Mathieu van der Poel fighting through illness in bid to win third Paris-Roubaix in a row for Alpecin-Deceuninck, Jasper Philipsen building confidence
Published 12/04/2025 at 11:14 GMT+1
Alpecin-Deceuninck duo Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen are both battling setbacks in their bid to win a third straight Paris-Roubaix title for the team. The pair finished in the top two in 2023 and 2024, and Van der Poel, who is fighting a lingering illness, could become just the third rider in history to win the 'Hell of the North' three times in a row should he defend his title.
Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen react after the 111th Tour de France 2024, Stage 16 a 188.6km stage from Gruissan to Nimes / #UCIWT / on July 16, 2024 in Nimes, France
Image credit: Getty Images
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has made it clear he is ready to defend his Paris-Roubaix title after battling illness at the Tour of Flanders.
The Dutchman finished third while fighting a cold he caught following Milano-Sanremo, while his Alpecin-Deceuninck team-mate Jasper Philipsen is yet to return to full strength after a crash at Nokere Koerse.
The pair have taken the top two positions on the Paris-Roubaix podium in the last two years, and Van der Poel could become just the third rider to win the Monument three times in a row with a victory this weekend.
Both are hoping to be fit enough to contend in Sunday’s race, with Van der Poel eyeing up another title defence.
"Racing E3 Harelbeke made things worse," Van der Poel admitted of his illness. "By Monday, I felt really under the weather. I ended up on antibiotics, and during Flanders, I still wasn't at 100%, though I was able to defend myself fairly well. In the end, I still made the podium.
"After the Tour of Flanders, I had a bit of a dip again. That's probably not surprising: it was a big effort on Sunday, and I still wasn't fully recovered. But now it's Friday, and I'm feeling much better. I think I'm reasonably OK to try and defend my title on Sunday."
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As well as battling illness, Van der Poel was involved in a crash at Flanders, but has since recovered from that incident and is heading to Paris-Roubaix to become the first to make it three in a row since Francesco Moser in 1980.
"I start every race to win, and this year is no different," Van der Poel continued. "Of course, that's easier said than done, but that's the mindset I bring to the start.
"And if I'm not at my absolute best, we'll do everything we can to keep the victory within the team. Jasper Philipsen has shown over the past two years that he's more than capable of winning this race, too."
Philipsen is recovering from his own crash he sustained in the final kilometre of the Nokere Koerse. He took part in Milano-Sanremo, and finished second at Scheldeprijs to build up steam ahead of Paris-Roubaix.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
"The crash is still lingering a bit," Philipsen said. "It's nothing unmanageable, and I'm getting treatment, so it's no excuse. But I'm not completely comfortable yet.
"In Gent-Wevelgem and Scheldeprijs, I was able to regain some confidence. In any case, I've worked hard to be ready. Hopefully, that effort will be rewarded on Sunday.
"It's not like the Tour of Flanders, where the hills keep coming. It's more about positioning and surviving the cobbles; that's the kind of racing I love. I really enjoy the rattle and rhythm of the pave."
Even with their leading duo not at full strength, the Alpecin-Deceuninck team boast experience of winning Paris-Roubaix.
"As a team, we feel at home in the 'Hell of the North'," Philipsen added. "We're lining up with a strong group: all guys who know their way across the cobbles, with the experience and toughness it takes. If we can avoid bad luck and ride our race, there's no reason we can't aim for another strong result."
Silvan Dillier, Edward Planckaert, Jonas Rickaert, Oscar Riesebeek, and Gianni Vermeersch round out the seven-man lineup for Sunday's race.
"We've got really a strong lineup," Van der Poel said. "Five of the six team-mates from Sunday were also part of our success last year. The sixth, Jonas Rickaert, was part of the squad in 2023. That shared experience really counts in a race like this," Van der Poel said, before going on to rate his major opponents for success on Sunday.
"It's maybe harder to predict than usual. Pogacar is always a major contender. But in Flanders, we also saw Wout van Aert, Mads Pedersen, and Jasper Stuyven performing at a very high level. And then there's Filippo Ganna. Paris-Roubaix might just be the perfect race for him."
How to watch Paris-Roubaix 2025
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This year’s edition of Paris-Roubaix takes place on Sunday, April 13, 2025.
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