Alpecin-Deceuninck

Alpecin-Deceuninck are a Belgian outfit who first burst onto the scene in 2019 when they turned their focus from CX to road racing, and have quickly grown into one of the most important squads in the WorldTour

They immediately caused waves in the pro peloton, taking an impressive 21 wins in 2019 - despite a limited road programme - and a further 16 in 2020. The majority of these big wins came courtesy of their darling Dutchman, Mathieu van der Poel. 

While Van der Poel may still call the shots at the team, he’s not the only rider who has tasted a lot of success in Alpecin’s navy colours. Sprinter Jasper Philipsen is their second star and quickly staking claim as the best sprinter in the world, with six Tour de France stages and countless other victories to his name in the last two years. 

The team stepped up to WorldTour level for 2023, and welcomed in a host of new riders with that change, including Kaden Groves, who would go on to win stages at the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España in 2023.

In 2024, the team are settling into WorldTour status, and will once again chase big goals with Van der Poel, Philipsen and Groves. They made modest signings over the winter, mainly moving riders up from their development team, but have welcomed Stan Van Tricht from Soudal Quick-Step and Juri Hollman from Movistar as they look to build a stronger and more varied team.

Tech

Pro Bikes

Vuelta a España pro bike: Kaden Groves’ Canyon Aeroad CFR

Kaden Groves wins stage 4 of Vuelta a España atop Canyon Aeroad CFR specced with Shimano Dura-Ace components.

Kaden Groves' Canyon Aeroad CFR bike for the Vuelta a España

. Most have skipped the race due to the gruelling route, but a handful have braved the vicious Spanish climbs for the rare sprint opportunities at the race.

 (Alpecin-Deceuninck), and it’s already proved to be a fruitful decision for the Australian who 

. He took that win atop the Canyon Aeroad CFR, and we managed to get our hands on his bike earlier in the race. Here is the breakdown:

’s lightest ever aero road bike. It’ll be familiar to many having been ridden to plenty of success this season by 

. In 2023, together with the team, the bike has won two Monuments - Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix - one stage of the Giro d’Italia (through Groves), four stages of the Tour de France, plus the men’s road race at the World Championships. Courtesy of Groves’ victory on stage 4 of the Vuelta, it now boasts a Grand Tour clean sweep this season.

Canyon says that the bike was “developed for WorldTour wins” and that’s certainly proved to be the case this season. As is to be expected with an aero race bike, much of the performance is driven by its aerodynamic design. Developed in collaboration with aerodynamic experts Swiss Side, the German brand says that every tube and component has been optimised to reduce drag. We can’t put that to the test, but it definitely looks fast – especially at the hands of Groves.

As is becoming common as the lines between bike categories blur, the Aeroad CFR is also light - the lightest it’s ever been - saving over 200g over the previous flagship model, the CF SLX.

As a part of its collaboration with the team, Canyon has released multiple special-edition colourways of the Aeroad CFR this year, both ridden by and centred around Mathieu van der Poel. The first celebrated his 

None of those designs are on show at the Vuelta a España, with Groves and his teammates riding bikes with standard team-issue colours. The stylish design merges shades of blue and purple, closely resembling the team’s kit. It’s a great design, although it was only a blur as Groves sprinted to victory.

We encountered Groves’ bike ahead of stage 3, the day before he took his victory. That was a mountain stage, so we can be fairly certain that some elements of his bike build will have changed.

 cassette he used was probably swapped out for a more compact option, with something a little smaller than a 34t largest cog. That cassette was paired with a 54/40 Shimano Dura-Ace chainset, a common size in the pro peloton.

For the high mountains, Groves used the Shimano Dura-Ace C50 wheels. Their 50mm rims are fairly deep, although the Australian may have swapped them for the C60s for his sprint victory.

Those wheels were paired with Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR in a 28mm width, the most popular size from what we’ve seen at the race - they also have tan sidewalls which is always a winner with us.

Finishing components include Canyon’s integrated bar and stem, an area of the bike the brand put a particular focus on when developing the bike.

’s Pro Team saddle sits atop Canyon’s aero seatpost, while the team also uses Elite bottle cages.

