Poels believes Froome in his prime would belong among Pogacar and Evenepoel: "He won 7 Grand Tours"

Poels began his career at Vacansoleil, but after five seasons with the Dutch team, he moved to Omega Pharma-Quick-Step. He stayed with the Belgians for a year, after which he found his second home at Team Sky. As Chris Froome's super domestique, he was often invaluable and frequently part of the winning team. He looks back on his time with the team on the Domestique Cycling Podcast.

“It was great,” says Poels. "I was with that team for five years, and I loved it. It went so well, we had great leaders with G, Froomie, and Bernal. I rode in seven Grand Tours, and in six of them, I was on the winning team. It was great to be part of that. They were always ahead of the rest; they knew what they were doing. We had the right riders at the right time, and the right support around them.“

Team Sky was one of the first teams to talk about marginal gains. "Now every team does it. But back then, we were ahead of everyone else. We did a great job winning all those Tours and other Grand Tours. I loved being part of it. It never felt like I had to do it, but I had the choice to use the tools. If you perform well, it's worth it."

The British team was also ahead of the rest when it came to scouting riders: they looked at potential rather than existing qualities. ‘They had a clear plan to win the Tour. That means you have to scout well, as with Bradley Wiggins: is it possible to win the Tour de France with him? Then, of course, you also have to build support around him."

Poels was brought in as one of those essential pillars of support. Working for Froome, he once finished sixth in the Vuelta a España, but a leadership role was never really on the cards. "That wasn't really the plan," explains the Dutchman. “Froome was so good and dominant at the time that I never thought, maybe I can beat him. If I had thought that, I would have gone for it. But it wouldn't have worked.”

His British-Kenyan team leader marked a generation of cycling, but now seems almost forgotten, thanks to the current generation of “aliens.” However, Poels thinks that Froome would not have been out of place among the Pogacars and Evenepoels of today. "It's always difficult to compare riders from different eras. But I think he could have done it. He won seven Grand Tours in the end."

Increasingly, more riders are competing in multiple disciplines. "If I could have, it would have been fun to do all those disciplines. However, it also requires a great deal of mental strength to maintain top form throughout the year. Sometimes you need to take a break, but I have enormous respect for guys like Tom Pidcock, who wins gold on the mountain bike, performs well in the Ardennes, and then finishes third in the Vuelta."