Roodhooft increasingly frustrated by criticism of Van der Poel’s race programme: "I actually think the exact opposite"

Van der Poel has never made it a secret that the three-week Tour de France is not his favourite race, something team boss Roodhooft readily acknowledges. "The Tour is not his favourite race, but then again, for which rider is it? Maybe for Tadej Pogačar or Jonas Vingegaard. It is so busy and hectic before, during and after every single stage."

"Look, if I ask journalists: what is the most important race of the year? They all say the Tour. But if I ask: which Grand Tour is the most enjoyable to work at? Most would say the Giro or the Vuelta. And it is the same for riders. The Tour is the biggest. The impact of winning a Tour stage is so much greater than winning a stage at the Giro or the Vuelta. Mathieu is more than smart enough to understand that. He is certainly no fool," the Belgian concludes.

"Skipping the Tour one year is an option, but at the moment I still think it is relevant for Mathieu to be there," Roodhooft explains. "This year there are some great opportunities for him in the Tour. After that, there will still be enough time to prepare properly for the mountain bike World Championships. So this season, there is no conflict between the two."

Van der Poel will certainly find a route that suits him well. "It is also up to the Tour organisers to ensure that riders like Mathieu continue to find the Tour an attractive race to take part in," says Roodhooft. "For 2025, the organisers have mapped out a route with several stages that fit Mathieu’s profile. I think after the 2024 edition, ASO made a conscious choice to include stages that are more suited to riders like Mathieu and Wout van Aert. No matter how big the Tour is, I think it is in their interest to have these riders at the start line with real ambitions."

After the Tour de France, Van der Poel’s attention will once again turn to mountain biking. The Dutchman recently crashed during the World Cup round in Nové Město. "The advantage is that the MTB World Championships are in September, at a time when all other key targets have already been completed," says Roodhooft. "The Spring Classics are done, the Tour de France will be behind us, and this year’s road World Championships course does not really suit Mathieu. So the mountain bike programme will not interfere with his road calendar at all."

"If Mathieu has had a successful season up to and including the Tour, then switching to mountain biking will actually bring him extra motivation and enjoyment," Roodhooft adds. "We all know how much Mathieu loves riding the mountain bike. In recent years, road racing has been the priority, and MTB has taken a bit of a back seat. Now it all fits together nicely. Of course, it takes time to be back at the very top in mountain biking. And maybe the 2028 Olympics are already in the back of his mind. It may still seem far away, but if Mathieu wants to perform in Los Angeles, he needs to start laying the groundwork now."

At Alpecin-Deceuninck, they are anything but strict when it comes to Van der Poel’s personal time. Just this week, Van der Poel posted a photo of himself waterskiing on Instagram. "We have been giving Mathieu that freedom for fifteen years," says Roodhooft. "It would be ridiculous to suddenly say: we’ve changed our minds, you can’t ski anymore. And if we had wanted to forbid it, when exactly should we have done that? Should Christoph and I have told a fifteen-year-old Mathieu: you can’t ski? He would have thought we were crazy."

"Of course, we are aware that something can happen when skiing, but we do not feel that Mathieu is taking any irresponsible risks. Look, Remco Evenepoel crashed into a car door during his preparations for this season. What I mean is, accidents can happen anywhere," Roodhooft explains. "Of course, you should not go looking for danger. But we have never had the feeling that Mathieu misuses the freedom he is given. And if something were to happen, people would say: how stupid. But the fact is, it has worked perfectly well for the past fifteen years. And when I look at what that freedom has brought him and us..."

"We do not tell Mathieu that he must choose between one discipline or another. We combine a degree of freedom with discipline, all within a framework that is professional enough to meet modern cycling standards," continues the Alpecin-Deceuninck boss. "Training, nutrition and all those aspects have evolved so much. It is up to us to stay up to date and make sure we do not fall behind. And most importantly, we must ensure that Mathieu continues to enjoy it. We have found a good balance together, and it is one in which Mathieu thrives."

There has been some criticism here and there regarding the way Van der Poel and his team (and team bosses) manage his calendar, and it has not gone unnoticed by Roodhooft. "I have become increasingly irritated by that criticism," he says. "People expect Mathieu to perform at the very highest level whenever he races the Monuments. In 2024, he won both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. And yet afterwards, he was criticised for having only raced seven times. I think to myself: the results were pretty good, weren’t they?"

"So far, I can say that the race programmes we have put together have almost always led to success. This year we chose to target a few key races. For several other events, we will decide closer to the time whether Mathieu will take part. Other teams seem to prefer a more fixed programme," he explains.

"I sometimes hear whispers that it is unprofessional to leave things open and make late decisions or adjustments to the calendar. I actually believe the exact opposite. You can stick rigidly to a plan, but in real life, things often turn out differently than expected. I think it shows professionalism if you are willing to adapt when that is the better option. We do not make decisions lightly. It is not as if we are just winging it," Roodhooft concludes.