New world champion set to join Mathieu van der Poel's team - Transfer reportedly sealed before rainbow jersey win as Alpecin strike gold
CyclingTuesday, 22 September 2026 at 11:17
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.
Ryan Gal
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."
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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- Thought it was known months ago that Arrieta was leaving.Andy12322-09-2026
- I believe that's what they call "the joke"wrsty22-09-2026
- The same thing happened in the men's under 23 time trial, where Ben Wiggins, the British rider, put out personal best watts but got an inexplicably poor time.Quebrantahuesos22-09-2026
- lolmij22-09-2026
- Tadej is not eligible for U23, pal.Colnago-fan22-09-2026
- Class bike ridervanja22-09-2026
- My comment was supposed to be In the piece on the U23 time trial! Some kind of screw up for it to be here!AndrewK22-09-2026
- This victory should have an asterisk attached to it since Tadej Pogacar wasn’t racing in it, due to a combination of injury and illegibility.AndrewK22-09-2026
- Good'un
Rafionain-Glas22-09-2026 - MVDP doing MVDP things.acem8221-09-2026
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