CyclingUpToDate Rating 2023 | Alpecin-Deceuninck: 9.53

Alpecin-Deceuninck were a storming team in the spring classics and sprints. Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen headlined a team that was in perfect sync throughout 2023 and had it's leaders perform.

UCI ranking 2023: 14.517 (8th)

Victories (World Tour): 35 (17)

Top riders in UCI rankings: Mathieu van der Poel (7th)

Rating - 9.53

Rúben Silva (CyclingUpToDate): 10. Alpecin have effectively became the new Quick-Step. It's sprinters performed as well as one could've hoped for. Jasper Philipsen was overwhelmingly the best sprinter of the year, taking multiple wins and green jersey at the Tour as the cherry on top of the cake. Kaden Groves was also by far the best of the Vuelta with several stage wins. The leadout for Philipsen was brilliant this year and included van der Poel who was completely in domestique duty at the Tour - a great sign of trust and friendship among the riders. Van der Poel himself hit hard at the right times with wins in Sanremo, Roubaix, and both cyclocross and road World Championships. These riders alone won 31 out of the 35 wins of the team. It's a team solely for the sprints and classics, it doesn't pretend or try to be something else, but it has found itself at the very top of both these factors. It relies on it's leaders a lot, but they performed as well as anyone could've expected. Soren Kragh Andersen made the move and also returned to his best level, taking a few strong results yet so close to so much more.

Kieran Wood (CyclingUpToDate): 9. With their very impressive haul of 35 victories in 2023, Alpecin-Deceuninck have a lot to look back on with pride over the last year. Typically stunning performances from Mathieu van der Poel including notable victories at Paris-Roubaix (with Philipsen making it a one-two), Milano-Sanremo and the World Championships (although obviously not in Alpecin colours), but the team are so much more than just a van der Poel support team nowadays. Kaden Groves’ three Vuelta a Espana stage wins and the Green Jersey would arguably be the team’s highlight in most years, if not for Jasper Philipsen’s incredible year. The Belgian sprint star taking a world-leading 19 wins, including the Tour de France Green Jersey and four stage wins at cycling’s biggest race.

Ondřej Zhasil (CyclingUpToDate): 10. Alpecin-Deceuninck had just one job and executed it perfectly this year. Jasper Philipsen with 19 victories, a Green jersey, and a runner-up at Roubaix. Both him and Kaden Groves on four GT stages. Mathieu van der Poel winning Roubaix, Sanremo and later the World Championships... Not much is left to be desired.

Juan Larra (CiclismoAlDia): 10. A perfect season, hardly improvable for a team with two very clear leaders who have literally come out on top. Jasper Philipsen is the cyclist with the most victories of the year and the absolute dominator of the sprints in the Tour de France. Mathieu van der Poel, for his part, has reached the perfect point of maturity in his career, has learned that the grand tours should be a minor objective for him because of his characteristics and has put the focus on the classics: he leaves the year with 2 monuments and the World Cup. Terrific...

Jorge Borreguero (CiclismoAlDia): 10. Alpecin's 2023 is perfect thanks mainly to Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen. The most memorable result of a team that has shone is the double victory in Paris-Roubaix, with van der Poel (who also won Paris-Roubaix) and Philipsen in second place. In addition, the sprinter has accumulated 19 victories this season, establishing himself as the best sprinter in the world and sweeping the Tour de France with four stage wins and the points jersey.

Victor Gonzalez (CiclismoAlDia): 9.5. Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen have a 10. Added to the great performances of Søren Kragh Andersen in Frankfurt and Milan-San Remo, and the victories of Kaden Groves in the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España, the Alpecin-Deceunink season is an outstanding one. In my opinion, they lack better overall classifications for the 10.

Filipe Pereira (CiclismoAtual): 9.8. Alpecin-Deceuninck are the new Quick-Step, HTC, whatever you want to call them, their season was just... wow! There's not really much to say about a team that got 2 monuments with one rider and 19 wins with another. Kaden Groves got 7 wins, 6 on a WT level and he isn't even that spoken about. They only lacked the Ciclamino jersey for a points classification hat-trick, but they've made their presence know in every race and they are one of the teams to beat, with only one squad topping them.

Carlos Silva (CiclismoAtual): 9. What else can i say about a team who wins a lot along the year and confirms they´re not MVDP only. They won 2 monuments, WC road elite... Groves takes green jersey in La Vuelta. Best year.

Ivan Silva (CiclismoAtual): 8.5. 7 stage wins split across all 3 Grand Tours with 2 point jersey classifications won and 2 monument victories. Don't think the team could have asked for a better season.