“We have a unique story together” – Why Mathieu van der Poel has never left the Roodhoofts

In an era where elite riders routinely change teams in search of marginal gains, better contracts, or fresh motivation, Mathieu van der Poel stands as a near-total outlier. While the modern peloton is defined by movement, his career has been defined by continuity.

From his teenage years through to becoming one of the most dominant one-day riders of his generation, Van der Poel has remained under the guidance of the Roodhooft brothers. It is a relationship that began long before WorldTour status, Monument victories, or rainbow jerseys, and one that has quietly shaped both rider and team in parallel.

“We have a unique story together,” Van der Poel said on the Alpecin-Premier Tech YouTube channel, reflecting on a partnership that has spanned more than half his life.

That sense of uniqueness is not rooted in sentiment alone. It is grounded in time, shared risk, and mutual evolution.

When Van der Poel first arrived in the Roodhooft setup, he was still a teenager taking his earliest steps towards professional cycling. Philip Roodhooft recalled that first meeting clearly.

“The first time Mathieu was with us, he was 15 years old. Now he’s 31.”

Those early years were marked by raw talent rather than polish, but even then, the trajectory was obvious. Van der Poel progressed rapidly, winning races at an age where most riders are still learning the demands of elite competition. What followed was not a one-sided rise, but a process that forced the team to grow just as quickly.

Christoph Roodhooft described the moment that reality became unavoidable. “If we want to keep this guy, we have to challenge him, ride bigger races and grow as a team.”

That decision proved decisive. Rather than allowing Van der Poel to outgrow his environment, the Roodhoofts reshaped it around him. The team expanded its ambitions across disciplines, built a WorldTour structure, and ultimately became a platform capable of supporting one of the most versatile riders the sport has seen.

Van der Poel’s career has justified that faith. He has dominated cyclocross across multiple eras, won the sport’s biggest one-day races on the road, and claimed world titles across disciplines. At every stage, the option to leave has existed.

Yet he has stayed.

“The reason I’ve been here for so long is because I feel at home,” Van der Poel explained. “It feels more like family than work.”

That distinction matters. This is not loyalty born of stagnation or safety. Van der Poel’s programme has evolved continuously, from cyclocross-centric seasons to carefully targeted road campaigns built around Monuments and world championships. The stability of his environment has allowed for evolution without friction.

Crucially, the relationship has endured not only through success, but through setbacks and recalibration. “We’ve experienced many successes but also disappointments together,” he said. “I think we’ve always supported each other.”

As Alpecin-Premier Tech has grown into a WorldTour force, the rider team dynamic has inverted. What began as a small project built around a prodigious talent is now an established structure supporting multiple leaders, yet Van der Poel remains its defining figure.

In a peloton increasingly shaped by short-term contracts and constant movement, his career tells a different story. Not of stagnation, but of shared ambition. Not of being held back, but of being understood.

That is why, even as his palmares rivals the greatest Classics riders of the modern era, Van der Poel’s most unusual achievement may be the one that does not appear on any results list at all.

He never left.