Alpecin-Premier Tech
Alpecin-Premier Tech is a Belgian UCI WorldTour professional cycling team managed by Christoph Roodhooft. Established in 2008, the team has evolved through various names, including BKCP–Powerplus, Corendon–Circus, and Alpecin–Fenix and Alpecin-Deceuninck, before adopting its current title in 2026. Renowned for its prowess in one-day classics and sprint stages, the team has secured victories in prestigious races such as Milan–San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, and Paris–Roubaix. Key riders include Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen, and Kaden Groves.
Full official team name and common short name
Alpecin-Premier Tech is the registered name; most media and fans call the squad Alpecin. The three letter UCI code of the team is APC.
Team category and status
The team races as a UCI WorldTeam, which guarantees starts at all WorldTour events, including the three Grand Tours and the five Monuments.
Primary disciplines
Men’s elite road racing across Grand Tours, one‑week stage races and one‑day classics. The team’s identity is built on cobbled dominance, fast finishes and a deep sprint train.
Next to road racing, the team also has deep roots in cyclocross, which is still important and gives sponsors year-round visibility.
The team also fields a women’s squad with Fenix-Premier Tech competing at the very highest level of the sport.
Country of registration and base location
Belgian registered, with Alpecin-Premier Tech running its main service course out of Flanders (Herentals) and performance support hubs across Europe, reflecting a calendar built around northern Europe and the spring classics.
Founding year and origin story
The project grew from a cyclo-cross led programme into a top‑tier road team: from BKCP/Corendon-Circus to Alpecin‑Fenix, stepping up to the WorldTour in 2023 and rebranding for 2026 with Premier Tech as co‑title sponsor after the partnership with Deceuninck.
Current title sponsor and key partners
Title partners are Alpecin and Premier Tech. The latter joined in 2026 after the widely discussed association with Israel Premier Tech, a period when the war in Gaza pushed tensions in cycling into the spotlight, culminating during the 2025 Vuelta with pro-Palestinian protests.
Bikes are Canyon Aeroad and Ultimate for road, Speedmax for TT. The setup features Shimano Dura‑Ace Di2 groupsets, Shimano wheels, Vittoria tyres and Selle Italia saddles, with fully integrated cockpits and tubeless-first race configurations.
Previous team names and sponsor history
BKCP–Powerplus, Corendon–Circus, Alpecin–Fenix, Alpecin–Deceuninck, now Alpecin‑Premier Tech.
Key achievements (structure lineage)
Major wins include Paris Roubaix and Milan San Remo, multiple Tour of Flanders titles, the Tour de France green jersey, and a haul of Grand Tour stage victories. The team’s leaders have worn the rainbow jersey and delivered across every major spring classic.
Leadership and key staff
General management is led by Christoph and Philip Roodhooft. Performance is headed by Kristof De Kegel. Sports directors include experienced classics and sprint specialists who oversee the spring campaign and the Grand Tour sprint blocks.
2026 roster
Alpecin Premier Tech’s 2026 core revolves around two clear spearheads: Mathieu van der Poel for the Monuments and selective Tour de France stages, and Jasper Philipsen for the pure sprint blocks. Philipsen’s lead out is among the best in the peloton, with Jonas Rickaert, Edward Planckaert, Florian Sénéchal, Oscar Riesebeek, Silvan Dillier and Michael Gogl covering positioning, tempo control and the long final pulls.
Kaden Groves gives the team a second top tier option for fast finishes and stage hunting, while Gerben Thijssen adds more outright speed for flat days. Johan Price-Pejtersen brings time trial horsepower, and Hugo Houle and Tobias Bayer are the steady engines for hard transition stages and climbing support. Versatile finishers Francesco Busatto and Henri Uhlig strengthen the team on rolling finales, while Gal Glivar and Jensen Plowright deepen the sprint bench.
The cyclocross crossover of Emiel Verstrynge and Tibor Del Grosso adds punch and handling for technical classics, and a strong development wave keeps the pipeline stocked for cobbles, sprints and breakaway raids: Ramses Debruyne, Simon Dehairs, Tim Marsman, Luca Vergallito, Lennert Belmans, Aaron Dockx and 19 year old prospect Senna Remijn.
Key alumni
Alpecin’s alumni chart the team’s rise from a cyclo-cross core to a WorldTour sprint-and-classics powerhouse.
Tim Merlier evolved into a Grand Tour stage-winning sprinter and Belgian champion before departing, while Jay Vine jumped from Zwift Academy to Vuelta stage winner and WorldTour GC prospect at UAE. Giro stage victors Stefano Oldani and Dries De Bondt underlined the squad’s breakaway bite, and Alexander Krieger’s move to Tudor reflected the lead-out expertise honed in-house.
From the CX backbone, David van der Poel and Philipp Walsleben helped shape the team’s early identity, with Walsleben bridging successfully to the spring classics, and Petr Vakoč added WorldTour experience before transitioning to gravel.
Together, they illustrate a pathway that develops winners across disciplines and sends polished riders on to leading roles elsewhere.