Gravel bike of the world champion: The Canyon Grail CFR by Mathieu van der Poel

Not only van der Poel celebrated a triple in Leuven/Belgium, with the all-rounder also securing the rainbow jersey in gravel after winning the world titles on the road (2023) and cyclo-cross (2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024). This is also Canyon's third consecutive gravel world champion, after the title fights have been held under the umbrella of the UCI since 2022.

After Gianni Vermeersch (Belgium) was still riding a modified bike at the first edition of the official Gravel World Championships Ultimate CFR, actually a lightweight race all-rounder for demanding mountain stages, van der Poel opted for the Grail CFR, as did Kaisa Niewiadoma (Poland) last year. An off-road specialist with racing ambitions.

The Canyon Grail CFR by Mathieu van der Poel

• Frame set: Canyon Grail CFR
• Handlebar/stem: Canyon CP0039 (370/110 mm)
• Drive/gear shift: Shimano Dura-Ace (2x12; 52/36, 11-34 t.)
• Impellers: Prototype
• Tyres: Vittoria Terreno Zero (38 mm)
• Saddle: Selle Italia Flite
• Pump: SKS Airbuster CO2

Compared to the standard model, which earned one of the best TOUR grades for a gravel bike in our test, MvdP" had his bike modified a little by the team mechanics. The most noticeable change, apart from the special mother-of-pearl paintwork, can be seen in the drivetrain: the 29-year-old changed the gears with Shimano's Dura-Ace Di2, whereby the gear ratio with the 52/36 chainring combination was slightly lower than in his road setup. The standard wheels are fitted with all-terrain groupsets from Shimano (GRX Di2) or SRAM (Red XPLR AXS).

It is interesting to look at the wheels on van der Poel's racing bike, as the relatively high carbon rims were marked without the usual decals. The current double cyclocross and gravel world champion was therefore either travelling with an as yet unreleased wheelset from his sponsor Shimano or was using a wheel from another manufacturer.

For the tyres, van der Poel opted for fast Terreno Zero tyres from his equipment supplier Vittoria. At 38 millimetres, these were somewhat narrower than on many current gravel bikes. The standard Grail CFR also rolls on slightly wider tyres from Goodyear or Schwalbe.

Although Canyon gave the second generation of the Grail a storage compartment for a puncture repair kit in the down tube, "MvdP" preferred to go for the old-fashioned solution and fixed a CO2 pump from SKSAirbuster model, using adhesive tape on the carbon support. The whole thing looks a bit like a DIY solution, but should be the quicker alternative in the event of a puncture.

Canyon also offers the cockpit on van der Poel's racing bike for amateur athletes - but only as a retrofit option and not in the professional dimensions of the all-round talent. With a stem length of 110 millimetres, its custom-made version was only 370 millimetres wide. The Koblenz-based company bolts at least 420 millimetre wide handlebar/stem combos to the bikes ex works, with stems varying between 60 and 80 millimetres depending on the frame size. The sportiest version in the accessories shop measures 110/400 millimetres.