Sharing dreams

Mathieu van der Poel is the most explosive rider in cycling, a multi-discipline legend-in-the-making whose daring attacks leave us all gasping for breath.

Jasper Philipsen is the fastest sprinter in the world, a no-holds-barred finisher who has recently added a mastery of the cobbles – and the Poggio – to his arsenal of speed.

Together, they form an almost unbeatable duo for Alpecin-Deceuninck, and in the last couple of years, their teamwork has led to unforgettable victories at the biggest races.

This is how they share speed dreams aboard the new Canyon Aeroad.

“The harder the race, the better.”

Since he first started riding Canyon bikes in 2018, Mathieu van der Poel has won an incredible 166 races – and counting.

“I really love to win. That’s why I started racing, and that's what motivates and drives me,” he says.

It’s not just the number that impresses, it’s the way Mathieu does it. Pioneer of the modern ‘total cycling’, MVDP opens proceedings as early as he can. The harder the race, the better for him. 

“We start racing from kilometre zero and we stop after 260 km,” he says. “You suffer less when you attack and go alone than when you are tortured on someone else's wheel. At the World Championships [in Glasgow] we were all dead 22 km from the finish. Then I attacked and, suddenly, I was much fresher, as if wings had sprouted". 

That attack led to a rainbow jersey, the hallowed prize for being the best in the world.

MVDP – Cycling's MVP.

There was a time when Jasper Philipsen only seemed to finish second. A time when he was unfairly nicknamed ‘Jasper Disaster’. The pressure and near misses weighed heavily on the young sprinter.

Then in 2023, everything came together for the Belgian. He started winning sprints with joyful abandon – 19 in total that season. And then he enjoyed the race of his life so far on the cobbles of northern France.

"My podium finish in Paris-Roubaix made it all click – now I know that I can also compete for wins in races of that calibre," he says. "I took the step I wanted to take in that kind of race. It's something to continue with and I like doing it alongside sprinting."

That summer, four stage wins and the green jersey took him to the summit of sprinting. And in March 2024 he went even higher: a Milano-San Remo win, his first Monument.

Jasper had become the ‘Master’.

Despite having two of the fastest riders in the world on their roster since 2021, the first time that Alpecin-Deceuninck put Mathieu and Jasper together for a sprint was Tirreno-Adriatico 2023.

In the final metres of Stage 2, Mathieu was at the front, attempting to lead out his teammate. Jasper wasn’t on his wheel, however, and in the messy melee, 2nd was the best the Belgian could muster.

It only took one day to nail the greatest lead out partnership that cycling has seen since Cav and Renshaw, however. The following stage, Mathieu led Jasper out perfectly to the win.

Seeing one of the greatest riders in the world play lead out man made headlines, but this new role was one that Mathieu clearly relished: “Of course I prefer to win myself, but if you can help somebody achieve their dreams, it gives a lot of joy for me.”

At the Baloise Belgium Tour two months later the duo repeated the feat on Stage 1, and then at the greatest show on earth, the Tour de France, Stages 3, 4 and 7 were lessons in sprinting perfection.

Each time, a muscular, powerful MVDP burst clear of the bunch with Jasper on his wheel. Each time, the Belgian came round to take the win.

“With Mathieu we can put a really high pace,” says Jasper. “Not many lead outs are able to pass him if he can produce all the power he’s capable of. It’s nice to have a train like that.”

On Stage 7, MVDP was relegated to a tangle with Biniam Girmay. “I saw an opening and just had to go for it for Jasper,” he said afterwards, revealing his all-or-nothing approach for his friend and roommate at the race.

Jasper was equally unapologetic that to win at the Tour, “you have to go on the limit. That’s just how sprinting works, otherwise you should stay home. We’re not here to make friends with other teams, that’s for sure.”

The punchy pair’s partnership has continued since the 2023 Tour.

Jasper’s newfound strength in the cobbled classics frees Mathieu to attack with even more freedom, or ride more tactically, safe in the knowledge that Jasper is sitting in the pack behind, ready to win the sprint if everything comes back together.

At Gent-Wevelgem in 2024, Jasper took fourth behind Mathieu’s second. At Paris-Roubaix, they went 1-2 for the second successive year, an incredible achievement, and at Milano-San Remo Jasper won his first Monument thanks to teamwork from Mathieu to keep the race together for a sprint. It’s an emblematic victory for the team, with true unity on display in tricky circumstances.

"I am proud, also of what Mathieu has done. What fantastic teamwork, it's wonderful that we could finish this as a team", said Jasper afterwards. "I have to thank him a lot for what he did. Without him, I probably would not have won, no."

Mathieu is equally happy with the result: "It's really beautiful. He helped me achieve victory last year in Paris-Roubaix, and I don't forget things like that. I really wanted him to have this victory. If Jasper says he’s great, I believe him and then I ride for him. We are always honest with each other."

Jasper echoes the sentiment: "We understand each other well and know what each other's strengths are. In the end, Mathieu is the last person to think of himself. He likes to help others, as I did last year in Roubaix. I will never forget what he has done. I am eternally grateful to him. It was probably my only chance to win a Monument, so I hope we have more moments like this together in the coming years and that I can give something back to him."

There is always pressure at the greatest show on earth.

The Tour de France turns the heat up to ten every July, and if you’ve won four stages the previous year, and 50% of every sprint you’ve contested in the past three years, expectations are high.

So, in the first week of the 2024 Tour, when Jasper wasn’t winning, the flames of frustration were rising. There were expletives at the team bus. A relegation for irregular sprinting. Even the lead out didn’t look quite as dialled as usual.

But then, straight out of the rest day, Alpecin-Deceuninck performed a textbook lead out on Stage 10 that left Mathieu and Jasper with a clear road ahead.

A dominant stage win followed, and the pressure valve was released.

“I think you can say the feeling is relief,” said Jasper. “Last week was not great, an endless week. But I’m really happy that the team kept on believing in me, and we could play our strength so that everybody gets that deserved win today.”

The first person to congratulate Jasper after the line was Mathieu: “When he was disqualified last week he doubted himself a bit too much. We said: ‘don't doubt and just launch your sprint’. I think he did a really nice sprint today.”

As they say, pressure makes diamonds.

With both riders signed with Alpecin-Deceuninck and Canyon for the long-term future, their speed dreams will remain intertwined. Luckily, they have the fastest bike in the peloton to help them.

“It’s obvious why I’ve been on Canyon bikes for so long, and I will still be with them for a long time to come”, says MVDP. “It’s because I have full confidence that it’s the best bike on the market.”

When Canyon started development on the new generation of the Aeroad, the R+D team and engineers went straight to Mathieu and Jasper for their input. “It’s nice that Canyon listens to the riders. Obviously we ride the bike every day so we can give a lot of feedback,” says Jasper.

“I think they’ve done an amazing job again on the new bike,” says Mathieu. “It’s lighter, and it’s more aerodynamic, which I think can make a big difference in the races.”

“This bike is special to me because I won many races on it,” says Jasper. “As a sprinter you want to win races. As an athlete you want to be first. And if you have a reliable bike you love, then you can do it.”

#SpeedDreams