The world's fastest cyclocross racer is set to do battle in Wisconsin - this is his bike
It doesn't get much more custom than this.
The custom M sticker is a nice touch for Mathieu.
Given the heat of the past two weeks, Van der Poel is racing with a water bottle; this is a cage from the sponsor Tacx.
Van der Poel rides a Selle Italia Flite saddle.
Of course this is a UCI-approved race frame.
Van der Poel has been riding "proto type" pedals from Shimano, but they seem to just be Shimano XTR PD-M9000s with the side shaved off, perhaps for better performance in sand and mud.
With no canti bakes in the way, there's plenty of mud clearance in back.
The Dutchman may race these 33 mm file treads on the fast, dry course in Waterloo.
Van der Poel's bike had Elite Prototype FMB tubular tires when we shot the bike.
Van der Poel rides 172.5 mm cranks.
Up front he was riding double chainrings, 39-46.
In back, Van der Poel was running an 11-28 cassette.
This is Shimano's new Dura-Ace Di2 R9100 rear derailleur.
There's plenty of smooth, powerful stopping power in back. Here Van der Poel had a quick release in the rear, though he also rides wheels with thru-axles.
Like most pros, Van der Poel rides hydraulic disc brakes. These are part of the new Dura-Ace Di2 R9100 component group.
Dura-Ace is one of the best component groups on the market. It's well designed and engineered with a refined, classy look.
The Dura-Ace Di2 shifters let you change gears electronically with a simple touch.
The grippy Dura-Ace hoods are nice and long, so you can easily fit your whole hand on them comfortably.
Van der Poel rides a 120 mm stem with the Di2 junction box strapped snug underneath. (This is where you charge the battery for the Shimano Dura-Ace electronic-shifting system.)
The Stealth EVO bars feature an ergonomic bend in the drops for a comfortable hand position. They're wrapped in grippy Selle Italia tape.
Van der Poel's tidy cockpit features a fully integrated carbon stem-handlebar combination by Pro, the component division of Shimano. These are the Stealth EVO bars.
Stevens Bikes is a German company; its bike are not available for sale in the US, and pricing is unavailable.
Van der Poel rides a 58 cm carbon Stevens Super Prestige. According to Stevens, it weighs 8.2 kilograms, or 18 pounds.
We shot Van der Poel's bike a few days before the big race in Waterloo, at Trek Bicycle Corp., host of the second round of the nine-race Telenet UCI Cyclocross World Cup series. This is one of Van der Poel's Stevens Super Prestige bikes. He has three on hand for each event.
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