You can tell it\u2019s the off season when even the bike company media people are so bored they\u2019re trying to start tiffs online. Case in point: Canyon just posted a fun little video of Mathieu van der Poel schooling Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Jasper Philipsen in a trackstand competition. Cute, right?<\/p>\n
Except it landed just days after a nearly identical video from MvdP\u2019s perpetual rival, Wout van Aert. In that video, the Belgian went head to head with Red Bull teammate and fellow PON Holding\u2019s rider (both Cerv\u00e9lo and Santa Cruz are owned by PON) downhill world champion Jackson Goldstone<\/a>.<\/p>\n The timing could be a coincidence, except for Canyon\u2019s saucy little comment: \u201cA trackstand face-off that nobody asked for but everybody needed it.\u201d Maybe we\u2019re also a little bored with no racing, but that sure feels like Canyon\u2019s calling out Cerv\u00e9lo and Red Bull\u2019s little mini-viral moment. Almost like Philipsen isn\u2019t, maybe, the real competition for MvdP here.<\/p>\n A level, but weird playing field<\/p>\n That caption, and that van der Poel is absolutely crushing Philipsen, makes it feel like a statement. (In the video, van der Poel is, as he helpfully points out in the comments just so we all know he won, \u201cthe yellow bike guy.\u201d)<\/p>\n All four riders are in street shoes and cornered into a box taped on the ground, so its more a show of natural skill than a race-scenario. (I\u2019m not actually sure what that race scenario would be, even if they were in kit and race shoes. Unless WvA and MvdP get bored on the road and start racing track sprints, they\u2019re not trackstanding their way across Roubaix next spring) Van Aert fares well. Van der Poel looks like he could stay there all day.<\/p>\n Wout van Aert vs. Jackson Goldstone: Who has the skills?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n On that point, several in the comments (and at least one in our office) called out van der Poel\u2019s foot on the front wheel. When trackstanding on flat ground, using the front wheel to balance the bike could be easier than using the brakes and pedals to control the bike\u2019s movement. Others argued that doing so requires the skill to first sit on the bike while trackstanding, then take one foot off and get it to the front wheel. So is it cheating? We\u2019ll let you tape a square in your living room and find out for yourself.<\/p>\n Is this the most exciting news in the world? Well, no. It\u2019d be a big stretch to say it is even a hint that van der Poel\u2019s feeling confident about his semi-announced \u2018cross campaign<\/a> this winter. Are the brands calling out each other\u2019s star riders? Well, the riders certainly aren\u2019t (MvdP commented, but he\u2019s probably contractually obligated to). Maybe Canyon figured they could get a few hits by shamelessly copying exactly what Cerv\u00e9lo and Red Bull did. Which isn\u2019t as interesting as MvdP and WvA having a little off-season battle. But what else are we going to write about? Weird Italian talent shows<\/a>? At the very, very least at least trackstands are more fun than unveiling weird gold statues of your star riders likeness.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n