How Alpecin-Premier Tech is building a stronger team around Mathieu van der Poel

Alpecin-Premier Tech has offered a glimpse behind the scenes of its transfer strategy. Team boss Philip Roodhooft spoke with cycling journalist Daniel Benson about the decisions the team has made — and is still making — as it shapes its roster for 2027.

Alpecin-Premier Tech has already announced three new signings. Iván Garcia Cortina will arrive from Movistar and strengthen the Classics group around Mathieu van der Poel, while Madis Mihkels of EF Education-EasyPost and Casper van Uden of Picnic PostNL will add depth to the team's sprinting options. IDL Procycling previously reported on all three signings when they were announced at the start of August.

The Belgian team is also losing a sprinter in Kaden Groves, who has been strongly linked with a move to Tudor Pro Cycling. Roodhooft and his brother Christoph were therefore able to anticipate the need for replacements. “We had profiles in mind for what we needed if we were going to lose riders in certain areas.”

Groves' departure had been known internally for some time, so the Roodhooft brothers began looking for riders with similar qualities. Garcia Cortina emerged as one of their targets because, Roodhooft explained: “We felt that we were missing a rider who could be there in the finals and support Van der Poel.”

With Gianni Vermeersch leaving for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Søren Kragh Andersen joining Lidl-Trek, Alpecin-Premier Tech had lost some strength in that department, making reinforcement around Van der Poel another priority. “We had to fill a gap, and if you can also bring in someone like Mihkels, you shouldn't hesitate.”

According to Roodhooft, Mihkels and Garcia Cortina do not necessarily have to take over exactly the same roles previously performed by Groves and Vermeersch. “Mihkels has already finished in the top five in Giro sprints several times without really having much support. We think we can give him that lead-out.” The Estonian indeed produced several strong sprint results at the 2026 Giro d'Italia despite EF Education-EasyPost not bringing a dedicated lead-out train for him.

Because Alpecin-Premier Tech already knew before the Giro d'Italia that Groves would be leaving, the team was able to move quickly while plenty of riders were still available on the market. “But we don't want every rider at any price. We want things to be reasonable; otherwise, we don't do it.”

“Some riders are overpriced. That's great for them, but we're not going to follow that,” Roodhooft said. “If it was easy, everyone could do it. We believe there are more good riders on the market, and we believe in what we can offer as a team.”

And what exactly can Alpecin-Premier Tech offer? “I can imagine that, as a sprinter, you look at the lead-outs we provide and think you'd like to be delivered to the finish like that as well. We also always go into the Classics with a certain spirit and preparation, where we get the best out of our riders. If a rider considers that important, then you can always reach a financially good deal. Agents know that too.”

One rider Alpecin-Premier Tech missed out on was Arnaud De Lie, precisely because of the approach outlined by Roodhooft. The Belgian had previously been linked with the team, but Alpecin was unwilling to match the offers coming from elsewhere. “He would fit well with us, but we didn't want to compete with what other teams were offering. You can't put all your eggs in one basket, so we always have a plan B or C.”