After Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen criticized rival teams’ tactics at the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem, Alpecin-Deceuninck’s head sports director, Christoph Roodhooft, made it clear that his team is unfazed by their competitors’ strategies for the upcoming Tour of Flanders. Van der Poel expressed frustration over teams pushing the pace after an early crash left him and the peloton trailing by three minutes—a move he claimed his team would never make. Philipsen was similarly displeased after Gent-Wevelgem, believing more teams should have taken risks to chase down solo winner Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek).
With the final cobbled preparation race, Dwars door Vlaanderen, now behind them, all eyes turn to the Tour of Flanders the crown jewel of the Flemish Spring Classics. Will rival teams attempt to disrupt Alpecin-Deceuninck’s dominance after Van der Poel’s victories in the Ronde and Paris-Roubaix last year? Roodhooft, however, remains unconcerned. “I don’t care what other teams try,” he told *Cyclingnews* on Wednesday. “At this point in the season, we trust ourselves. We’ve proven over the past few years that we can win Classics, and while repeating that success gets harder, we have confidence in our ability. We work hard, and sometimes it pays off. Right now, we’re on the right track.”
The team’s hopes rest largely on Van der Poel, who aims for a record-breaking fourth Tour of Flanders title and his eighth Monument Classic win potentially surpassing Tadej Pogačar as the most successful rider in that category among the current peloton. His dominant showing at E3, just a week after outsprinting Pogačar at Milan-San Remo, suggests he may be in peak form.
Roodhooft, who alongside his brother Phillip has played a key role in Van der Poel’s career since his youth, acknowledged that this could be the strongest version of the Dutchman yet heading into Flanders. “Possibly,” he said. “He was very strong in E3 and San Remo. So far, everything is going according to plan, but we’ll see what happens on Sunday.”
Unlike last season, when he trained in Spain before Flanders, Van der Poel opted to stay in Belgium due to favorable weather, a decision based purely on convenience. “It’s two extra flights, and a wasted day in the end,” Roodhooft explained. He also dismissed concerns over Van der Poel’s health despite the blocked nose he had after E3.
Van der Poe skipped Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen races he competed in previous years to fully prepare for his title defense at Flanders and Roubaix. “I think everyone understands that these are my most important races,” he said after his solo win at E3. “The Spring Classics have already been a big success, but each race is a fresh start. Anything can happen bad positioning, a flat tire so while I hope to be at the front in Flanders, nothing is guaranteed. The main goal is to be at my best on Sunday.”
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