Discover more bikes from the Vuelta a España in our pro bike section, 

Jasper Philipsen

Mathieu van der Poel

Kaden Groves

Søren Kragh Andersen

Gianni Vermeersch

Axel Laurance

Timo Kielich

Quinten Hermans

Lars Boven

Stan Van Tricht

Henri Uhlig

Robbe Ghys

Luca Vergallito

Nicola Conci

Jason Osborne

Xandro Meurisse

Jensen Plowright

Edward Planckaert

Tobias Bayer

Maurice Ballerstedt

Michael Gogl

Silvan Dillier

Oscar Riesebeek

Fabio Van den Bossche

Jimmy Janssens

Jonas Rickaert

Juri Hollmann

Senne Leysen

Ramon Sinkeldam

Samuel Gaze

Racing

Analysis

Alpecin-Deceuninck Team Talk: Best season yet for the team who just keep on improving

Finishing 1-2 at Paris-Roubaix was the biggest moment in Alpecin-Deceuninck's history to date

, once known as Corendon-Circus, were regarded as precious more than a vehicle through which 

 could play out his road cycling fantasies. The Dutchman was making a name for himself as a multidisciplinary extraordinaire in 2018 and 2019, and 

 were simply the team there to support him. 

 and a more eclectic, international cast of characters was put together by team founders Philip and Christoph Roodhooft. From a Benelux, Van der Poel-orientated team, to one that signed a host of talented riders from around the globe, Alpecin-Fenix slowly began to mould into something very different from their roots. 

Three years on and it is safe to say the transition from a plucky cyclocross crew to an all-encompassing road team is complete. 2023 marked Alpecin-Deceuninck's first year as a 

WorldTeam and saw them end the season in eighth place in the UCI rankings - not a bad effort in the slightest. 

From once being a team centred around the victories of Van der Poel, Alpecin-Deceuninck in fact found most of their wins elsewhere in 2023, whilst turning to the Dutchman for their most prestigious titles. 

A year in which they won two Monuments, several Grand Tour stages and brought the world champion's rainbow bands into the team's lineup, 2033 will be remembered very fondly by the Roodhooft brothers as a year in which their Belgian outfit earned its place amongst the elite. 

The fact that Alpecin-Deceuninck won 35 races this season is made more impressive when you note that only seven different riders contributed to that tally. That is to say, when Alpecin-Deceuninck's leaders win, they often win at will. 

The leaders in question over the past two years have been Van der Poel and 

, but the Belgian outfit was strengthened further this season by the addition of Australia's 

 rider has bolstered the team's sprinting ranks and allowed Alpecin-Deceuninck to be competitive at every Grand Tour they race in. 

Remarkably, the team's streak of winning a stage at every Grand Tour they have ever raced has continued through the year, now tallying nine Grand Tours in a row with stage victories - thanks to Groves and Philipsen this time around. 

Best men's WorldTour bikes of 2023: Which brand won the most races?

 each chipped in with a valuable win, at Eschborn-Frankfurt, the Antwerp Port Epic, ZLM Tour and Ethias-Tour de Wallonie, respectively. For Mareczko, it proved to be his final win in Alpecin-Deceuninck colours before moving to Corratec-Selle Italia, but both De Bondt and Kragh Andersen will be hoping to pick up multiple victories in 2024 - as they have done in the past. 

As for the three leaders, a slow start preceded the metaphorical floodgates opening in the Spring, with Alpecin-Deceuninck having to wait until Tirreno-Adriatico in March for their first victory of the campaign. 

Getting the team off the mark in Italy, Philipsen made light work of his sprinting competition on stages 3 and 7 to lay down an ominous marker for the season ahead. On both occasions, Van der Poel proved instrumental in the Belgian's lead-out and despite not contesting a stage win for himself at the seven-day stage race, the Dutchman's time would come just one week later. 

Already a winner of the Tour of Flanders in 2020 and 2022, Van der Poel added a second Monument to his palmarès at Milan-San Remo in March. Taking inspiration from Matej Mohorič's (Bahrain Victorious) audacious move last season, Van der Poel attacked over the top of the final climb and produced a lung-busting descent to win the first Monument of the season some 62 years after his late grandfather, Raymond Poulidor. 

A week later Van der Poel played his part in a trio of excellent days for the team that began with Groves' victory on stage 4 of the Volta a Catalunya. It was the Australian's first win of the season and much like Philipsen, it did not take him long to double up, winning stage 6 just two days later. 

