Alpecin-Deceuninck sees several riders leaving after this year, but behind the scenes is also working to strengthen the squad. The team is signing two riders from Team Flanders-Baloise: Jonas Geens (26) and Lindsay De Vylder (30). This was reported by Het Laatste Nieuws and was also confirmed to WielerFlits.
De Vylder is especially making a name for himself on the track, both at championships and in the six-day circuit. Over the years, the Belgian has won several Belgian track titles, became world champion in the omnium in 2024, and just last Sunday took world championship gold in the team pursuit alongside Fabio Van Den Bossche. He also won the prestigious Six Days of Ghent in 2022 and 2023 – together with Robbe Ghys.
In recent seasons, De Vylder has also competed on the road for Team Flanders-Baloise. This year, he took part in races such as the Tour of Turkey, the Tour of Hungary, and the Baloise Belgium Tour. In Hungary and Belgium, he sprinted to top-ten finishes.
The four years younger Geens, on the other hand, is a real late bloomer. Four years ago, the Belgian had never even raced a bike race but has now reached the professional ranks via a long detour. In June, an extensive interview with Geens was published on this site. "Now I am at the best level I have ever reached, but normally I should still have room to progress. Who knows? Maybe one day, I will make it to the WorldTour."
Need for reinforcement
With spearheads like Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen, and Kaden Groves, and talents such as Emiel Verstrynge, Tibor Del Grosso, and soon-to-be Senna Remijn already secured, it’s hard to talk about a mass exodus. Yet Alpecin-Deceuninck has had to say goodbye to several strong players in recent weeks, including Quinten Hermans, Xandro Meurisse, Robbe Ghys, Timo Kielich, Fabio Van den Bossche, and Gianni Vermeersch.
The main reason behind the extensive turnover within the team, besides the factor of success, is probably also related to the search for a second title sponsor.
Jonas Geens - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
