Mathieu van der Poel rides 13-speed Dura Ace prototype at UCI World Championships
Still without an official launch date, we are clearly moving closer to the release of the new, 13-speed, Shimano Dura Ace R9300
Mathieu van der Poel, the Dutch cyclist, was observed using a prototype of the upcoming Shimano Dura-Ace R9300 groupset during the road race at the UCI World Championships held in Montreal, Canada. The Dutchman had previously spotted the new groupset during a course reconnaissance on Wednesday, and it seemed suitable for racing given the frequent dropped chains and mechanical issues that had occurred on the course over the past week.
The Dura-Ace R9300 groupset is characterized by protruding shift buttons situated on the inside of the hoods and a 13-speed drivetrain, which can be determined by counting the rings on the cassette. Earlier, the prototype had been spotted at the Vuelta a España and the Tour de Luxembourg, where Mathieu van der Poel managed to escape solo for 174 kilometers and win stage 5.
The exact nature of the groupset, whether it is a fully production-ready version or still in the process of being refined, remains uncertain. It is also unclear whether the new groupset will be wireless, as riders spotted using it are currently running shifters with a visible wire, which appears to be a refined version of the R9200 design rather than a wireless GRX gravel groupset.
Despite the many unknowns surrounding the new Dura-Ace R9300 groupset, its appearance at a race as high-profile as the UCI World Championships suggests that the components in use are most likely not mere prototypes. Mathieu van der Poel, a rider of Van der Poel's caliber, who has a legitimate shot at the rainbow bands, would not take the risk of using unproven components.
Written by urgent.news from Cycling Weekly's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