In the interim day, meanwhile, Van der Poel notched up second place at E3 Saxo Classic in a race for the ages that saw him, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) engage in a three-up sprint to the line. 

For the Milan-San Remo winner, promising signs in what is effectively the Tour of Flanders warm-up race, the E3 Saxo Classic, was followed by disappointment at the main showcase itself. This time around, it was Pogačar who got the better of Van der Poel, with a 17km solo effort that the 28-year-old could do nothing about. 

Taking a step back, two-second places are nothing for Alpecin-Deceuninck to turn their nose up at, but with a rider in the ilk of Van der Poel, the expectations are for massive victories. A sense of 'what if' may have crept in after these two races, but the WorldTeam responded in resounding fashion at Scheldeprijs and Paris-Roubaix. 

Van der Poel himself was a surprising last-minute addition to the team's Scheldeprijs lineup, but whilst the race proved as valuable kilometres in the legs ahead of the French Monument, the day was all about his supreme teammate Philipsen. 

Known as the sprinters' Classic or the World Championship for sprinters, Scheldeprijs was won by Philipsen back in 2021 and the Belgian capitalised on his superiority to edge out Sam Welsford (dsm-firmenich) and Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) this time around. 

 sprinter to beat in 2023, Philipsen revealed himself as so much more than this at Paris-Roubaix four days later. 

Known as 'the Hell of the North' Paris-Roubaix is not a race that a hegemonic sprinter such as Cavendish could have won back in his heyday, for example, but Philipsen is a remarkable all-rounder and showed as much in Alpecin-Deceuninck's greatest day to date. 

Beginning the race with Van der Poel as their leader and possibly the race favourite, Alpecin-Deceuninck could not have dreamed of the scenario which played out on the cobbles of Northern France, in which the Dutchman soloed to a third Monument title and a determined Philipsen edged out Van Aert for second place behind. 

It was a performance that will be remembered for decades to come and saw Alpecin-Deceuninck come of age as a team for the Spring Classics. Admittedly, Van der Poel had won the Tour of Flanders twice in the past, but the manner of this victory was different and contrasted poetically with the demise of fellow Belgian WorldTeam Soudal Quick-Step, whose highest-placed rider was former Alpecin-Deceuninck man Tim Merlier in 23rd. 

Buoyed by an exceptional Spring Classics campaign, the team continued to pick up wins throughout May and June, with Groves' stage win at the Giro d'Italia a highlight, but the next big target on their calendar was the Tour de France. Carrying on from where they left at Tirreno-Adriatico, the Van der Poel-Philipsen double act came up trumps to deliver the team their best Grand Tour to date. 

This was the moment Philipsen crowned himself as the world's best sprinter. With Van der Poel's exquisite lead-outs to win four stages of the Tour and the green jersey to boot, he was simply imperious for most of the race. The only tinge of regret will come from a missed shot on the Champs-Élysées on stage 21 where he was bested, only slightly, by a flying 

Van der Poel's transition to lead-out extraordinaire was a nice, unexpected surprise this season, but did serve to mask his own inability to win a Grand Tour stage. That shortcoming was soon forgotten in August, however, when the Dutchman won the World Championship Road Race in Glasgow. The victory may not have come in Alpecin-Deceuninck colours, but the team's help was no doubt invaluable and he would line up in the rainbow bands to win the Super 8 Classic in September. 

The Spring Classics and the Tour de France were the two highlights of the season for Alpecin-Deceuninck, but the Vuelta a España and Philipsen's continued dominance rounded off a tremendous season for the team. 

At the Vuelta, Groves made the most of a poor sprinting field to win three stages and the green jersey. His transfer from Jayco-AlUla has gone down a treat for the Belgian team and, paired alongside Philipsen, offers Alpecin-Deceuninck handy versality across the three Grand Tours.

As for his fellow sprinter, Philipsen ended the season with an almighty 19 victories, including 8 from his final 14 race days. Suffice to say, he ends the season as the best sprinter in the world. 

For the budget they have and as their first season on the WorldTour, it is hard to see many ways in which Alpecin-Deceuninck could have enjoyed a better season. Sure, Mathieu van der Poel will hope to win a Grand Tour stage or two in 2024, but his Monument victories - alongside the wins picked up by Jasper Philipsen and Kaden Groves - make this campaign a resounding success. 

