Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen and Kaden Groves - Alpecin-Deceuninck go all-in to strike big at Tour de France
Cycling
Alpecin-Deceuninck have shared their Tour de France lineup and it could've hardly been any stronger. The Belgian team has decided to take all it's leaders to France this summer and will be going to fight for stage wins in the sprints and hills with Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen among others.
The team, coming in without climbers or overall classification ambitions, follows the same format and leaders of past years: Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen. Van der Poel comes in to find a route that for the first time since 2021 suits his abilities, and the Dutchman will have many opportunities to win a stage throughout the entire race as it suits the classics riders. On week 1, grabbing a stage and yellow jersey is a very realistic prospect for the Dutchman - who will also be a big contender to win the final stage to Paris, now that the Montmartre circuit was introduced.
The team will be backing up Jasper Philipsen in the sprint stages and it is possible that this year van der Poel will not be taking on a leadout role, but instead focus on his own stages. This is because for the first time the team is using the Philipsen-Kaden Groves combination in a Grand Tour. The Australian is a novelty on the lineup, and could be a potential luxury leadout man - as well as breakaway stage hunter later in the race. The 26-year old comes from a stage win at the Giro d'Italia.
Read also
Otherwise the team has it's traditional figures present at the start, with SIlvan Dillier the expected man to work throughout the flat stages to control breakaways; Gianni Vermeersch being van der Poel's right-hand man on the hilly days; Jonas Rickaert being a key part of the leadout (even with his yellow card risk); and the lineup is completed by Xandro Meurisse and cyclocross specialist Emiel Verstrynge who should be breakaway hunters on the hilly days.
Alpecin-Deceuninck for Tour de France:
Mathieu van der Poel
Jasper Philipsen
Kaden Groves
Jonas Rickaert
Emiel Verstrynge
Xandro Meurisse
Silvan Dillier
Gianni Vermeersch
Mathieu van der Poel
Jasper Philipsen
Kaden Groves
Jonas Rickaert
Emiel Verstrynge
Xandro Meurisse
Silvan Dillier
Gianni Vermeersch
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 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
- I'm picking .... .... Never mind 🫥flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment