Mathieu van der Poel wins omloop on unreleased Shimano Dura-Ace wheelset

Mathieu van der Poel won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday in an impressive fashion. The Dutchman achieved this after a solo of about fifteen kilometers, riding a Canyon bike equipped with a... yet-to-be-released Shimano Dura-Ace wheelset. This was reported by Bikeradar following an extensive analysis.

Mathieu van der Poel and his Alpecin-Premier Tech teammates consistently race with Shimano wheels. They opt for the high-end Dura-Ace wheels, and Van der Poel is now presumably testing a new variant.

It is said to be a yet unreleased set of Shimano Dura-Ace C50 wheels with carbon spokes. The attentive cycling fan may have already noticed Van der Poel riding a wheelset without logos and decals on Saturday.

The most striking difference between the wheels on Van der Poel’s bike and the existing Dura-Ace wheels is the carbon spokes and the hidden nipples inside the rim. Shimano’s current Dura-Ace wheels use steel spokes with external spoke nipples.

Carbon spokes have gained significant popularity in recent years and are increasingly favored in high-end road bike wheelsets. This is to save weight and improve bike stiffness without compromising aerodynamic performance.

Aerodynamic advantage
Hidden spoke nipples are also expected to provide a slight aerodynamic benefit. The downside, however, is that the tire and rim tape must be removed to true the wheel, but for a top racer like Van der Poel (who has the support of a whole team of mechanics), this is not an issue.

According to Bikeradar, these wheels could hit the market soon, possibly as part of the next generation Dura-Ace wheels, the R9300. The UCI requires brands to make prototypes commercially available within 12 months after their first use in competition.