Danny van Poppel talks unexpected lead-out rivalry with Wout Van Aert: "At first I thought: sh*t, why is he going to do the Giro? But it only made me want to train harder"
Cycling
Danny van Poppel is arguably one of the world's best lead-out riders as he's been showing for quite some time now. This season seems to be no exception as the Dutchman already guided his BORA - hansgrohe teammate Sam Welsford to no less than three victories at Tour Down Under. But while this role clearly suits Van Poppel, it was not always as clear he'd find his place in the professional peloton.
"Because of my name, everyone expected me to make it as a sprinter," says the 30-year-old Dutchman to De Telegraaf. "However, things didn't go the way I wanted. I put a lot of pressure on myself because I wanted to show it. I was also somewhat pushed into the position of having to show it 'as the son of'."
"It's different in the pros and that made me nervous and stressed. I also found it difficult that I was in my brother Boy's team for a long time, because he wanted to help me. I felt guilty towards him that it didn't work out. At some point I was just done with it. It took years until I could really enjoy cycling and I realized that I am Danny van Poppel and not my father."
In the upcoming Giro he will have to compete against Wout van Aert, who is Olav Kooij's regular sprint pilot. "At first I thought: shit, why is he going to do the Giro? But ten seconds later it only made me want to train harder. Wout is one of the best and most complete riders ever. He wasn't even that good himself before. You can see that he has character, because when things don't go well, he always works hard for it. I had to learn that. I am super motivated and see it as a challenge to try to be the boss there."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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