Mathieu van der Poel skips Vuelta a España in lead-in to Worlds title defence
Alpecin-Deceuninck look to Kaden Groves and Quinten Hermans to continue run of success at Spanish Grand Tour
Reigning road world champion Mathieu van der Poel is heading to Zürich to defend his title on September 29, but the Dutchman won't be racing the Vuelta a España as preparation.
Van der Poel won last year's world title in Glasgow in August hot off the Tour de France but he won't have a recent Grand Tour in his legs as he heads to Switzerland in late Septmeber.
In preparation for the 2021 and 2022 Worlds, he took on a series of smaller one-day races in Belgium, such as the Gooikse Pijl and GP de Wallonie, and it seems likely that he'll follow a similar path this time around once he returns to racing following the Paris Olympic Games.
His Alpecin-Deceuninck team, meanwhile, will take on the Vuelta a España with 2023 points classification winner Kaden Groves leading the eight-man selection.
The Australian sprinter won three stages last year, including the final stage in Madrid. He's still seeking his first win of the current season following four podium placings at the Giro d'Italia. The Vuelta looks likely to be his final Grand Tour with the team ahead of a mooted move to a new-look Astana team next season.
Groves will be accompanied by seven men helping him in the lead-out and seeking their own chances to score stage wins.
Juri Hollmann and Luca Vergallito will make their Grand Tour debuts as the race kicks off with a 12km time trial in Lisbon on August 17, while Edward Planckaert, Maurice Ballerstedt, Xandro Meurisse and Oscar Riesebeek also fill out the squad.
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Alongside Groves, Quinten Hermans looks to represent the team's best chances at stage victory success at the Vuelta. The Belgian puncheur was on the podium at Liège-Bastogne-Liège two years ago and this year won a stage at Itzulia Basque Country and finished third on the hilly stage 12 of the Giro in Fano.
Alpecin-Deceuninck has a history of success at the race, winning several stages at each of the past three editions. In 2021, Jasper Philipsen delivered two sprint wins, while two years ago Jay Vine scored two breakaway mountain stage victories before Groves proved the fastest sprinter in 2023.
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Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, she had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur. She writes and edits at Cyclingnews as well as running newsletter, social media, and how to watch campaigns.
Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. She has interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel, and her favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.
Season highlights from 2024 include reporting from Paris-Roubaix – 'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.