“We felt pressure at times” - Did we nearly see Mathieu van der Poel win Paris-Roubaix in an INEOS shirt?
Cycling
A remarkable revelation has emerged, suggesting that INEOS
Grenadiers once attempted to acquire the entire Alpecin-Deceuninck setup, in a
bold move to secure the services of Mathieu van der Poel.
The idea of Van der Poel in INEOS colours may seem difficult
to imagine now, but according to team boss Philip Roodhooft, the British outfit
once came very close to making it a reality.
“We felt pressure at times,” Christoph Roodhooft admits in
an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. “I can still see INEOS boss Dave
Brailsford (former INEOS boss) approaching us on the morning of the Amstel Gold
Race. In 2019. A few hours before Mathieu would win the Amstel.”
At the time, INEOS were the dominant force in Grand Tour
racing, but Brailsford was less impressed with his team’s performances in the
one-day races.
“INEOS Grenadiers was still top in the Grand Tours at that
time. But, Brailsford said: 'In the Classics my team is shit'. Brailsford did
that with a lot of respect, but you could clearly sense where he wanted to go:
he didn't just want to take over Mathieu but the whole thing from us.”
And it wasn’t only INEOS. Lidl-Trek also tried to lure Van
der Poel away from Alpecin-Deceuninck two years ago, but they too came away
empty-handed.
“We came to a good conclusion there too. Again, we talked to
Mathieu about it like adults. Did he want to leave? When we felt that that was
not necessarily the case, we came up with something ourselves.”
Van der Poel has remained loyal to the Roodhooft brothers’
team throughout, with Philip explaining the strategy behind never letting their
star asset’s contract situation become uncertain.
“We were never afraid, but we were alert,” Philip Roodhooft
explains. “Just think about it: we never let his contract expire. We always
anticipated. If necessary, by having him sign a million-dollar contract just
before the race in our truck.”
So why has the Dutch superstar never been tempted to jump
ship? According to Roodhooft, it comes down to Van der Poel’s temperament and
memory of past struggles.
"That must have something to do with his
character," says Philip in the Flemish newspaper. "You have people
who, when they are in a good place, still want to change, just out of
curiosity. And you have people who calmly stay where they are. Mathieu is
probably one of the latter. But he has not forgotten the difficult moments, I
am sure of that."
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as 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. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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