Team Picnic PostNL

Tour of the Alps – Race Report

Tour of the Alps
April 24, 2025
Romain Bardet
Romain Bardet
Robbe Dhondt
Robbe Dhondt
Chris Hamilton
Chris Hamilton
Max Poole
Max Poole
Matteo Vanhuffel
Matteo Vanhuffel
Jurgen Zomermaand
Jurgen Zomermaand

25th April – Stage 5: Lienz – Lienz

The final day of racing at the Tour of the Alps saw the peloton take on a short but sharp stage, with 2300 metres of climbing squeezed into 112 kilometres of action. From the start the battle to make the break was intense, with Development program rider Matteo Vanhuffel representing the team in the move of 15 riders. Vanhuffel and those out front worked well together to increase their lead and they would build up enough of an advantage to fight for the stage win. On the penultimate climb though Vanhuffel had to let go of the wheels of the already reduced break, while behind in the peloton a fierce tempo was set.

Those at the head of the GC battle forged on to fight for the podium positions, while Max Poole and Romain Bardet were supported by the rest of the team in the chase group. Coming across the line in Lienz, Poole sprinted to tenth place on the day – a result that netted him the best young rider jersey, while finishing seventh on GC; while Bardet made it a double top ten overall for the team with a tenth place in the final standings.

Speaking after the stage Team Picnic PostNL coach Matt Winston reflected: “I think overall the guys had a pretty good week here at the Tour of the Alps. We came into the race in a good way and continued that. It was nice to have Max secure the white jersey this afternoon and it shows that he’s in good shape ahead of the Giro. Unfortunately, Romain struggled just a little bit in the final today but we still could take a double top ten overall. Looking back on our race we’ve had nine top tens in five stages, two in the top ten on GC and won the white jersey; so I think it’s been a good building block for the goals we have in the coming weeks.”

Results

  • 37.63/H
  • 112.2KM
  • 2431M
  • Stage
  • General classification
  • Points classification
  • Youth classification
  • Mountains classification
  • Teams classification
Pos.RiderTeamTimePoints
1PRODHOMME NicolasDecathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team2:58:54-
2SEIXAS PaulDecathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team,,-
3HERZOG EmilRed Bull - BORA - hansgrohe0:29-
10POOLE MaxTeam Picnic PostNL3:23-
22BARDET RomainTeam Picnic PostNL4:03-
26VANHUFFEL MatteoTeam Picnic PostNL5:28-
35DHONDT RobbeTeam Picnic PostNL6:14-
44HAMILTON ChrisTeam Picnic PostNL7:23-
67ZOMERMAAND JurgenTeam Picnic PostNL12:05-

24th April – stage 4: Sillian – Obertilliach

The fourth and penultimate stage of the Tour of the Alps took the peloton from Italy into Austria under harsh weather conditions. Torrential rain and a relentless pace from the very start made it a particularly tough day in the saddle, quickly resulting in a heavily reduced bunch. Thymen Arensman launched a solo move and rode strongly to the stage win. Max Poole spent a good portion of the day in a chasing group, with Romain Bardet riding just behind in a steadily thinning group of favourites.

In the lead-up to the final climb, Poole and Bardet regrouped in the same chase. With one climb and 13 kilometres to go, they were part of a select group of eleven riders in pursuit. On the last ascent of the day, that group split, and it was Poole who crossed the line first for Team Picnic PostNL in seventh place. Bardet followed just a few seconds later to take ninth. With just one stage remaining, Bardet and Poole sit seventh and eighth respectively in the general classification, with Poole also taking the lead in the young rider’s classification.

After the finish, Poole reflected on the day’s stage: “It was a super tough stage today with the weather and the way the race was ridden. There was quite a battle for the break, and although a group eventually went clear, it was brought back pretty quickly once the pace really picked up. From there, it was pretty much just the group of favourites all day, with Romain and me trying to manage the race.

With around 60 kilometres to go, I followed a few moves to try and bridge across to the front, but unfortunately it wasn’t the right combination. After that, I ended up riding alone through the valley before hitting the two steep climbs. There I managed to survive and come over with Romain in a small group and then we did the best we could to fight to the line. Tomorrow will be another hard day so we’ll give a good go again!”

Results

  • 37.975/H
  • 162.7KM
  • 3370M
  • Stage
  • General classification
  • Points classification
  • Youth classification
  • Mountains classification
  • Teams classification
Pos.RiderTeamTimePoints
1ARENSMAN ThymenINEOS Grenadiers4:17:04-
2GEE DerekIsrael - Premier Tech1:18-
3STORER MichaelTudor Pro Cycling Team1:23-
7POOLE MaxTeam Picnic PostNL4:29-
9BARDET RomainTeam Picnic PostNL4:35-
35VANHUFFEL MatteoTeam Picnic PostNL24:11-
38DHONDT RobbeTeam Picnic PostNL,,-
41HAMILTON ChrisTeam Picnic PostNL24:14-
62ZOMERMAAND JurgenTeam Picnic PostNL,,-

23nd April – stage 3: Sterzing – Innichen

Stage 3 of the Tour of the Alps delivered a fast day of racing from the gun, and Team Picnic PostNL was on the front foot throughout. Chris Hamilton represented the team in the early breakaway, joining a large group that went clear shortly after the start in Sterzing. As the race progressed and the majority of riders in the break was reeled in, Hamilton slotted back into the peloton, where the rest of our riders were well-positioned for the finale.

