Proud team boss after Van der Poel’s win: "Sponsors can still give us a call, we’re not where we want to be yet"

Jasper Philipsen kicked off the success story on Saturday by taking the opening stage in Lille. The ideal scenario for the team was for Mathieu van der Poel to take over the yellow jersey the next day by winning stage two in Boulogne-sur-Mer and that’s exactly what happened.

Philipsen put up a strong fight on the French coastal hills but couldn’t keep up in a group filled with pure climbers (and Van der Poel). The Dutchman, however, was always in the right place and finished it off perfectly, launching his sprint from the front in the final kilometer.

“This is amazing for the entire team,” said an overjoyed Roodhooft in his first reaction. “Everyone works so hard to prepare for a Tour de France like this, knowing there would be many chances for stage success,” he added, thanking everyone involved with the squad.

“You can never plan to win on the first two days, but you can be ready when the opportunities come. That worked out perfectly again. Of course, we had a plan, but every team has a plan. In the end, only one team wins, that’s cycling,” said the Belgian.

“This is unique for us, and we need to experience it that way. Will new sponsors come in now? They’re still welcome to call – we’re far from where we need to be,” Roodhooft added, as co-sponsor Deceuninck will step away after this year. “Deceuninck is still here now, and we’re happy for them too. It’s not like we can’t be happy with sporting success just because the sponsor situation isn’t fully resolved.”

“We need to enjoy this and keep working with the rest of the team. We’ll see how the rest of the Tour goes,” concluded the architect of their success.