI Listing of Permitted Fashions of Framesets for highway/cross/monitor racing. At the very least not as not too long ago because the February 1st replace – the day earlier than CX Worlds kicked off.
All of van der Poel’s bikes featured a UCI-approved sticker with the quantity R059 – the quantity authorised for the CF SLX again in July 2017.
Actually, no Canyon bikes appear to have been added to that checklist in any respect in 2023.
However plainly all the CFR fashions on Canyon’s personal web site have that very same R059 designation. So there actually is nothing totally different between a CFR & a CF SLX body, it appears
The large new characteristic on the not too long ago launched Inflite CFR mannequin was its clear totally inner cable routing. Now with cables directed inside by means of the Aerocockpit borrowed from the highway, and through the headset into the fork. So the CFR frames shouldn’t want exterior cable routing ports, however there nonetheless are 3 of them on the edges of the headtube.
What’s new although is the CFR fork.
The usual CF SLX had a 1.25-1.5″ tapered steerer. However the CFR makes use of a 1.125-1.5″ tapered steerer with a gap on the prime to permit the rear brake cable to enter the body internally. After which a 1.25″ sleeve extending down from the cockpit (kinda like an previous quill stem) fills within the hole to the identical 1.25″ higher headset bearing within the CFR/CF SLX body.
Race-ready CX bike
Presumably, that’s a minimal sufficient change to not warrant going by means of the trouble of getting the UCI to approve a whole new body. And apparently, the UCI doesn’t ask too many questions on this fork – with Zwift logos and no exterior cable ports – not being individually on the authorised checklist.
So, primarily the identical carbon Inflite as for his earlier 4 championship titles whereas using Canyon.
Additionally the identical Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 2x 12-speed wi-fi digital groupset that Mathieu van der Poel has raced since its introduction again within the summer season of 2021. He’s been on the newest disc brake Di2 groupsets ever since his first Elite Worlds title 9 years in the past.
All of it is a tough components to argue with. And Mathieu van der Poel continues to dominate skilled cyclocross racing on this Canyon Inflite CFR. And particularly so, in powerful circumstances just like the unrelenting mud of the Czech course for the 2024 World Championships.
A giant assist falls to an enormous fleet of bikes and a help employees with a recent, clear bike each half lap. See van der Poel with a clear bike right here mid-race, after having simply exited the pits.
And dust-ready tires!
And naturally, dependable mud traction.
Like fellow Dutch World Champ Fem van Empel, Mathieu van der Poel was additionally racing on Dugast Rhino tubulars.
What’s totally different, his tires don’t have any labeling on them. Presumably, that’s to appease official Alpecin-Deceuninck tire provider Vittoria, although they really personal Dugast. Anyway, with no logos, we are able to’t make sure if his tires characteristic Monsoon rubber or neoprene sidewall remedy. However they’re the max 33mm width allowable for cross racing by the UCI.
Van der Poel’s mechanics glue his tires as much as deep Shimano Dura-Ace C50 carbon tubular wheels, the identical he usually races on the highway.
Muddy sufficient to get a recent bike each half a lap
And sure, there was loads of mud throughout the race, when mechanics needed to be fast getting the bike cleaned and able to head out once more. However throughout coaching, they’d slightly bit extra time to spare. So we caught up with bike #1 getting a shower, for a better look.
The newest Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset sees the R9270 levers mounted to the 3-piece adjustable-width Canyon Aerocockpit handlebar + stem + built-in carbon quill combo. It’s a tidy, aero setup. And no shows to distract Mathieu whereas racing – or warming up apparently.
His Inflite CFR will get a basic professional cyclocross 46/39T Dura-Ace double chainring crankset setup there below a full lap’s mud. An a trusty set of XTR SPD pedals. (Belief us, they’re below there.) No energy meter although. When you find yourself swapping bikes each half a lap – or roughly each 1.5km – amassing information throughout a number of bikes would merely be a multitude.
So van der Poel sticks with a easy Whoop wristband health tracker, as a substitute.
All the things will get clogged up with mud & grass in a correct cross race. So when time permits earlier than the racing, MvdP’s mechanics use a Morgan Blue pulley that slides onto the 12mm thru-axle to actually get in and clear each nook-and-cranny with the wheels off. There’s additionally a ton of mud caught up in that saddle. And with its ergonomic cutout – additionally van de Poel’s bottom.
He rides perhaps the saddle with the longest identify within the trade, the Selle Italia Flite Enhance Package Carbonio Superflow MVDP version. And no, this isn’t a customized saddle. We noticed a number of different racers sitting on Mathieu van der Poel’s initials to race.
Muddy kicks, and professional cleansing suggestions, too.
Mathieu van der Poel has future the highest sneakers in Shimano’s line-up. And sometimes will be noticed sporting growth prototypes that don’t at all times make it to manufacturing. His sneakers this yr are Shimano’s newest S-Phyre XC903 iteration of their prime mountain bike shoe. Now with a redesigned laser-perforated higher, the newest Ultread rubber sole, and tweaked lacing guides. And naturally, for muddy racing van der Poel is operating a set of the non-obligatory toe spikes.
His professional crew secret right here, in addition to having a lot of recent sneakers to vary into whereas coaching? Workforce mechanics stress wash his muddy sneakers after a course recon pre-ride. Then, they use an air compressor to blow all of the water out of them instantly after. With their artificial development, they arrive out surprisingly dry when the mechanic is finished with them.
2024 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Champion Mathieu van der Poel
With that setup, MvdP stomped his method to one other emphatic World Championship win aboard his Canyon Inflite CFR.
Now with racing for the Dutch Nationwide Workforce achieved, he can return to a recent rainbow-striped Alpecin-Deceuninck skinsuit. And most definitely, it’s time for Canyon to determine a brand new rainbow-themed paint job for his Inflite CFR race bikes. It’s the fifth World Championship win on this Inflite platform. So, Canyon’s graphic designers are going to have to come back on with some inventive new concepts.
Any design theme strategies?
