Van der Poel (with insane bike) waits at altitude to see who gets to join him in the Tour de France
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Follow us on GoogleAt Alpecin-Deceuninck, they have not yet decided who will be sent to the Tour de France this summer. The Belgian team has Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen already confirmed as leaders on paper, but the remaining slots will have a high price. Even Gianni Vermeersch, who impressed at Paris-Roubaix and just won Dwars door het Hageland on Saturday, is not a certain pick.
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Team manager Christoph Roodhooft confirmed in Het Nieuwsblad that he and his brother Philip are still devising the best plan for the Tour. According to him, recent results should not be overly scrutinized. "Our main goal is to perform in the Tour, which is why our leaders haven't raced in the past weeks."
For this reason, after Van der Poel's dominant victory at Paris-Roubaix (with Philipsen in second and Vermeersch in sixth), the team's only other win was with Axel Laurance in the Tour of Norway, claiming both a stage and the overall victory. Vermeersch's victory in Dwars door het Hageland was a welcome boost for Roodhooft. "Such a period with few wins, that's not pleasant."
Read more below the photo.
Axel Laurance
Who will support Van der Poel and Philipsen at the Tour de France?
There is already a preliminary selection for the Tour at Alpecin-Deceuninck. It's no coincidence that the team went to altitude training camp in La Plagne with nine riders. Who will be the last to be cut is still in question. "The choice will be made based on what type of rider we will need. It's a purely rational decision. One more has to be dropped, and they all know it. We also took a risk by only going to altitude with nine riders. This way, we only have to disappoint one rider later."
Vermeersch believes he can be valuable, especially after being passed over at the last minute for the Tour de France last year. "It remains a tricky issue, especially when everyone is healthy. But I repeat, it will mainly be a rational decision. I saw a good group in La Plagne. The atmosphere was good, although unfortunately the weather wasn't always great. But we managed to do almost everything we wanted to do," says Roodhooft.
He also refers to Van der Poel. The world champion, due to a busy spring, joined later in La Plagne and is therefore adding an extra week in the altitude chamber in Spain. "Now follows a third and long block with the Tour, the Olympics, and the World Championships in Zurich where he wants to defend his title. In our view, those who remain fresh and motivated have the best chance of success." On Instagram, Van der Poel already gave a sneak peek of the Canyon bike, which he might use in the upcoming period, featuring the rainbow colors...
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- Checking out the European course beforehand is smart. Hope she enjoys racing at home, whatever the result.jennifer1902-11-2026
- How does the starting order get decided in cyclocross? Eighth sounds impressive if she had to work her way through the whole field.cadencekingm02-11-2026
- The article’s timeline seems a bit muddled: it says this was the 2026 Koppenbergcross, then calls it her final race of 2025–Still, her progress is encouraging.pedalpowe2902-11-2026
- It’s lovely to see her smiling and thanking the fans. Taking things week by week sounds like the right approach after such a difficult year.patriciaw02-11-2026
- Eighth after starting on the back row at the Koppenberg is a strong ride. Good to see Fem building race rhythm without the pressure of chasing victories.tourdeforce902-11-2026
- I don’t understand how you can break vertebrae and not feel much pain there. Does that mean the collarbone injury was just more noticeable, or can spinal fractures sometimes cause very little pain? Hope he’s fully healed soon.sprocketspiny01-11-2026
- The recovery-score details are interesting, but they’re not a substitute for proper medical advice. Hopefully the team are keeping a close eye on him and letting the scans—not the urge to train—set the timetable.jennifer1901-11-2026
- Pogacar’s point about the safety gap between the Tour and smaller races is spot on. Riders are going faster than ever, yet some finishes still have awkward turns and road furniture right in the finale. Organisers need to take this seriously.gearguru3301-11-2026
- Two extra vertebrae fractures is a frightening discovery, especially after the concussion and collarbone injury. Glad he’s recovering, but it shows why coming back too soon would be a terrible risk.breakawaybikerd01-11-2026
- The team says it wants answers “as quickly as possible”, but speed shouldn’t come at the expense of a thorough investigation. Since Picnic PostNL commissioned it, will the full report be published? The team’s transparency will matter as much as who leads the inquiry.cyclechamp4530-10-2026
