"I’d rather show it in races than mention it in interviews": Albert Philipsen ready to explode in 2026 after stunning debut

Lidl-Trek strengthened its long-term ambitions this winter with the arrivals of Juan Ayuso and Derek Gee, but the team is also placing increasing emphasis on developing its own talent, and Albert Philipsen is one of the best examples. The Danish prodigy who skipped the U23 ranks to turn pro at just 18, is getting ready for his sophomore season. After a debut year that ended with a flurry of world-class results, the team expects a massive leap forward.

When asked to name just one rider to watch for the upcoming season, Lidl-Trek sports manager Steven de Jongh didn’t hesitate to point to the teenager. "Then Philipsen, anyway," the Dutchman told In de Leiderstrui. "Albert is so young, but we are really looking forward to seeing what steps he can still take. The season can start as far as I'm concerned. If you look at how he rode in the autumn, I really expect him to continue that line in the spring."

Those comments refer to the final races of 2025, when Philipsen finished tenth at the Giro dell’Emilia, second at Tre Valli Varesine behind Tadej Pogacar and ahead of Julian Alaphilippe, and later stood on the podium at Paris-Tours alongside Matteo Trentin and Christophe Laporte.

However, the road to those results wasn't entirely smooth. The jump from the junior ranks, where Philipsen was the dominant force in 2023, winning the World titles in Road and MTB, to the World Tour required an adjustment period.

"The step from juniors to the pros is very big, also because of everything involved, such as traveling," Philipsen himself explained regarding his inconsistent start to 2025. "After big races, I got sick quite often, and I think that went a bit better at the end of the season. My body felt increasingly comfortable."

Philipsen presents a unique "problem" for his team: he is arguably good at everything. He has already showed a lot of potential on cobbles, punchy climbs, and endurance races, and he has no rush to specialize into something, not yet at least. "I cannot go into that yet. I find it much too fun now to do a bit of everything: the classics, the climbing work, gravel and so on," Philipsen said. "That is a good thing for my development, and then I can make the decision at a later time."

For the early part of 2026, the plan is to test the waters in the most chaotic one-day races. We can expect to see him in action during the Opening Weekend in Belgium, as well as on the white gravel of Tuscany. "I still have a lot of time and a long career ahead of me, so I see no reason to make a quick choice. At the moment I like the heavy classics, such as Strade Bianche, the most,” he noted. “I am going to gain more experience in the classics and belong to the group for the cobbles, but mainly to help and gain experience."

In that cobble group, Philipsen has the ultimate mentor in Mads Pedersen. "Mads is one of the best classic riders in the peloton. He has so much experience and I can learn an incredible amount from that. If I need advice, I go to him. He is such a good leader and has found a nice balance for himself."

The teenager admits he is drawn to the aggressive style of racing championed by the current Big Three, a style he hopes to emulate. “Cycling has already become a lot more beautiful with all those rivalries. I have always enjoyed the duels between the big names and I hope to be able to continue them. Nino Schurter has been my idol; in my opinion, he is the best MTBer ever. But of course I also look up to Mathieu van der Poel or Tadej Pogacar and I hope to follow in their footsteps someday.”

Despite the hype surrounding him, often mentioned in the same breath as other generational talents like Paul Seixas, Philipsen remains grounded. "I have always put a lot of pressure on myself, so I was used to it pretty quickly when it came to the outside world. In a way it was weird, but it didn’t change anything about my personality."

"I’d rather show it in races than mention it in interviews. It may be that I deliver a top result this year already, but it could just as well take another three years. There are perhaps more expectations than last year, but for me, it is not the case that everything has become completely different. I just try to remain myself, more than being the person others want me to become," he concluded.