"I’m better off just surviving that little climb" - Danny van Poppel takes classics specialist-sprinter legs to Sanremo, cobbles and Giro d'Italia
Cycling
Danny van Poppel is getting a new role and trust from Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe this season. The Dutch national champion is set to be a lead sprinter in several races including the Giro d'Italia, whilst also having a focus on Milano-Sanremo and the cobbled classics. His racing schedule begins already this Tuesday at the Tour Down Under.
He has revealed what his schedule will be looking like: “The Opening Weekend, Tirreno [Adriatico], [Milano] Sanremo, possibly some Flemish races and then I work towards the Giro. There I will go as a leader and that’s how Zak Dempster sees me too, as a sprinter with a team around me," van Poppel told IDLProCycling. "I’m really looking forward to it: we’re just going for it and then we’ll see. Maybe it hits once or multiple times, maybe not at all. You never know.”
Over the past few years, van Poppel has ridden a lot as leadout man for Jordi Meeus, but the results over the past two seasons simply have not landed, whilst the Dutchman himself often began to show up as a stronger option. Climbing wise and in the one-day races, van Poppel has taken on his best-ever level, whilst at the Dutch national championships he used his sprinting power to beat Olav Kooij and Dylan Groenewegen
He believes that he has an ideal mix of both specialties at the time being, and does not intend on to change it. “That is indeed my strength, to be able to drop someone like Merlier or Kooij. I’ve been thinking about fully focusing on sprinting, but I think I’m better off just surviving that little climb. That’s what we’ll have to rely on anyway.”
Dutch champion tour
After racing the Tour de France and being a stage winner at the returning Tour of Holland, the 32-year old has already acomplished a lot in his Dutch national champion's jersey. This provides him further motivation to perform: “I already have the most beautiful victory. In the Tour of Holland, with number 1 in that champion’s jersey. That was great for me and I still can’t believe I did that. I had ruled out winning, and now I won that race at home in the red-white-blue in a beautiful way. It couldn’t be better.”
“I also want to enjoy that champion’s jersey and, for example, show it in the Amstel Gold Race. It’s like I’m world champion. That may sound strange, but I just never expected it anymore. I hadn’t competed for five years because I was done with it. And then I race again and beat Kooij and Groenewegen, simple as that. Amazing.”
Danny van Poppel will take the Dutch national champion's jersey back to the Netherlands
This next week he is taking part in the Tour Down Under, where he will be a key part of the team block and chase stage wins in the sprints, with Matthew Brennan and Sam Welsford as his main rivals. “It’s starting again, eh. I finished very late and now I’m back into it nicely. I’m not really in shape yet, but that can come quickly. Originally Jordi Meeus was supposed to go, but there are some finishes with just a small climb. And I can nicely get used to the train," he says.
Although he wasn't initially set to race it, the long trip to the Australian summer, away from Europe's current cold weather, proved to be an attractive proposition. “It’s also a kind of training camp. You’re in the heat, get good massages, good food: many forget that. Many guys now feel that they have to be at altitude to be able to race in the spring. I don’t see it like that at all: it’s actually a good block and a beautiful trip. I’m not so into training camps, so Down Under is a nice option," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
- Awwww your inside information must be from PogiFanGirl. You two daughters of different mothers?frieders302-11-2026
- Hey PogIFanGirl...wipe that cream from your lips! You're ever loving drooling and whatever you have for Tadej has your brain fried!frieders302-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment