WORLDTOUR

While 2021 UCI Road World Championships in Flanders, Belgium, ended with the success of the French cyclist Julian Alaphilippe, we are very proud for the performances of our four Alpecin-FENIX team riders that took part in the competition: Oscar Riesebeek (Netherlands), Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands), Silvan Dillier (Switzerland), and Petr Vakoc (Czech Republic).
The Alpecin-FENIX’s captain Mathieu van der Poelwon the sprint of a small chasing group in the race and finished 8^th.
“I would have loved to have been in slightly better shape here. But I think I can be proud of the results,” said van der Poel in statement after the race.
Petr Vakoc close Flanders 2021 in the 32 position and Dillier in 45 position.
We congratulate all our riders who gave it their all at the 2021 UCI Road World Championships.

What a great streak for Jasper Philipsen, who won the 71° edition of Paris-Chayny 2021  reaching four wins in a row. The Belgian cyclist of Alpecin-FENIX crossed first the finish line of the 205.6 km race from Margny-lès-Compiègne to Chauny ahead of the Italians  Alberto Dainese (Team DSM) and Andrea Pasqualon (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert).
The streak of four victories in a row–Koolskamp in Belgium, Eschborn-Frankfurt in Germany, and GP Denain and Paris-Chayny in France–confirms the fantastic moment for Philipsen and makes him one of the strongest cyclist ever in his category.
His next challenge, as well as for Mathieu van der Poel and Tim Merlier, is the great classic Paris-Roubaix. We wish them well in their endeavor!

The Bra-Bra specialized – FENIX Gran Prix will take place on September 26^th. The amateur cycling competition starts and ends in Bra, Piedmont, where Arpa Industriale and the FENIX Factory are located.
The event reaches its 28° edition and, for the first time ever, it will take the official name of Bra-Bra specialized – FENIX Gran Prix, thanks to the sponsorship by Arpa Industriale and the FENIX brand.
Every year more than 2500 amateur cyclists take part in the event. The participants can choose trough three different courses: Bra-Bra corto (distance 66.77 Km, elevation 304 m), Bra-Bra MedioFondo (109.82 km, elevation 560 m) and Bra-Bra GranFondo (161.08 km, elevation 610 m). All the courses go through the beautiful landscapes of Langhe and Roero, a UNESCO World Heritage  area known for its amazing hills and fascinating vineyards. The area has been home to Arpa Industriale headquarters since its foundation in 1954. Here is where the company designs its high-quality surfaces for interior design and FENIX innovative materials. Always aligned with the cycling sport spirit and values, we are proud to be sponsor of the Bra-Bra specialized – FENIX Gran Prix.

Stage 3 of the Skoda Tour de Luxembourg – 189.3 km from Mondorf-les-Bains to Mamer – was really an exciting race that ended with Alpecin-FENIX cyclist Sacha Modolo finish first and ahead of Benoît Cosnefroy (AG2R Citroën) and Eduard-Michael Grosu (DELKO).

This was the Italian rider first win after three tough and long years and he couldn’t be more happy about his outstanding performance. “I’m out of words. I’m so happy with this win! I’ve been waiting for it for years and I don’t hope for it anymore. But the team continued to believe in me, for which I’m really grateful! This one is for my family, for my wife,” said Modolo. “The team was amazing, and I had an incredible lead-out. They really did a very good job! I gave it my all in the last 200 m.”

Modolo underlined the commitment of the team. Modolo’s win is also Alpecin-FENIX first ever stage victory  s at the Tour de Luxembour.

We thrilled for him and the team. Congrats Sacha. Keep going guys!

Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen and Tim Merlier will attend the edition number 118 of Paris-Roubaix as confirmed by the Alpecin-FENIX.

The famous competition – also know as the Hell of the North for is strenuous route – will take place on October 3^rd starting in Compiègne, north of Paris, and ending at the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux in Roubaix. The riders will have to cover a distance of 259 km with 30 sectors of pave covering (55km). Paris-Roubaix was inaugurated in 1896, making it also one of the oldest bike races in the world. Last year the race was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic so there is a great expectation for the 2021 edition.

Paris-Roubaix is for sure one the most fascinating bike races and we are as excited as our cyclists to participate. The countdown has started, the Queen of Classics is coming!

Mathieu van der Poel comes back to the competition after the Tokyo Olympic Games injury and comes back to win. The Alpecin-FENIX captain crossed first the finish line of the Antwerp Port Epic race ahead of Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) after a crushing final sprint. At the third position we find another Alpecin-FENIX cyclist, the Belgian Tim Merlier. What a great performance for Alpecin-FENIX team!

It was an important test for Mathieu which skipped the Benelux Tour but opted to race in Antwerp to see if he would be fit for the UCI Road World Championships in Flanders and the postponed Paris-Roubaix.

“It’s nice to win. I missed some important goals but I am happy to be back,” Van der Poel said. “The back gave some problems in final hour but it didn’t bother me as normal. I am relieved. I have to wait to see how I react but this race isn’t like Roubaix or Worlds. We’ll decide this week.”

Welcome back Mathieu!

Yes, he did it again! Tim Merlier adds another triumph to his wonderful 2021 season by reaching his 9^th win.

Merlier crossed first the finish line of the Benelux Tour’s fourth stage in 3 hours, 26 minutes and 29 seconds reaching the 9th position in the tour overall rank. The Alpecin-FENIX cyclist won the stage in Ardooie ahead of Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segrafedo) after an amazingfinal sprint during the last 50 meters.

“It’s really a victory for the team today because my teammates protected me perfectly from the wind and they placed me ideally in the narrow passages where everyone was very nervous,” explained the Belgian cyclist. “Suddenly, I was still fresh at the time of the sprint.”

2021 is proving to be a very special year for him and for all the Alpecin-FENIX team.

The Benelux Tour 2021 begins in the best possible way for the Alpecin-FENIX team.

Tim Merlier won the first stage of the race – 170 kms from Surhuisterveen to Dokkum – ahead of Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious) and Fernando Gaviria (UAE Emirates). The Alpecin-FENIX Belgian athlete crossed the finish line first in 3 hours, 32 minutes and 20 seconds after a fantastic final sprint.

After the stage victories at Giro d’Italia and Tour the France, Mernier adds another success to his long list. Congrats Tim, keep it up!

The Alpecin-FENIX team will participate for the very first time in La Vuelta a España, that is taking place from August 14 to September 5, 2021. The 76^th edition of the most important Spanish cyclist race will start from the Burgos’s Cathedral and – after 21 stages and more than 3,000 kms – will finish in Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia.

The line-up that is taking part in the competition was announced on August 5. Here are the cyclists: Edward Planckaert, Jay Vine, Scott Thwaites, Jasper Philipsen, Sachca Modolo, Alexander Krieger, Floris de Tier, and Tobias Bayer.

Thanks to the participations in Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, the Alpecin-FENIX team will complete the participation in all the three cycling Grand Tours for the first time in his history. They have already reached an important goal, of course, but we know they will do great things and we wish them well in their endeavour. Come on guys! Forza ragazzi!

It is the grace, the endurance, and the persistence of athletes like Mathieu van der Poel that inspire us. In business as in cycling, talent alone is not enough.

We aim to reach the highest levels knowing that to stay there we need passion, dedication and hard work. At the same time, we need a dedicated and professional team moved by a continuous desire to get better. We train hard in all possible circumstances to get lucky when it matters.

This approach and set of values are why we align our FENIX global brand with the Alpecin-FENIX cycling team. The team shows a similar way of working, focusing on growth and on the long term.

Van der Poel, now 26, won his first World Champion title at the age of 20. He has been on the same team for over a decade. It is a promising team that steadily works on building careers and new generations of cyclists. Their long-term approach is based on facts. At the same time, the team remains flexible and entrepreneurial.

In cycling and in business, we share a focus on getting great results consistently. But to improve, we also learn from the losses without losing sight of our goals. To quote Van der Poel, “Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination.”