Roodhooft praises “super-strong” Van der Poel teammate: “Those guys shape the race”

In the chaotic opening hours, with the wind threatening to dictate the day, Tobias Bayer and Lennert Belmans took responsibility behind the breakaway and helped keep the situation under control. Later on, it was down to Florian Sénéchal — who had been involved in a crash — and Edward Planckaert to position the team’s leaders Van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen and Kaden Groves before the decisive climbs.

Planckaert did the work of two, and after several strong turns earlier in the race, he delivered one final massive pull to bring Alpecin–Premier Tech into position for the Molenberg. That was the point where Van der Poel eventually made the difference.

“Those guys shape the team — and they shape how the race unfolds at a certain moment,” sports director Christoph Roodhooft said at the finish. “For a leader, that’s a really nice feeling: not being alone at those moments, and being supported in the right way.”

While Van der Poel stayed clear of major trouble, the same could not be said for Groves and Philipsen. “It was actually an incredibly hard day for the team. We had a lot of bad luck,” the Australian said afterwards. “I crashed myself and Jasper had a puncture.”

“Still, when you have someone like Van der Poel… If he’s that good, he can also do it alone,” Groves added. “So in the end the result is perfect, but as a team we could have done better collectively.” Philipsen ultimately did not reach the finish.

“I punctured for the first time on the Holleweg. And just when I finally got back on, I had another puncture,” the Belgian sighed. “That was it for me. Despite the tough conditions, I actually felt pretty good.” Philipsen gets another opportunity on Sunday at Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne.

Roodhooft’s overall verdict after Van der Poel’s victory remained largely positive. “He’s been able to train hard, and that’s one of his biggest qualities and talents — that he can handle that workload,” he said. “We tried to do things well and correctly, and now it’s paid off.”