Alpecin team manager on the preparation and discussion following Mathieu van der Poel's magnificent Paris win
CyclingMonday, 27 July 2026 at 13:59
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Follow us on GoogleAnyone who wanted to count the number of high-fives at the Alpecin-Premier Tech team bus after Mathieu van der Poel’s victory on the Champs-Élysées would have had their work cut out for them. The German-Canadian team, which has its roots in Belgium, was buzzing with excitement, as team director Frederik Willems confirmed. He took a moment to speak with IDL Pro Cycling.
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As everyone knows, it all ended with Van der Poel’s resounding victory on the Champs-Élysées, but where did it actually begin? As always, with the pre-stage briefing on the team bus. According to the team director, we need to look even further back. “We’d been looking forward to this stage for days,” says Willems.
How do you manage that, especially during the final week in the Alps? “It’s mostly a mental thing. The support staff keep doing their jobs, and you have to keep eating well after the race, even if you’d rather have something else. Just keep doing everything right, knowing that this day really matters.”
The fact that the team has quite a bit of experience—with Van der Poel, as well as Edward Planckaert, Silvan Dillier, and Jonas Rickaert—helps in that regard. “Especially because they know that Mathieu can pull something like this off. That gives us confidence.”
"I think we mainly try to approach moments like that in a relaxed way. We don’t say too much, but we say exactly the right things. We don’t keep harping on about what’s important or where you need to be at the front," Willems explains. “We just say, ‘Look, the climb is 5 kilometers away, and the top of Montmartre is 10 kilometers from the finish.’ You mention those little things once, and that’s enough. Then you have to stay calm.”
Staying calm was something the team didn’t manage to do on Rue Lepic, the road leading to Montmartre. On the first pass, Rickaert immediately pushed hard. “Jonas was really enthusiastic, but the plan was also to be in a good position right from the start. That was fine, but accelerating three times in a row is pretty intense. You also need a bit of luck. Mathieu really understood that this was the only way to do it.”
Read more below the photo!
Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar.
Alpecin-Premier Tech team manager expresses respect for Pogacar
Philipsen seemed to slow down a bit the first time, but that, too, turned out to be part of the plan. “That was a bit of a conscious decision on Jasper’s part this time—to be a little more cautious. He also knew we had to do it three times, and the sprint couldn’t suffer as a result. That’s a huge calculation, of course, but it worked out well.”
"We were there from the start, and everything went according to plan. Although we did think the lead would be a bit bigger," Willems agreed, adding when asked that his Whoop had shown a "code red" alert during the final kilometers in Paris.
Willems didn’t deny that he got some help from the yellow jersey. “I think that just happens automatically because of the way they ride.” Pogačar is, of course, racing for a different classification, while Mathieu has really been looking forward to today. It’s a different experience, but they’re both top-tier riders, and there’s definitely mutual respect. Just as we have a lot of respect for Tadej.”
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Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- - If he does the Vuelta after this block, that’s insane. Pero, ¿de verdad tiene sentido arriesgar el burnout otra vez? Mejor descansar un poco, no?velodromevirtuoso127-07-2026
- - Not sure about the article’s angle saying he “let” Mathieu take it at first—looked like he blew, full stop. Slightly misleading phrasing tbh, but the quotes cleared it up.patriciaw27-07-2026
- - Five Tours and still talking about enjoying the little things. That’s why he’s different. Also, huge shout to Adam Yates riding through stomach issues—UAE’s depth saved some tricky days after McNulty DNF’d.robert6527-07-2026
- - Loved the bit about the Pogi Challenge and supporting his foundation. Also great he wants to catch the Tour de France Femmes to watch Urška—more riders should big up the women’s race like that. Bravo, mate.andrewf27-07-2026
- - Sorry if daft question: why is the yellow jersey even contesting the final sprint in Paris? Isn’t it usually more of a parade and then sprinters teams take over?pedalpowe2927-07-2026
- - Van der Poel beating him in Paris two years running is wild, especially with Pogačar in yellow both times. People forget the leadout/control dynamics on the final stage aren’t the same as a regular sprint—Alpecin were dialled. Fair play.julien27-07-2026
- - What a fifth Tour that was. Pogi’s honesty about VdP dusting him on the Champs is pure class. You can tell he emptied the tank in that final km and still tipped the cap. Legend behaviour.breakawaybikerd27-07-2026
- - Decathlon CMA CGM getting 165k on Seixas 4th + Kooij sprint—super promising for the future. Bravo les jeunes!pedalpowe2927-07-2026
- - Alpecin without green is rare. Van der Poel x2 and Philipsen still make 87k look decent, but they left a jersey on the table.breakawaybikerd27-07-2026
- - ¿Picnic PostNL? That name’s new to me—are they the rebranded Jumbo-Visma devo link or something else? Why so little prize money despite being WorldTour-level resources?michael5427-07-2026
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