Mathieu van der Poel has won the men’s Cyclo-cross World Championships title seven times. His first victory came in 2015 and he’s won every edition since 2019, apart from in 2022, when he was absent due to back pain.
Now, the Dutchman is the overwhelming favourite for the 2026 Championships, which take place in his home country this weekend, after a remarkable season where he has won all 12 races he’s entered.
If he wins on Sunday in Hulst, he’ll enter the history books, surpassing the record of seven Cyclo-cross World Championships he shares with Erik De Vlaeminck.
So, with a record seemingly his to lose – and a back catalogue of custom builds, even for Tour de France stage wins – it’s little surprise Van der Poel has been equipped with a special Canyon Inflite cyclocross bike for the race. Here’s a closer look.
Mathieu van der Poel’s Canyon Inflite for the 2026 Cyclo-cross World Championships
Unlike the white Inflite cyclocross bike he raced at last year’s Championships, Canyon has given Van der Poel a neat orange paintjob with the Netherlands flag running across the fork, seat tube and seatstays. CanyonWhile you might expect a 1x drivetrain on a cyclocross bike, Van der Poel is running his preferred 2x 46/36 Dura-Ace crankset. Canyon Dugast is a popular cyclocross tyre brand, and Vittoria acquired the Dutch tubular specialist in 2021. Canyon Van der Poel has his usual Selle Italia Flite saddle adorned with his initials – but not in orange. CanyonVan der Poel is a Zwift ambassador – and the indoor training giant's logo makes its way onto the Inflite's fork. Canyon The Inflite has a kinked top tube to create more shoulder room for carrying the bike up and over obstacles. CanyonVan der Poel has already been riding his bespoke bike, but will it be crossing the line first on Sunday? Canyon
Stan is BikeRadar’s content editor. Stan works on everything from content strategy and breaking news to evergreen updates and long-form features. Stan started working in the bike industry in 2018, writing content for some of the sport's biggest brands, before moving to BikeRadar in 2020. With a degree in design history and a master's in writing, he has worked as a freelance writer and journalist for the past nine years, writing reviews, essays and interviews for many art, design and literature publications, as well as appearing on radio. A road cyclist at heart, Stan has undertaken foolhardy pursuits such as 300km overnight audaxes, and you’ll likely find him cycling through Essex from his home in East London.
