Danny van Poppel is ready to take a bigger leading position within Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe. With Jordi Meeus and Sam Welsford these past two years, the Dutch rider had been a leadout man with occasional freedom throughout his time with the German team, but he has proven himself to be worth more than just that, and in 2026 he wants to be a full leader whilst carrying the colours of the Dutch national championships title he obtained.Van Poppel had a stellar year, often marked by his risky attitude in the sprints and yellow cards, but also by what he believes was his best sprinting to date. “Many people don’t know this, but for a sprinter, confidence is everything. I got such a boost from beating Dylan [Groenewegen] once and then Olav [Kooij] too. That just gives you confidence and trust, and that of others too,” van Poppel shared with Wielerflits.
With Welsford leaving the team, there was no need to sign a new sprinter, as van Poppel already showed himself above the Australian. Not only a sprinter, the 32-year old is also a talented classics rider and has used his versatility to a couple of stages at the Tour de Hongrie and finish his season with a dream victory at the Tour of Holland. In 2026, he will likely no longer be a leadout man in the team. “I also spoke with Ralph Denk, the team boss, during that period. He’s really into it, especially because we have a good relationship. The team is doing great anyway. So we’re just going for it, for a year,” he said, confirming his status in what will be a contract year.
“Because of those victories in May and June, we decided to try this for a year; that’s how I really see it. I also want to show off my red, white, and blue, and I’m getting support for that. During the last Tour de France we made a great plan. Things look very bright for the future. Especially with my championship jersey, I said ‘I’ll wait for the world-class sprinter I hope to get one day.’ I won’t settle for anything less”.
Nothing but complements on the return of the Tour of Holland
Van Poppel has been riding in or new the top for a very long time now, having won a sprint stage at the Vuelta a España now already 10 years ago but never taking the step up in terms of results, ordinarily. However, as shown in 2021 for example, his ability as a classics rider has increased substantially over the years, and he has also been termed one of the very best leadout men in the modern peloton, making him a crucial asset for Red Bukk.
Hence with pride, he led the team to end the season at the Tour of Holland. “It was about time we had a race like this in the Netherlands. I’ve been a pro for a long time, but you don’t see such a well-organized race very often. Yes, it was a bit dangerous in Limburg. It’s great that they agreed to that right away (the race cancellation on stage 3, ed.). This was also the first time TIG Sports organized a cycling race. They’ll take a lot of this knowledge with them to the next edition. I think it can only get better.”
He won the final stage, a dream ending to the race and for the rider in Arnhem as he wore the jersey across the line. “Just look at the cycling spectacle we had in the final weekend! This was old-fashioned racing. It was exciting, there was action, people saw the riders. I especially want to applaud that here. This is especially important for Dutch cycling”.
Van Poppel in Lille at the start of the Tour de France. @Sirotti