🎥 Van der Poel gets new ambassador at Canyon and the result is a funny video

Rick Zabel is Canyon's new ambassador. The bicycle brand, which includes Mathieu van der Poel and the women's team of Canyon//SRAM, announced the news on Thursday with a funny video on its social media channels.

Zabel is the son of former top sprinter Erik Zabel, but he did not have his father's talent. The 31-year-old German still made it to the WorldTour. Via Rabobank's development team, he joined BMC and went on to ride for Team Katusha Alpecin and the current Israel-Premier Tech. In May of this year, Zabel decided to end his career early.

"After 13 years as an active pro rider, this journey ends this year. I am proud of my career and happy for all the things I have been able to experience and all the people I met. But I believe it's time for something new, and I'm glad I made that decision. I look forward to all the new adventures and challenges that lie ahead. I truly enjoyed this period in my life," he explained his decision.

Read more below the photo.

Zabel rode in the WorldTour for 11 years and won twice. In 2015, he won a stage in the Tour of Austria; in 2019, he was the best in the second stage of the Tour de Yorkshire. Zabel excelled in his career mainly as a domestique, using great power. In that respect, it is not surprising that he now joins Canyon as an ambassador, a bike brand that has guided one of the most powerful cyclists in the peloton for many years.

Canyon//SRAM is Mathieu van der Poel's and Alpecin-Deceunink's main bicycle partner. So, the brand-new acquisition Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (acquired from FDJ-SUEZ) was called in for a nice role in an announcement video. In it, Zabel is "surprised " by what is unclear to the viewer: whether it is Ludwig or the white Canyon bicycle she is holding. Curious? Just watch the video until the end.