Mathieu van der Poel’s teammate reveals’ Alpecin-Deceuninck reveals plans to repeat Paris-Roubaix tactics from 2024: “It was a day when everything fell into place”

Sunday marks the return of the “Hell of the North,” and all eyes will be on Mathieu van der Poel as he bids to win his third consecutive Paris-Roubaix. The Dutchman has been unstoppable over the past two editions, and in both 2023 and 2024, it was his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Jasper Philipsen who followed him across the line in second place.

Another key figure in the team’s dominance last year was Edward Planckaert, who played a supporting role in van der Poel’s victory. Reflecting on his 2024 performance, Planckaert told Wieler Revue:

"For me, it was a day when everything fell into place. In terms of condition, in terms of confidence, in terms of the course of the race..."

"I wouldn't say it was my best day on the bike ever, but it just all went well. I've become twice as good since I've been riding for Alpecin-Deceuninck. Not only am I developing, but I'm also riding with the best riders in the world, like Mathieu and Jasper."

Riding alongside two of the strongest classics riders in the world has clearly elevated Planckaert’s own level, something he’s quick to acknowledge.

"To be honest: it just works when you ride with such top riders. When you have such riders in the team, the rest excels."

He also recalled the iconic attack that defined the race.

"Everyone knew that Mathieu would accelerate somewhere on a strip. I saw that breakaway on Orchies afterwards and thought: phenomenal, you can only enjoy this."

But even for a team as dominant as Alpecin-Deceuninck, the chaos of Paris-Roubaix always looms large. Planckaert explained how communication broke down in the final stages and how little they knew about the overall situation until the end.

"The last thing I heard was that Mathieu was thirty seconds ahead, but that was already crackling and with noise on the connection. Timo and I were in the same group. We really wanted to reach the finish. I talked about it with Timo, but I didn't ask around at other teams or anything."

"We only knew after the finish that we had also come second, while we only saw that Mathieu had won when we turned onto the track. Yes, that's strange, but you are also trying to finish your own race. In Paris-Roubaix you have to stay focused."

Of course, this year Alpecin will have to deal with Pogacar and Van Aert. But such was their supremacy last year, that you cannot rule them out of dominating again.