"The hunger is not yet satisfied" - The team around Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen aims for more great victories this spring
Cycling
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.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- 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
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