Alpecin-Deceuninck have unveiled their eight-man squad for the 2025 Vuelta a Espana, with Jasper Philipsen a surprise inclusion as the Belgian sprinter looks to extend his prolific Grand Tour tally after crashing out of the Tour de France earlier this year
The team have made no secret of their ambitions for the final Grand Tour of the year, stating their goal remains “stage wins, just as we’ve done in the most previous Grand Tours we started.” Philipsen, who has built a reputation as one of the fastest finishers in the peloton, will lead the sprint train in Spain, backed by trusted lead-out duo Jonas Rickaert and Edward Planckaert.
On hillier terrain, Alpecin-Deceuninck will look to Luca Vergallito – the 2022 Zwift Academy winner, nicknamed Il Bandito – alongside Austrian all-rounder Tobias Bayer. Vuelta debutants Gal Glivar and Ramses Debruyne will also be given licence to seek their chances, representing the next generation of talent coming through the team’s development pathway.
The line-up is rounded out by the experience of Oscar Riesebeek, whose road craft and reliability add balance to a squad otherwise tilted towards attacking, stage-hunting riders.
While Philipsen’s inclusion steals the headlines, Alpecin-Deceuninck’s selection reflects a broader strategy of diversification: the team will not pursue the general classification, instead spreading opportunities across sprint stages, breakaways, and selective uphill finishes.
The 2025 Vuelta a Espana begins this Saturday in Turin, with early stages offering chances for fast men before the race turns decisively towards the mountains. For Philipsen, it represents another opportunity to add to his growing Grand Tour legacy – and for Alpecin-Deceuninck, another chance to underline their status as one of the most opportunistic outfits in the peloton.
Alpecin-Deceuninck for the 2025 Vuelta a Espana
Jasper Philipsen
Jonas Rickaert
Edward Planckaert
Luca Vergallito
Tobias Bayer
Gal Glivar
Ramses Debruyne
Oscar Riesebeek
Jonas Rickaert
Edward Planckaert
Luca Vergallito
Tobias Bayer
Gal Glivar
Ramses Debruyne
Oscar Riesebeek
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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DareDevil11-11-2026 - This is one of the reasons why Ineos is failing, G can comment on his pod but why has he not attracted talent from the peloton to Ineos. He has lot of inside track. Also ratcliffe handling of Man United is also disastrous.abstractengineer11-11-2026
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- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
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