Christoph Rudhoft on Van der Poel: “This is a World Cup you shouldn’t miss” | Vive Le Velo

“The Port Epic wasn’t bad, but his back was a little lower on Mondays and Tuesdays,” says Christoph Rudhoft of his ensemble Matteo van der Poel. “Last weekend was good too and he did some extra practice yesterday morning.”

“This is a World Cup you shouldn’t miss. Not even in imperfect shape. It’s a very beautiful cycle. You shouldn’t miss World Cup courses that are within your means. It could easily be 2, 3 or 4 years before you find something that fits like a glove” .

Christoph Rodhoft also spotlighted Florian Vermeersch, who is also one of his drivers at Alpecin-Fenix. “I think he’s an incredibly good rider. He rode a good spring and got through his first big round really well.”

“He is an absolute talent for Belgian cycling. As a rookie we already tried to bring him to us, but we failed. We can use him and he suits us too.”

“His dad is now employed full time by us as a mechanic. This might already be a first step. He knows the house and the atmosphere.”

Christoph Rudhoft still wants to grow with Alpecin-Fenix. Also with a women’s team. “We have the ambition to build a decent women’s team on the road. It can’t be in any other way than current cycling.”

“We want to make our women’s road team really strong in the years to come. Sanne Cant has been professional with us for 12 years, from the age of 18. We’ve really invested in that. We’ve expanded our horizons with men and are now also planning with women.”