Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel will be able to count on strong support for the Tour de France this July, with Alpecin-Premier Tech announcing a formidable line-up to back their co-leaders at the biggest stage race of the season.
Philipsen, 28, emerged from the chaos of the windswept first day of last year's Tour to take the opening yellow jersey and add a tenth stage win to his palmarès, only to crash out two days later when leading the points competition.
Van der Poel, 31, continued the Alpecin opening run of Tour de France success with victory on the very hilly finale on stage 2 last year at Boulogne-sur-Mer ahead of GC heavyweights Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
Already a winner of an uphill first week stage back in the 2021 race, Van de Poel then led the 2026 Tour for four days before abandoning ill in the second week. However, Alpecin's excellent Tour continued deep into the third week when sprinter Kaden Groves – not present in their line-up this year – won stage 20 at Pontarlier from a late solo break.
This time round his teammate Philipsen comes off the back of an impressive spring Classics campaign where the Belgian fastman won a typically tough version of In Flanders Fields (formerly Gent-Wevelgem). That was prior to his snapping up overall victory in the Baloise Belgium Tour last week and a win in top Danish WorldTour race, the Copenhagen Sprint earlier in June.
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One of the greatest Classics riders of all time and a breakaway winner in this spring of the E3 Saxo Classic despite almost being overhauled in the final metres, most likely the ultra-versatile Van der Poel will once again be targeting stage victories in the Tour.
Both the Belgian and the Dutchman will be able to rely on an impressive support line-up for the 2026 Tour, that includes former Paris-Roubaix podium finisher and ultra-reliable team worker Sylvan Dillier, and lead-out riders of the calibre of Edward Planckaert. Tim Marsman, recently part of the successful late breakaway in the Dutch National Championships road race is another important part of the Alpecin jigsaw.
Van der Poel also had some major personal news on Monday, when he announced on social media that he will become a father for the first time.
Alpecin-Premier Tech for the 2026 Tour de France
- Ramses Debruyne
- Sylvan Dillier
- Tim Marsman
- Jasper Philipsen
- Edward Planckaert
- Mathieu van der Poel
- Jonas Rickaert
- Emiel Verstrynge
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