Alpecin-Deceuninck's Top Five in 2024 

There is a small changing of the guard at Alpecin-Deceuninck over the off-season, with Grand Tour stage winners Kristian Sbaragli and Stefano Oldani leaving for Corratec-Selle Italia and Cofidis, respectively. 

Pro cycling transfers – every move for the 2024 season

Fellow mature riders Jakub Mareczko, Alexander Krieger and Lionel Taminiaux are also on their way out, whilst doubts remain over the contract status of Dries De Bondt and Robert Stannard. The latter was suspended for a doping violation earlier in the year and is unlikely to return, whilst we would expect to see De Bondt, a former Belgian national champion, offered a new deal. 

In return, all eyes point to the future with a quartet of riders coming from the Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team. That is not to mention the signings of Lars Woven, from Jumbo-Visma Development Team, Juri Hollmann, a 24-year-old rouleur from Movistar, and Stan Van Tricht, a 24-year-old one-day specialist from Soudal Quick-Step. 

Of those, it is probably Van Tricht who appears the most promising, having taken a plethora of podium placings at one-day races over the past few seasons without quite clinching his first pro victory. He beat Pim Ronhaar to a national race win back in May of this year, in a field that also contained former Alpecin-Deceuninck man David van der Poel, and incoming signing from the development team, Timo Kielich. 

Kielich won a stage of the Tour de Wallonie this season when riding as a stagaire for the WorldTeam, and has shown his engine at the UCI Gravel World Series to win the Gravel Fondo Limburg. He can be expected to kick on in 2024, as can fellow new recruit Henri Uhlig, who won a stage of the Baltic Chain Tour this season and finished second overall. 

Rounding out the quartet of incomings from the development team are the Italian Luca Vergallito and the current U23 men's world champion, Axel Laurance. The latter's pedigree goes without saying following his astonishing solo victory at the World Championships in Glasgow this year, whilst the former is the 2022 winner of the Zwift Academy and his perseverance has finally landed him a ride in the WorldTour at the age of 26. 

Where Alpecin-Deceuninck's wins will come in 2024 

It goes without saying that Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen and Kaden Groves should be expected to win an array of WorldTour races in 2024. Whether it be in the Monuments with world champion Van der Poel, Grand Tour stages through Groves, or a mixture of both from the ever-reliable Philipsen, it would take a great disappointment for these three not to shine once more. 

Jasper Philipsen: I can rival Wout van Aert for every Tour de France green jersey

Away from the terrific trio, Alpecin-Deceuninck will be hoping that Søren Kragh Andersen reforms even a glimmer of the form that saw him win two stages of the Tour de France in 2020, whilst the likes of Quinten Hermans, Nicola Conci and Gianni Vermeersch can be expected to contest for the odd victory from time to time. 

With two Grand Tour stage winners out the door, however, a keen eye should be kept on the four new incomings from the Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team. In their second year as a WorldTeam, the Belgian outfit will be looking to continue padding out their list of winners. 

Alpecin-Deceuninck's next breakout rider 

This one provokes a tough choice between Luca Vergallito and Axel Laurance. There is a lot to be said about Vergallito's persistence to win the Zwift Academy and take this unusual route to the professional ranks, whilst his supreme climbing legs were proven in winning Oberösterreich Rundfahrt earlier this year.

Pro indoor training tips from Zwift Academy winner Alex Bogna

That being said, Vergallito is 26 years of age and thus questions marked can be asked as to whether or not he has reached his ceiling as a rider. On the other hand, Laurance is somewhat the young rider of the moment at the age of 22 and rode tremendously well at the Veneto Classic last month to finish in the top 10 behind the likes of Davide Formolo and Marc Hirschi (both UAE Team Emirates). 

He may not be able to wear the U23 rainbow bands for Alpecin-Deceuninck next season, but we fancy the world champion to show himself towards the front of races as he begins to become accustomed to the WorldTour in 2024. 

How impressed have you been with Alpecin-Deceuninck's rise over the past few seasons? And do you now think they can lay claim on being the best Belgian WorldTeam in the Spring Classics, ahead of Soudal Quick-Step? Let us know in the comments! 