With 40km to go and the race stretched along the valley floor, all six of our riders were in the main GC group heading into the final climb. After his efforts in the early break, Hamilton went back to work, driving the pace at the front of the peloton as they approached the final ascent with 15km to go. At the summit of the climb, Max Poole and Romain Bardet were both attentive near the front of the reduced bunch. In the sprint to the line, Poole finished in an impressive 5th place, with Bardet not far behind in 10th. The bunch came in 19 seconds down on Frigo, who held on to take the win.

After the stage Poole said: “It was another solid day in the mountains. It was a pretty classic stage: an early break went up the road again, and it was great to have Chris in there. That meant other teams had to do a bit more work. Eventually, it all came back together apart from Frigo, who was really strong to take the win solo.

The team did a great job bringing Romain and me into the final climb in a good position. From there, it was about doing the best final we could. We’ve got two more stages to come, and we’re riding well as a group, so hopefully we’ll have some more chances to make something happen.”

Results

  • 38.43/H
  • 145.5KM
  • 3034M
  • Stage
  • General classification
  • Points classification
  • Mountains classification
  • Teams classification
  • Youth classification
Pos.RiderTeamTimePoints
1FRIGO MarcoIsrael - Premier Tech3:47:10-
2HINDLEY JaiRed Bull - BORA - hansgrohe0:19-
3GEE DerekIsrael - Premier Tech,,-
5POOLE MaxTeam Picnic PostNL,,-
10BARDET RomainTeam Picnic PostNL,,-
35HAMILTON ChrisTeam Picnic PostNL3:33-
51ZOMERMAAND JurgenTeam Picnic PostNL8:54-
52VANHUFFEL MatteoTeam Picnic PostNL,,-
61DHONDT RobbeTeam Picnic PostNL9:48-

22nd April – stage 2: Mezzolombardo – Sterzing

Click here to read the report as Romain Bardet finished third on the second stage.

21st April – stage 1: San Lorenzo Dorsino – San Lorenzo Dorsino

The Tour of the Alps got underway with a stunning stage in the heart of the Dolomites, starting and finishing in the picturesque town of San Lorenzo Dorsino. The opening day featured two categorized climbs: the long and steady Campo Carlo Magno (14.5km at 6.2%) and the steeper Passo del Durone (6.3km at 7.8%), before a final drag uphill towards the finish, perfect terrain for a reduced bunch sprint. An early break of three riders escaped right after the flag dropped and enjoyed most of the day up the road, while Team Picnic PostNL stayed well positioned in the bunch, keeping things under control.

As the race hit the Passo del Durone, the peloton was significantly reduced. The breakaway was reeled in on the slopes, and the pace went up a notch. By the summit, only around 20 riders remained in the front group — with both Romain Bardet and Max Poole still right where they needed to be. The final uphill kilometres into San Lorenzo Dorsino saw a few riders try late attacks, but in the end, it all came back together just before the flamme rouge. Poole made a bold move by jumping early in the sprint to try and catch the others off guard, but the line came just a bit too late for it to stick. Bardet launched his sprint with everything he had and crossed the line in a strong 4th place, while Poole secured 8th, in the same time. A promising start to the week, with both riders looking sharp and well-placed in the general classification.

After the stage, Bardet said: “I’m really happy to be back racing. It feels like my season is truly starting now. Today’s finish was pretty punchy, so it was great to be up there with Max in the front group. It wasn’t easy to come into such an explosive finale after more than two months without being in the peloton, but it’s a good first step. There are four tough stages still to come, but it’s a solid way to start the week!”

Results

  • 40.105/H
  • 148.5KM
  • 3129M
  • Stage
  • General classification
  • Points classification
  • Youth classification
  • Mountains classification
  • Teams classification
Pos.RiderTeamTimePoints
1CICCONE GiulioLidl - Trek3:42:10-
2GALL FelixDecathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team,,-
3SEIXAS PaulDecathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team,,-
4BARDET RomainTeam Picnic PostNL,,-
8POOLE MaxTeam Picnic PostNL,,-
37VANHUFFEL MatteoTeam Picnic PostNL2:13-
46HAMILTON ChrisTeam Picnic PostNL3:58-
53ZOMERMAAND JurgenTeam Picnic PostNL6:27-
59DHONDT RobbeTeam Picnic PostNL,,-