Van der Poel's Olympic Canyon Lux - what would have happened with a dropper seatpost?

Most cyclists and brands wore customised models for the occasion at the Tokyo Olympics, as did Mathieu van der Poel. But his crash on the first lap of the race drew all the attention to the Dutchman, and the Japanese manga-inspired Canyon Lux went completely unnoticed.

Van der Poel's Canyon Lux CF at the Tokyo Olympics

The aesthetics chosen for the Canyon Lux CF are a clear homage to Japan. On a pearly white base, the details of a manga character with pink hair and a huge green eye glowing in the seat tube stand out.

 

Mathieu van der Poel chose a set-up almost identical to the one we have already seen him ride this season, but there was one component that generated a lot of debate after his crash: the seat post.

Would a dropper seatpost have prevented the crash?

Nowadays most of the World Cup grid rides with a dropper seatpost in almost every race, but there are also riders like Van der Poel or Koretzky, among others, who opt for the lightest possible set-up and choose conventional carbon seatposts. In the Tokyo race, van der Poel was not wearing a telescopic seatpost when he failed on the biggest jump of the circuit. Here you can watch the crash.

We could say that the fall was practically inevitable, but only a day later we saw how Joldanda Neff saved an almost identical failure in the same place. The Swiss rider was riding with a dropper seatpost and was lowered at the exact moment she had to avoid the fall.

Complete assembly of Van der Poel's Canyon Lux CF for Tokyo 2020

• Frame: Canyon Lux CF SLX
• Fork: Fox 32 SC 100mm
• Shock: Fox Float DPS 100 mm
• Drivetrain: Shimano XTR with 175mm crankset and 10-51 cassette
• Brakes: Shimano XTR
• Wheels: 28 mm carbon rims with Shimano XTR M8110 hubs
• Handlebar with integrated stem: Canyon CP0008 with 720 mm handlebar and 115 mm stem with -22°.
• Grips: ESI Grips chunky
• Dropper seatpost: Canyon S29CF - 30.9 - 400mm
• Saddle: Selle Italia Flite Boost MVDP Edition
• Pedals: Shimano XTR
• Tyres: Maxxis Ikon