Giro d’Italia: Analysing the sprinters – more exciting than the GC?

 gets underway this Saturday in Turin, much attention will be on the fight for the pink jersey, and the GC narrative that will unfurl over the next three weeks. However, a Grand Tour is about more than just the general classification, with 21 stage wins and 

 up for grabs during the next few weeks in Italy.

In the run-up to the Giro, one of the most exciting battles brewing is the one between the sprinters. Whilst the list of GC contenders is relatively diluted for a Grand Tour, the Giro has attracted a sparkling field of sprinters, with many of the fastest riders in the world set to line up in Turin – the argued best sprinter 

 (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is not there, but most of the A-list bunch finishers are.

Giro d’Italia 2024: Essential race preview

Four months into the season, we’ve seen plenty from all of these sprinters, and a hierarchy of ability and form is starting to emerge. With various riders spread across various goals and races during the spring, the Giro offers the first chance for a big group of sprinters to all go head-to-head-to-head, on the biggest stage.

There are six designated sprint stages on this year’s 

, and a handful more that could well end in bunch sprints, depending on how they’re raced, so the stage is set for plenty of big clashes between some really strong riders. But who will come out on top?

Giro d’Italia: Ranking the top 10 contenders

 (Soudal Quick-Step) – 7 wins in 2024, 2 Grand Tour career stages

 (Visma-Lease a Bike) – 4 wins in 2024, 0 Grand Tour career stages

 (Lidl-Trek) – 3 wins in 2024, 1 Grand Tour career stage

 (Alpecin-Deceuninck) – 0 wins in 2024, 5 Grand Tour career stages

These four riders are the headline sprinters in the race, the ones who have had most success in the last 12 months and should be expected to be contending for the win in most bunch finishes. Any one of them will probably be disappointed to come away without a win, and with good reason.

Tim Merlier is the name that stands out from this group, as he’s been the most successful sprinter so far this year, and has at times looked fairly unmatchable – he dominated the UAE Tour, was strong during the Classics, and beat a strong field at the sprinter-packed Scheldeprijs. Of course, Grand Tours are different, but confidence and momentum are key for sprinters, and Merlier should have that in buckets. Soudal Quick-Step aren’t mounting a serious GC assault at the Giro, so they’ll look to Merlier and stage wins as a big goal. He has strength in his lead-out in the form of Pieter Serry, Luke Lamperti and Bert Van Lerberghe.

However, he’s facing some tough competition, and this race is unlikely to be a win-sweeping exercise for the Belgian. One of the most exciting prospects in the sprint field is Olav Kooij, who is making his Grand Tour debut, but should already be considered amongst the top sprinters. He won a stage of the UAE Tour and two at Paris-Nice – from a strong field – and is one of the fastest finishers when he’s dropped off in the right place. With no Wout Van Aert, more pressure will be on Kooij’s shoulders for Visma-Lease a Bike, but he’s primed to live up to it.

Giro d’Italia: Visma-Lease a Bike target stage wins with Olav Kooij, Cian Uijtdebroeks for GC

The other main challenger is Jonathan Milan, the defending maglia ciclamino winner. It was consistently that earned him that title in 2023, rather than a glut of wins, so the Italian will be hoping to improve on the one stage he won last year.

Lastly in this tier of sprinters is Kaden Groves, perhaps contentiously since he’s yet to win in 2024, but he has one of the strongest Grand Tour pedigrees on the start list, and routinely won in the Vuelta last year. It’s been a slow start to the Australian, but he’s the kind of rider who can deliver in the moments that matter, and with – finally – no Van der Poel or Philipsen to detract from his focus,

 (dsm-firmenich PostNL) – 1 win in 2024, 6 Grand Tour stages

 (Jayco AlUla) – 2 wins in 2024, 11 Grand Tour stages

 (UAE Team Emirates) – 0 wins in 2024, 2 Grand Tour stages

 (Bahrain Victorious) – 1 win in 2024, 0 Grand Tour stages

 (Intermarché-Wanty) – 1 win in 2024, 1 Grand Tour stage

This group of riders don’t necessarily have the top form or speed needed to be favourites in the sprints, but will be hoping to be up there, and maybe even grab a victory on a good day. A few years ago, the likes of Jakobsen and Ewan would have been in the top tier of sprinters, but both have struggled in recent seasons, and perhaps don’t quite have the final kick they used to. Neither Jakobsen or Ewan have many wins to their name so far this year, and victory in the Giro would change their season trajectories and a real return to top-level success. They have strong riders around them, and haven’t been totally off the pace this season, so it’s definitely possible for one or both to take a win.

