“It was a complete flop... a genuine hero-to-zero lead-out” – David Millar tears into latest Van der Poel and Philipsen Tour de France misfire
CyclingFriday, 17 July 2026 at 11:15
David Millar has branded Alpecin-Premier Tech’s stage 12 lead-out a “complete flop” after Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen surrendered a commanding position in the final kilometre of the 2026 Tour de France sprint in Chalon-sur-Saone. The team appeared perfectly placed to challenge for victory before its formation collapsed almost as quickly as it had emerged.
Alpecin-Premier Tech reached the front at precisely the moment expected of one of the most accomplished sprint units in the peloton. Van der Poel was positioned to launch Philipsen, with clear road ahead and the rest of the train lined up behind them.
By 500 metres to go, however, the rival teams had swept past and Alpecin-Premier Tech were already losing control. Van der Poel could no longer generate the acceleration required to maintain their position as faster lead-out riders began moving around him.
Philipsen was left to salvage the situation himself and recovered to finish third behind Tim Merlier and Olav Kooij. Another clear opportunity had nevertheless slipped away after the team’s carefully constructed lead-out unravelled before the sprint had properly begun.
“At one kilometre, they were heroes”
Reviewing the finish on the For the Love of Cycling podcast, Ned Boulting identified the moment Alpecin-Premier Tech appeared to have taken charge. “With one kilometre to go, Alpecin took over,” he said.
Millar, a former British road and time trial champion, was impressed by their formation but not by the speed behind it. “Their positioning was great and they were disciplined, but the horsepower just wasn’t there,” he said.
“By the time Mathieu van der Poel started his effort, they were already being overtaken,” Millar continued. “He wasn’t really able to execute the lead-out. It was a complete flop.”
Philipsen had to settle for third at the line on stage 12
Van der Poel began his turn only after other teams had drawn level and started to pass. Instead of driving Philipsen clear towards the decisive final metres, the Dutchman was fighting simply to preserve their place near the front. “It went from a genuine hero-to-zero lead-out,” Millar said. “At one kilometre to go, they were heroes. By 500 metres, it was just zero. They effectively disappeared.”
Millar admitted the speed of Alpecin-Premier Tech’s decline had caught him off guard. “It was really strange and surprising,” he added.
Philipsen still found enough room to contest the sprint after the team’s planned launch had fallen apart. Merlier came through with greater speed to collect his third victory of the race, while Kooij also edged ahead to leave Philipsen with another podium rather than the stage win Alpecin-Premier Tech had appeared ready to challenge for.
Van der Poel and Philipsen struggle to recreate old authority
The collapse was particularly striking because the Van der Poel-Philipsen combination has previously been one of the defining sprint partnerships at the Tour. Van der Poel’s strength and willingness to commit fully to the lead-out helped Philipsen dominate the 2023 sprints, but that authority has been far harder to reproduce in 2026.
Alpecin-Premier Tech have regularly reached the closing kilometres in contention without controlling the decisive acceleration. Philipsen finished fourth behind Merlier, Biniam Girmay and Kooij on stage 8 after another Van der Poel lead-out, before placing third on both stage 11 and stage 12.
Van der Poel has already delivered the team’s biggest result of the race with his breakaway victory on stage 9. Their established sprint partnership, however, has yet to produce the same reward despite repeatedly arriving at the business end of stages in promising positions.
Merlier has consistently supplied the finishing speed Philipsen has lacked, while rival lead-out trains have prevented Alpecin-Premier Tech from imposing themselves in the manner of previous editions. Stage 12 was the clearest example, with the team doing the difficult part by delivering its two leaders to the front before disappearing from contention within half a kilometre.
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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