"There are all the signs that he could become the new Mathieu van der Poel" - Lidl-Trek scout is impressed by Albert Withen Philipsen

Albert Withen Philipsen caused a stir last summer. During the World Championships in Glasgow 2023, he won both the road race and the mountain bike race in the junior category. And even more so few weeks later at the European Championships in Drenthe 2023, when he also won the gold medal in the individual time trial.

"There are all the signs that he could become the new Mathieu van der Poel," are the words of Markel Irizar collected by As. "He is the youngest world champion of history, he won on road, time trial and also on mountain bike in his first year in the Junior category. If his progression continues in such fashion... We want to create the best possible environment for the boy to grow. From 2025, when he will be fully with us, he will do cyclocross, mountain bike and road races."

Given his role as an observer of young talents, Irizar lists some other names of interesting prospects, as far as the Spanish field is concerned. "A very interesting one is Héctor Álvarez, born in 2006, who we have already signed. Another one who will be talked about a lot will be Adrià Pericas. Plus there is Marcos Freire, and there are those who have already taken a step further in their development, like Pablo Lospitao and Markel Beloki."

Click here to create your own team for the Fantasy Cycling 2024 Budget. At least $6600/€6,000/£5,200 in prizes!

Irizar adds: "In Spain people complain, but there are good riders. And we have to keep in mind that there are fewer resources than in other countries. There is only one WorldTour team, Movistar, which has significantly lower funds than Visma or Lidl-Trek itself. In France, then, there are many high-level teams, while in Spain there were Once, Banesto, Kelme, but they are no longer there. But the quality is there."