Yesterday’s powerful display on the final ramp into Boulogne-sur-Mer not only put Mathieu van der Poel in yellow. It also put him on yellow, too.
The punchy run-in over the final few kilometres marked the Alpecin-Deceuninck star as one of the clear favorites for the stage. And he didn’t disappoint. By beating Tadej Pogacar to the line, Van der Poel ensured that his team would remain in the leaders jersey, as well as starting Stage 3 on an special edition all-yellow Canyon Aeroad CFR.
Van der Poel’s Aeroad features a paint scheme courtesy of the 'MyCanyon' customization programme. Here it employs a hand-stamping effect that produces a 3D-like pattern on the frame. Certainly, he won’t be hard to spot in the peloton.
The Aeroad CFR helped Van der Poel to achieve a spring for the ages as the 30-year-old Dutch rider won Milan-San Remo and Paris Roubaix for the second and third time respectively. And he’s showing no signs of slowing down, taking his second career Tour de France stage.
The bike is equipped with both an aero seatpost and adjustable-width aero cockpit, which help make the Aeroad one of the most aerodynamically efficient bikes in the race. Atop the post sits a Selle Royal Flite saddle.
Van der Poel is rolling on a set of yet-to-be-released Shimano Dura-Ace C60 wheelsets. We’ve covered the hoops in more detail but these prototypes use what appears to be carbon bladed spokes and redesigned hubs to match with the 60mm deep rims. The wheels are shod with Pirelli P Zero tyres in a 30mm width, highlighting the peloton-wide continued move to wider tyres.
The teammate who relinquished the yellow jersey to Van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen, unfortunately crashed out of Stage 3. The Belgian sprinter would have been hoping to contest the stage in his pursuit for green but instead found himself out of the race with a broken collarbone after a collision with Cofidis's Bryan Coquard at the day’s intermediate sprint point.
Philipsen crashed out aboard his Aeroad CFR that was decked out in a stunning green paint scheme to honour his lead in the points classification.
