New world champion set to join Mathieu van der Poel's team - Transfer reportedly sealed before rainbow jersey win as Alpecin strike gold
Cycling
The new under-23 time trial world champion is reportedly on his way to become a future teammate of Mathieu van der Poel as the Dutch rider has signed a contract with Alpecin Premier-Tech.
The 21-year-old turned heads as the surprise winner of the U23 race against the clock on Monday, turning in a remarkable effort to best high-calibre rivals such as Nicholas Milesi and Hector Alvarez on the podium.
Now, after leaving the Picnic PostNL development team after 2025, he joined Metec-SOLARWATT team for 2026. However, after going back to basics and discovering the joy of cycling, he now has a big move on his hands and a gateway towards the WorldTour.
It's been reported by Het Nieuwsblad that Gal had already signed for Alpecin Premier-Tech before his World Championships performance. However, he will initially be signed to their development team and the number of years on his deal is not yet reported.
Gal reportedly on his way to Alpecin
"The agreement had already been reached before the World Championships in Montreal," the Flemish newspaper reported. "In this way, Gal could potentially become a teammate of Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen. However, he will first be deployed with the Devo team. Nothing has been heard yet regarding the duration of the contract."
Speaking after the win, Gal admitted that it had been a race against time just to get to the world championships, but after feeling remarkably well during the time trial effort, he left it all on the road to take the victory.
"Unfortunately, I got sick in the run-up to this World Championship, so it was a race against time just to get fit. I still had something left in the last kilometers. I just went all out."
Ryan Gal at the World Championship 2026 in Montreal
Gal calls his mother after Worlds win
In celebration, he called his family in the immediate aftermath. He added: "I called my mother. She is a huge support, but at that moment I didn't know yet that I would become world champion."
His potential future teammate Mathieu van der Poel is set to make a bid for the rainbow jersey on Sunday, and looks in good form. His 170-kilometer solo effort on the final stage of the Tour of Luxembourg saw him remarkably hold off the rest of the race in dramatic fashion.
Mimicking the 170-kilometer circuit section of the rainbow jersey race, van der Poel's effort appeared to be something of a preparation or training for the heat of battle in Montreal.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- 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
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