Alpecin-Deceuninck determined to bounce back from Opening Weekend - "We need some more time"

Alpecin-Deceuninck is among the leading teams, but they did not fare well during the Flemish Opening Weekend, as the Belgian squad was unable to secure any significant results or places on the podium.

With Jasper Philipsen, Søren Kragh Andersen, Dries De Bondt, and Kaden Groves among their riders, Alpecin-Deceuninck had hoped to achieve victories, but their attempts were unsuccessful. “It just wasn't good enough on Saturday,” sports manager Christoph Roodhooft told Het Nieuwsblad.

He further added, “In Kuurne we got a flat tire at a bad time and we crashed a little later with four riders. We are far from satisfied, but at the same time we do not feel that this will not work out. There are extenuating circumstances, but even with those, it wasn't good enough."

He continues to have a bright outlook for upcoming races. “There were also positive signals from the riders. The condition that Philipsen drives around with is very good. In addition, we come from a height and we have deliberately raced little in competition. We need some more time. Our main goals were not yet in the Opening Weekend, but it would have been nice if we had done a little better,” concluded Roodhooft.