Sebastián Molano and Phil Bauhaus are perhaps another step below, but are riders who are consistently up there in bunch sprints. Molano won’t have much pressure on his shoulders, since UAE are going all-in for Tadej Pogačar, which also limits his support, but means he’ll have a free role to have a go in bunch finishes, and he is fast. Bauhaus has never won a Grand Tour stage, but won in Tirreno this year, which will have boosted his confidence, and he’ll be primed to take advantage of any chaotic situations in the sprints.

Pro bike: Can Phil Bauhaus claim a maiden Giro d’Italia stage win atop the Merida Reacto?

Biniam Girmay is almost in a category of his own, because he’s developed into much more than a bunch sprinter, but can – and should – still be up there in the flat finishes. The question is, though, whether he can beat the really pure fast finishers. The Eritrean will benefit on the slightly tougher finales, and should be a shoo-in for a string of top placings, but he will have to work hard for a win in a conventional sprint finish.

 (Bora-Hansgrohe) – 0 wins in 2024, 0 Grand Tour stages

 (Astana Qazaqstan) – 1 win in 2024, 0 Grand Tour stages

 (Movistar) – 1 win in 2024, 7 Grand Tour stages

 (Ineos Grenadiers) – 2 wins in 2024, 1 Grand Tour stage

That’s already nine riders highlighted for the sprints, but outside of the big names there will be a whole host of riders trying to sneak into the top placings, and maybe take opportunities on tricky or messy finishes. Of course, half the peloton could go into this list – everyone wants to win a Grand Tour stage – but there are a few, in particular, to keep an eye on, riders who aren’t certified favourites but will be very motivated to give it a go.

With Sam Welsford not selected, Danny van Poppel has been dropped into the role of sprint leader at Bora-Hansgrohe, and whilst he’s ostensibly a lead-out man, he is very capable of winning himself too, especially with Ryan Mullen in front of him. He did ‘win’ a stage of the Tour of Türkiye, but was relegated for deviation – though it shows the speed is there. Max Kanter is in a similar situation, usually a lead-out for Mark Cavendish but stepping into the lead himself here. A win seems a big ask for the rider who only took his first pro win in April, but he’ll be hunting out chances.

Like Jakobsen and Ewan above, Gaviria is a rider who would have been the top of a sprinters ranking a few years ago – he took home the maglia ciclamino at the Giro in 2017 – but these days his pace just isn’t there. That said, what he may lack in recent results and pure speed, the Colombian makes up for in experience, which could prove fruitful. He’s a rider who isn’t afraid to try something different, and it isn’t impossible to imagine him taking a top result.

Lastly is a rider who isn’t even always looked at as a sprinter, but has shown his mettle in fast finishes this year. Jhonatan Narváez is likely to be Ineos’ hope in the sprints, with sometimes opportunist Filippo Ganna probably more focused on the time trials in his home race. Narváez doesn’t have much experience as a sprinter in Grand Tours, so this will be a big test for the Ecuadorian, but he’s been on exciting form so far this season, and there’s no reason why that couldn’t continue at the Giro.

For everything you need to know about the 2024 Giro d'Italia, from the

News

Race News

Mathieu van der Poel and Marianne Vos top prize money standings in Spring Classics

) racked up the most prize money in the respective men’s and Women’s WorldTours, with Van der Poel earning €84,500 and Vos €38,173.

 (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is the second-biggest earner in the men’s field with €60,400 and 

) is second in the Women’s WorldTour with €35,081.

For this list, we've judged the Spring Classics campaign as the period of one-day racing between Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in late February and last weekend’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and taken into account only the WorldTour races. For the women, there were 11 WorldTour races in this period. For the men, there were 12.

It's worth noting that the prize money riders win is usually shared among teammates and members of staff. With that in mind, one glance at the results shows that Alpecin-Deceuninck will be one happy team, with Van der Poel and Philipsen at the top of the prize money standings, collectively earning €144,900 for the team.

