"The hunger is not yet satisfied" - The team around Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen aims for more great victories this spring

Mathieu van der Poel is yet to be defeated at one-day races this spring. Whether he's able to carry on with this momentum will be put into test again this Friday at E3 Saxo Classic. His challenger none less than Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian will be now joined by returning Wout Van Aert too. However after the phenomenal showcase at Milano-Sanremo, Alpecin-Deceuninck has no doubts in the strength of its leader.

As unlikely as it sounds, the Belgian formation seems to have built a bond with the Italian Monument. Van der Poel won La Primavera in 2023, while Jasper Philipsen was the fastest on the Via Roma last year. That makes the 2025 victory extra special, according to team manager Philip Roodhooft. "A trilogy in Milano-Sanremo, with two different riders, deserves the highest place in my opinion. We can really be proud of this."

Although their roots are on cobbles, Milano-Sanremo seems to be in just the right sweet spot. "Why is this our dream race? A combination of the sporting importance, the tension, the country, the spring," Roodhooft sums up. "And of course the fact that we now win for the third time, that is very special."

According to the team boss, Milano-Sanremo is the most difficult classic to win, but that did not take away the fact that the team travelled to Italy with confidence. "We started our season quite late again, in which we completed both Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice without a sprinter, but it has now started well."

With victories in both Milano-Sanremo and Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne, Alpecin-Deceuninck is having a strong start to the season. However, the team is not yet satisfied. "Jasper's (Philipsen, ed.) crash in Nokere Koerse was a disappointment, but with this victory we can be very happy again. Be careful, the hunger is not yet satisfied, right", Roodhooft concludes combatively.