In this year's Tour de France, the sprinters had to wait patiently until stage 3 for a flat fast finish. The tough Basque stages meant that after stage two, Victor Lafay was in the Maillot Verte, following an emotional first Tour de France stage win in 15 years for Team Cofidis.
Lafay's stint in the green jersey was short-lived though, as Alpecin Deceuninck's Jasper Philipsen stamped his authority on the race with victories on stages three and four. As the race heads into the first of five mountain ranges in the Pyrenees, the Belgian sprinter may need a morale boost. Luckily, Canyon has been quick to provide, offering up a custom green Canyon Aeroad for Philipsen.
The first thing you might notice about this custom Canyon is that for a green bike, it isn't really that green!
For 2023, the Tour de France organizers have revised the shade of green for the leader of the sprint competition, opting for a less bold pastel green. Nevertheless, Philipsen's new bike is still a looker, so let's take a closer look.
The bike itself is the new Canyon Aeroad CFR - the German bike brand's flagship machine. Being a Sprinter, Philipsen's setup is optimized totally for top speed which means he opts for Canyon's out-and-out aero bike.
Canyon's integrated aero cockpit is adjustable between 390mm and 430mm in width, and in the name of speed, Philipsen has opted for the narrowest setup possible, making him more aerodynamic.
Team sponsor Shimano provides both the wheels and the groupsets on the Alpecin-Deceuninck team bikes, with Philipsen claiming both stage wins on the Dura-Ace C60 aero wheelset shod with Vitorria's new Corsa Pro tan walled tyres.
The groupset is a flagship affair in the shape of 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace R9270. For the flat stages, Philipsen has opted for 54/40 chainrings alongside an 11-34 cassette. Sprint shifters can also be found in the drops, so when the pace is well and truly on, gear shifts are never out of reach.
World tour team bikes are often covered with pro bike nuances, and this one is no different. The Alpecin-Deceuninck riders get a custom 3D-printed cycle computer mount up front, keeping the front end neat and tidy.
Philipsen has even got a matching green latex inner tube to cover the transponder which sits on the front fork of his bike - a classy touch, we think.
The Belgian sprinter has proven that he is the man to beat on the sprint stages of the Tour de France this year, and with Mathieu van der Poel as his main lead-out man, he will be tough to beat - but can he keep the jersey til Paris?