At Paris-Roubaix, the team won €53,700 between them as a result of Van der Poel’s victory (€30,000), Philipsen’s second place (€22,000) and 

Alpecin-Deceuninck conquer Paris-Roubaix: ‘Mathieu is at the best level we have ever seen’

Tallying up the prize money highlights the disparity between the men’s and women’s pelotons. The top 20 men earned €417,750 in prize money in the Classics. The top 20 women earned €253,076 across the same period — that's before considering the difference in base salaries.

In the women's peloton, Vos won the most prize money, followed by Kopecky, followed by 

). The Italian's victory at the Tour of Flanders and consistency throughout the racing earned her a total sum of €31,892.

Elisa Longo Borghini rebuilds from ‘destroyed’ rider to win Tour of Flanders

Behind Van der Poel and Philipsen in the men’s standings sat 

Where Van der Poel enjoyed the best Spring Classics campaign of his career, his rival 

 (Visma-Lease a Bike) had no such luck, with a crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen taking him out of racing. The 29-year-old had earned €8,000 up to this point across Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and E3 Saxo Classic, but he ended up 20th in the men’s standings given his only victory of the spring, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, was not a WorldTour race. It did, however, earn him €11,265.

Flanders Classics continues to award financial parity

Two years ago, Flanders Classics, the organisers of some of the biggest Spring Classics, made the landmark decision to award equal prize money for the male and female winners of the Tour of Flanders, a first for any of the Monument Classics. A year later, it extended this commitment to all the races under its umbrella. This season, it has stayed true to the promise.

As such, equal prize money was awarded to Vos and 

 (Visma-Lease a Bike) at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Wiebes and Pedersen at Gent-Wevelgem and Longo Borghini and Van der Poel at the Tour of Flanders. 

Other organisers have yet to follow the lead of Flanders Classics. The biggest disparity was at Strade Bianche, where Lotte Kopecky’s winning ride earned her a measly €2,256 relative to Pogačar’s €16,000. It was a similar tale at Paris-Roubaix, where Kopecky was awarded €9,000 less than Van der Poel, and at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ) won €12,500 to Pogačar’s €20,000.

Individual excellence versus consistent performers

It was a smash-and-grab spring for Pogačar, whose victories in Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège and third place at Milan-San Remo gained him €41,000 across just three appearances.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège: Tadej Pogačar wins with 35km solo attack

A specialised approach like that wasn't as effective in the women’s peloton due to the reduced prize money, but after a spring in which she failed to finish top 30 in any of the previous Classics, Brown’s win at Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes catapulted her up to seventh in the women’s standings.

Placing just one below Brown, in contrast, was 

 (dsm-firmenich PostNL) with a cumulative €9,645, who failed to win any of this year’s Classics but did earn significant prize money across Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Ronde van Drenthe, Trofeo Alfredo Binda, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix Femmes and Amstel Gold Race.

Top 20 male earners in the Spring Classics

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck): €84,500

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck): €60,400

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates): €41,000

Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates): €22,100

Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike): €17,600

Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech): €16,250

Jan Tratnik (Visma-Lease a Bike): €16,000

Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla): €11,300

Luca Mozzato (Arkéa-B&B Hotels): €11,200

Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL): €10,400

Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step): €8,800

Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility): €8,800

Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates): €8,500

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike): €8,000

Top 20 female earners in the Spring Classics

Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike): €38,173

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime): €35,081

Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek): €31,892

Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime): €27,970

Alpecin-Deceuninck

Alpecin-Deceuninck

The Team

Team Bikes

Vuelta a España pro bike: Kaden Groves’ Canyon Aeroad CFR

Top Alpecin-Deceuninck Stories

Alpecin-Deceuninck Team Talk: Best season yet for the team who just keep on improving

Giro d’Italia: Analysing the sprinters – more exciting than the GC?

Mathieu van der Poel and Marianne Vos top prize money standings in Spring Classics

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Name	Age	UCI Career Wins	UCI Points
Jasper Philipsen	26	56	4745
Mathieu van der Poel	29	53	4640
Kaden Groves	25	22	1662
Søren Kragh Andersen	29	15	714
Gianni Vermeersch	31	3	551